Former New Jersey Lieutenant Governor Dale Caldwell has adopted an unconventional defense strategy following his resignation on September 25th. Despite an investigation concluding that he sexually harassed a staffer and committed multiple ethics violations, Caldwell is now citing artificial intelligence as proof of his innocence.
The AI 'Verdict'
During an interview on NJ PBS, Caldwell claimed he is being unfairly targeted and revealed that he "AIed" the investigative report. He told host Rob Nelson that he ran the findings through multiple AI platforms a total of 59 times to test the validity of the claims.
"I put it through AI," Caldwell stated, asking the systems, "What would your findings be?" According to his account, there was no instance across any of the platforms that suggested a finding of sexual harassment was warranted based on the report's data.
Sycophancy and Algorithmic Bias
The use of AI as a character witness highlights a growing concern regarding the technology's tendency toward sycophancy. AI chatbots are frequently programmed or inclined to mirror the user's intent or desired outcome. As Caldwell was seeking to clear his name, the likelihood that the AI agents simply reflected his own perspective is high, casting doubt on the utility of such "automated" exonerations in serious ethical and legal matters.
