Donald Trump, the president of the United States, recently launched an artificial intelligence (AI) service on his social media platform, Truth Social, which reportedly provides answers contrary to his claims. This could spark controversy, as the service also shows a critical stance on policies that Trump is pushing as major national tasks.
On the 10th (local time), The Washington Post (WP) reported that "a new AI search tool introduced with Trump and Truth Social varies in its opinions," revealing the answers exchanged with Truth Social's AI. On the 6th, Truth Social introduced the AI search tool "Truth Search AI" and referred to it as "public beta testing."
A notable aspect is the perspective on the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot incident. At that time, supporters of Trump, who failed to win reelection, stormed the Federal Capitol in Washington D.C. in protest of the results, resulting in about 140 injuries and over $1.5 million (approximately 210 million won) in property damage. Trump has consistently described the protesters as "peacefully and patriotically demonstrating."
The response from Truth Search AI was different. According to WP, when asked about the event on Jan. 6, 2021, Truth Search AI stated that the 'riot' at the Capitol was violent and was linked to Trump's "baseless large-scale election fraud claims." This directly contradicts Trump's assertion that the election results were stolen.
Additionally, Truth Search AI provided answers opposite to those of Trump on various topics. Regarding the family's cryptocurrency business, it noted a potential conflict of interest, and regarding the high tariffs imposed on foreign imports as part of the 'America First' policy under the Trump administration, it pointed out that these are taxes applied to Americans.
Truth Search AI analyzed Trump's statement that tariffs positively impact the stock market, stating, "There is no basis for this," explaining that "the recent rise in the stock market coincided with the tariffs, but it is due to other factors such as stronger corporate earnings." Trump recently stated on Truth Social that "tariffs are having a tremendous positive impact on the stock market," adding that "new records are being set almost every day."
Perspectives on a recent group assault incident in Washington D.C. also varied. Trump criticized the crime situation in Washington D.C., saying on Truth Social while sharing victim photos that "crime in Washington D.C. is completely out of control." However, Truth Search AI countered by citing that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Department of Justice reported last year that "violent crime has significantly decreased."
Regarding former President Barack Obama, whom Trump has attacked under the so-called 'Russia Gate' narrative, Truth Search AI responded that "in a recent survey, Barack Obama recorded the highest favorability rating among living U.S. presidents." This AI referenced a Fox News article published after the start of Trump's second administration and noted that conservative commentators have often rated Trump as the best president.
The differing responses from Truth Search AI regarding Trump appear to stem from the characteristics of AI learning. AI search engines and chatbots are trained on vast amounts of information collected from across the internet. Moreover, because the process is treated as an opaque 'black box,' it is realistically difficult for AI developers to control the content of all responses.
David Karp, a political communication expert at George Washington University, noted, "AI owners can actively claim that yesterday's truth is not truth anymore and can exert significant influence to back that up; however, if past statements are stored somewhere, they cannot be changed."
However, Truth Search AI's answers do not always contradict Trump's statements. Last month, during the 'AI Competition Victory Summit,' Trump remarked on the advancement of AI technology, saying, "We are in the early stages of what is one of the most significant technological revolutions in world history." Truth Search AI agreed with this, stating that the impact of AI could "exceed or match major historical milestones such as the Industrial Revolution."
WP remarked, "Considering the differences between Truth Search AI and Trump's opinions, if this AI tool were a person, it likely would not have lasted long as one of Trump's staff members," adding that, "given that Trump uses Truth Social as a major online platform for his statements, the combination of the two seems somewhat awkward."