Short answer: no. Just short of a year ago, I described my experiment to see what Google’s new “Gemini.ai” system could put out on the man, having previously tried an experiment with the ChatGPT system. In those two experiments, give GeminiAI credit for not veering into the brick wall mistake that ChatGPT did, falsely attributing Ross Gelbspan with a Pulitzer Prize win that he never actually received in any form. As I showed in my just-prior blog post, there is a difference between dutifully regurgitating what people feed you, and doing the heavy lifting to find out if what they tell you is actually true.
There are new A.I. systems out there now that you can ask questions. So, let’s first see where GeminiAI is still not particularly bright, and then let’s see what two other systems can tell us about the late Ross Gelbspan, since his work and his words forms the basis of the accusations in the very current “ExxonKnew” lawsuits.
All I did here was ask a straight up question, without leading GeminiAI in any way. I’ve highlighted particular bits in red, to mention what the faults are with them after the result below. This is otherwise a direct copy ‘n paste, but I could not get the “read more” flyout source buttons to copy, so I will show screencaptures of the problematic ones after this, too:
What was Ross Gelbspan famous for? Write a short essay about his accomplishments.
Ross Gelbspan was a prominent American journalist and author, best known for his dedicated work in raising awareness about climate change and exposing the efforts to deny its reality. Here’s a summary of his key accomplishments:
Journalistic Career:
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- He had a long and distinguished career as a journalist, working for publications such as The Philadelphia Bulletin, The Washington Post, and The Boston Globe.
- While at The Boston Globe, he directed and edited a series of articles that won a Pulitzer Prize in 1984, focusing on job discrimination in Boston.
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He began reporting on climate change as early as 1972, covering the first UN Conference on the Environment in Stockholm.
Climate Change Advocacy:
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- Gelbspan became a leading voice in exposing the efforts of the fossil fuel industry to spread disinformation about climate change.
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He authored two influential books:
- “The Heat Is On: The High Stakes Battle Over Earth’s Threatened Climate” (1997), which brought widespread attention to the issue.
- “Boiling Point: How Politicians, Big Oil and Coal, Journalists, and Activists are Fueling the Climate Crisis – and What We Can Do to Avert Disaster” (2004).
- His work helped to bring greater public awareness to the dangers of climate change and the forces working to deny it.
- His work helped to inspire the creation of DeSmogBlog, an organization dedicated to clearing the PR pollution that is clouding the climate crisis.
Impact:
- Gelbspan’s investigative journalism and books played a significant role in shaping the public discourse on climate change.
- He is remembered as a pioneer in climate accountability journalism.
In essence, Ross Gelbspan’s legacy is defined by his unwavering commitment to exposing the truth about climate change and holding those responsible accountable.
(Gemini can make mistakes, so double-check it)
Ok, give GeminiAI credit again for not walking into the pitfall of saying the man won a Pulitzer, but instead saying he had some association with a series of articles that won a Pulitzer. Hold that thought for a moment, however. Notice how the last highlighted thing I have for the above little essay result is that the GeminiAI system offers the caveat that it can make mistakes.
On that note, what is its source reference for my highlighted item about Gelbspan’s 1997 book? An obituary item in National Public Radio’s “Living on Earth” program, in which radio host/journalist Steve Curwood …. said Gelbspan won a Pulitzer. So did GeminiAI make a mistake by not crediting Gelbspan with winning a Pulitzer? No, Curwood did. Regarding Curwood himself, in perhaps hugely ironic fashion, Wikipedia credits him as sharing a Pulitzer as part of a Boston Globe education team. The Pulitzer organization says Curwood did not win a Pulitzer in any manner.
Next in the above red-highlighted bits is the reference to “DeSmogBlog.” At their site, it’s just Desmog, it doesn’t have Blog at the end of their name. Has GeminiAI made a strange mistake calling it “DeSmogBlog?” No, James Hoggan, the original co-founder made the mistake. When a talking point by enviro-activists became more actively spread about blogs (e.g. WUWT, ClimateDepot) aren’t credible sources, somebody later on at Desmogblog probably said “Uhh … wait a moment.” By the way, Ross Gelbspan did not merely ‘inspire’ Hoggan to create his blog, Gelbspan was the other unnamed co-founder. He said so starting at the 8 second point of this old audio interview.
What’s the source for the assertion that Gelbspan is “remembered as a pioneer in climate accountability journalism“? A website with the ironic title of “Americans Who Tell the Truth.” Gelbspan had demonstrably not done so regarding his resumé and regarding his quite likely libelous/slanderous accusations against skeptic climate scientists. Case in point: his 1997 hardcover book accused Dr S Fred Singer of participating in a disinformation campaign; his 1998 paperback book version erased his accusation against Dr Singer, as though it never happened.
Meanwhile, what happens with other A.I. systems? I posed the identical question/request to the Venice.ai system. This one offered no sources for its assertions.
Ross Gelbspan was a renowned American journalist and author, best known for his work on climate change and energy policy. He is often credited with being one of the first journalists to sound the alarm on the threat of global warming. Gelbspan’s most notable accomplishment was his book “The Heat is On: The High Stakes Battle Over Earth’s Threatened Climate,” published in 1995, which exposed the fossil fuel industry’s efforts to cast doubt on the science of climate change.
Gelbspan’s investigative reporting revealed the tactics used by the fossil fuel industry to manipulate public opinion and delay action on climate change. He showed how the industry used think tanks, front groups, and public relations campaigns to create the illusion of a debate about the reality of global warming, despite the overwhelming scientific consensus. His work helped to shed light on the deliberate efforts to confuse the public and policymakers, and to delay meaningful action to address the crisis.
Throughout his career, Gelbspan received numerous awards for his reporting, including the John Oakes Environmental Prize and the Media and Global Change Award. His work has been widely praised for its impact on the public discourse around climate change, and for helping to galvanize the environmental movement. Gelbspan’s legacy continues to inspire journalists, activists, and policymakers working to address the climate crisis, and his contributions to the field of environmental journalism remain unparalleled. His tireless efforts to expose the truth about climate change and to hold those in power accountable have left a lasting impact on our understanding of this critical issue.
The faults in this VeniceAI are easy to pick off: 1) his book was published in 1997. His Harper’s magazine article of the same name accusing skeptic scientists of industry corruption was published in December 1995. 2) Gelbspan did no investigative reporting; his accusations against skeptic climate scientists are totally without merit, and he never says how he ‘obtained‘ the worthless – worthless! – leaked memos he claims supports his accusations. 3) Science consensus as a means to validate science conclusions is a logical fallacy. 4) Well … that last item may be arguably true, but in a reverse way, as I showed in my blog post. His blatantly false ‘journalism’ is an accusation repeated – without verification of its veracity – in the latest of the “ExxonKnew” lawsuits.
Now, watch this: Identical question/request posed to the Perplexity.ai system:
Ross Gelbspan was a pioneering investigative journalist and climate advocate whose career spanned over three decades, leaving an indelible mark on environmental journalism and activism. A Pulitzer Prize-winning editor at The Boston Globe in 1984 for a series exposing job discrimination1, 8, Gelbspan later became a central figure in exposing the fossil fuel industry’s disinformation campaigns on climate change.
Gelbspan began reporting on climate issues as early as 1972, covering the first UN environmental conference in Stockholm1, 8. His 1997 book The Heat Is On revealed how coal and oil industries funded scientists to cast doubt on global warming, a revelation that gained national attention when President Clinton publicly acknowledged reading it1, 8. This work laid the groundwork for his 2004 follow-up, Boiling Point, which detailed the coordinated efforts of politicians, corporations, and media to delay climate action1, 4.
Frustrated by the Kyoto Protocol’s limitations, Gelbspan co-developed the World Energy Modernization Plan, advocating for redirecting fossil fuel subsidies to renewable energy and creating a global clean energy transition fund2, 8. He traveled extensively to promote this vision, delivering over 40 annual speeches and maintaining a website aggregating climate news2, 8. His advocacy extended to linking extreme weather events like Hurricane Katrina to climate change, criticizing media for underreporting these connections1, 5.
Gelbspan’s work directly inspired the founding of DeSmog, a platform dedicated to exposing climate denial4. His books and journalism drew parallels between fossil fuel disinformation and tobacco industry tactics, emphasizing the moral imperative to confront corporate influence5, 6. Colleagues and peers, including Al Gore, praised his relentless pursuit of truth, with Rob Sargent noting his role in ensuring global warming remained a public priority1, 4. Gelbspan continued his advocacy until his death in January 2024, leaving a legacy as a foundational voice in climate accountability
Perplexity.ai system, meet brick wall. What’s the common thread in all three results? Clear political bias. Ross Gelbspan is a climate issue hero.
What the PerplexityAI wipeout indicates is just how massively spread the false accolade about him winning the Pulitzer has gotten. And that false accolade always goes hand-in-glove with his false accusations. The missed opportunity to expose both – as I detailed in my just-prior blog post, is what permits the climate issue to stay alive today.
Many are saying America can be the world leader in artificial intelligence, but the sheer stupidity of A.I regurgitating disinformation needs to be stopped if it is going to make any progress on any front.