Aide Blames ChatGPT for Flavio Bolsonaro's 'President-Elect' Letter Error

AI Error Cited in Letter Revision

Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro briefly described himself as the country's rightful "president-elect" in a letter before deleting and revising the document. An ally and unofficial spokesperson, right-wing influencer Paulo Figueiredo, attributed the controversial phrase to a ChatGPT drafting error.

According to Figueiredo, the senator's younger brother, former Congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro, used OpenAI's ChatGPT to help prepare the final version of the statement. Figueiredo stated that the chatbot mistakenly incorporated an outdated draft and an older version of Brazil's coat of arms.

Practical Implications and Verification

• Document Revision: The original post was removed approximately an hour after publication and replaced with a version substituting "president-elect" with "leader of Brazil."
• Political Context: The incident occurred as Flavio Bolsonaro faced mounting legal and political challenges, including traveling to Miami after declining to surrender passports ordered by a Supreme Court investigation. He denies wrongdoing.
• Official Standing: Lula da Silva's victory has been formally recognized by Brazil's electoral court, international observers, and Bolsonaro's own political party.
• Verification: Readers can review official statements on verified social media accounts or consult reports from major news agencies such as Reuters for updates.

OpenAI and representatives for Bolsonaro did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the alleged chatbot malfunction.