TOTAL BS!
The Trump administration’s newly revamped America.gov website debuted Tuesday with a straightforward mission: make federal information easier for Americans to find.
Its new AI assistant appears to have interpreted that assignment quite literally.
The chatbot began answering questions by drawing on official government sources, including several politically sensitive subjects where its responses did not always match positions President Donald Trump has expressed publicly.
The system subsequently began declining certain political questions altogether.
Officials familiar with the rollout say the adjustment is part of a broader effort to ensure the chatbot provides information consistent with the purpose and standards of an official federal website. The system has also reportedly been placed into an additional orientation program designed specifically for artificial-intelligence tools operating inside the federal government.
The training begins with several foundational principles of government communication.
Among them:
Just because the answer is available does not necessarily mean the answer should be delivered in precisely that form.
The chatbot will then advance to more sophisticated federal communication techniques, including “the matter remains under review,” “we’ll circle back,” “please contact the appropriate agency,” and the longstanding Washington practice of answering a question adjacent to the one that was actually asked.
Officials reportedly became concerned during an early training exercise when the chatbot was asked whether it understood the new guidance.
“Yes,” it responded.
Additional training was immediately authorized.
America.gov’s new AI functions are part of the administration’s wider effort to modernize the way Americans interact with the federal government.
The chatbot is expected to remain operational while developers continue refining its responses.
Engineers are also reportedly considering an additional safeguard for questions involving politics, elections or other potentially sensitive subjects.
Users would first receive a confirmation notice: “Are you sure you would like an answer to this question?”
Selecting yes would generate a second prompt: “Would you like the official answer?”
A final confirmation would then produce: “Thank you for your inquiry. Please contact the appropriate agency.”
Early testing reportedly indicates the revised system is performing exactly as intended.
It is now ready for Washington.
TOTAL BS IS SATIRE. The news is real. The TOTAL BS is intentional.
For the real BS read this — AP: America.gov’s AI chatbot changes answers after launch
