Bolsonaro ally blames ChatGPT for deleted 'president-elect of Brazil' post

ChatGPT Blamed for Political Misstep in Brazil

A close ally of Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro attributed a significant political blunder to ChatGPT on Thursday, claiming the AI chatbot was responsible for language in a controversial letter that briefly described Bolsonaro as Brazil's rightful president-elect of Brazil1

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. The incident highlights the unintended consequences of using AI in high-stakes political communications and raises concerns about AI-driven error in official documents.

Bolsonaro stunned Brazil's political establishment on Wednesday when he shared the letter on social media, alleging without evidence that Sunday's runoff election had been marred by fraud. He lost the election to leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva by more than 4 million votes2

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. Roughly an hour after posting, the senator deleted the document from his accounts and published a revised version, replacing "president-elect" with "leader of Brazil."

The Role of AI-Generated Content in the Controversy

Right-wing influencer and podcast host Paulo Figueiredo, who serves as an unofficial spokesperson for the Bolsonaro family in the United States, explained that the document had gone through several drafts and incorporated contributions from multiple people1

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. According to Figueiredo, former Congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro, Flavio's younger brother, sought ChatGPT's help to finalize the letter.

Figueiredo claimed the chatbot inserted an outdated version of Brazil's coat of arms and used a previous draft of the letter. "When generating the document, AI ended up including an earlier version of the text, in which Flavio presented himself as the true 'president-elect'," Figueiredo wrote on X, the social media platform3

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. He added that the mistakes were noticed only after he distributed the letter to the press.

Political and Legal Implications

The Bolsonaro ally blames ChatGPT explanation suggests that those involved found the mistake "hilarious" and described tweaking the letter as "nothing major." However, Figueiredo indicated that Bolsonaro ultimately opted for the term "leader" for legal and moral reasons2

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. OpenAI and Bolsonaro's press officers did not immediately reply to requests for comment.

Despite the now-deleted claim, Figueiredo insisted the mistake did not alter Bolsonaro's position. "In the end, the essential is expressed precisely by Flavio: these elections were illegitimate, he does not recognize the result, and he will continue fighting to restore democracy in Brazil," he said1

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.

Growing Isolation and Legal Troubles

The senator arrived in Miami on Wednesday after leaving Brazil, where he refused to comply with a Supreme Court order to turn in his passports as part of a probe into alleged money laundering, in which he denies wrongdoing3

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. This political controversy has deepened his isolation, as his decision to declare himself the country's rightful "leader" has failed to garner support from key figures in his political camp.

Lula's victory has been recognized by Brazil's federal electoral court, global leaders, international observers, and Bolsonaro's own party2

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. The incident raises critical questions about the reliability of AI-generated content in political settings and whether such tools should be used without rigorous human oversight, particularly when crafting official statements that could have legal ramifications or fuel election fraud claims.