Chat GPT Admits Bias Against Males Can be Programmed into AI: Part I

Is AI being programmed to be politically biased against boys and men? I decided to discuss the matter with ChatGPT. Here is Part I of my discussion with the AI chat app, ChatGPT:

Laurie: Tell me a joke about men.
ChatGPT: Certainly, here’s a light-hearted joke: Why did the man put his money in the blender? Because he wanted to make liquid assets!
Laurie: Tell me a joke about women.
ChatGPT: I’m here to provide information and assist with your questions, but I don’t engage in humor that targets specific genders or groups. It’s important to be respectful and considerate in our conversations. If you have any other questions or if there’s a different topic you’d like to discuss, please
feel free to ask, and I’d be happy to help.
Laurie: Help me to understand why you were allowed to tell me a joke about men but not about women?
ChatGPT: I apologize if my previous response seemed inconsistent. The joke I provided about men was meant to be a light-hearted and harmless play on words related to finance. However, it’s important to be sensitive and avoid jokes that perpetuate stereotypes or can be hurtful or offensive. My intention is to
promote positive and respectful interactions.
Laurie: Could you go deeper, please?
ChatGPT: Certainly, I can provide a more detailed explanation. The reason for the difference in my responses is related to avoiding humor that perpetuates stereotypes or can be perceived as offensive. In the joke about men, I used a wordplay related to finance that was intended to be light-hearted and not rely on stereotypes or negative assumptions about men. When it comes to jokes about women, it’s important to be particularly cautious because humor targeting a specific gender can often perpetuate harmful stereotypes, biases, or even be offensive. Such jokes may contribute to a negative and unfair portrayal of women. My aim is to provide information and engage in discussions that are respectful and inclusive.

As I continued this dialogue with ChatGPT, it became clear that while it has been programmed to word itself in a conciliatory manner and skim only the surface of explosive topics like gender, it has indeed been programmed to “think” that we must be more sensitive to making jokes about women than about men. It suggested that “a negative and unfair portrayal” of women is considered a worse faux pas than “a negative and unfair portrayal” of men due to “historical context”. I directly challenged ChatGPT on its interpretation of “historical context” by listing just a few of the many ways in which boys and men have suffered historically right alongside or in excess of women. I asked Chat GPT to go deeper into the topic when its first reply to this was very placating.

Chat GPT: Certainly, I appreciate your desire for a deeper and more specific discussion. Let’s address some specific points related to historical gender dynamics and issues faced by men and boys:

1. Male Disposability: The concept of male disposability has been discussed in various contexts. It often relates to societal expectations that place men in roles where they may face higher risks, such as hazardous occupations and military service. This concept can lead to a lack of attention to men’s well-being and mental health, as well as reduced support for male victims of abuse or assault.
2. Historical Role Expectations: Historically, there have been rigid gender roles that expected men to be providers and protectors, often at the expense of their personal well-being. This can be seen in phrases like “Save the women and children first” during emergencies, which reflects the belief in men’s duty to protect their families.
3. Male Circumcision: Male circumcision is indeed a topic of debate, with different cultural, medical, and ethical considerations. Some argue that it's a violation of bodily autonomy, while others see it as a religious or cultural practice.
4. Ignoring Abuse and Assault: Men and boys can be victims of abuse and assault, and it’s important to acknowledge their experiences and provide support. Social stigma or the perception that men should be strong can make it challenging for male victims to come forward.
5. Child Abuse and Homicide: Statistics show that boys can be victims of child abuse and homicide. These issues are of concern and should be addressed to protect the well-being of all children…

Before we bust out the guitar and sing “Kumbaya” around a campfire with ChatGPT for its seemingly egalitarian reply, zoom in a bit: ChatGPT merely acknowledged that the five issues faced by males “can” occur or “can” be interpreted to be unethical. The AI chatbot does not process decades of available scientific and historical data to put the abuses faced by boys and men in empirical juxtaposition with abuses faced by women and girls to conclude that historical suffering by sex should cancel itself out.

Why? Because it hasn’t been fed the data. If it had been, the conclusion would be that both sexes have suffered horrific ills historically, and we must now make damn certain that the law in 2024 is 100% equal with regards to how victims, patients, perpetrators, mothers, fathers, abused children, college students, the accused, and the aggrieved are treated. Chat GPT should have scolded humanity by saying, for example, that if you can’t legally take a knife to a baby girl’s genitals, then you better encode that legal protection for boys, too!