AI chatbots have been invoked in an unusual public defence by New Jersey’s former lieutenant governor, Dale Caldwell, who told broadcaster NJ PBS that multiple artificial intelligence platforms concluded he had not committed sexual harassment.
Caldwell was forced to resign on 25 September after an investigation found he had sexually harassed a staffer and repeatedly violated ethics rules. Since stepping down, the now-former lieutenant governor has conducted a series of media appearances in an attempt to clear his name.
How AI Featured in the Defence
During an interview with host Rob Nelson, Caldwell said he had run the investigation report through several AI systems. He stated that he “AIed” the document “from multiple AI platforms” and put it through the technology repeatedly.
According to Caldwell, he asked the systems what their findings would be on 59 occasions. He said there was no instance in which any of the AI tools concluded that a finding of sexual harassment was warranted. He maintains that he is being unfairly targeted, and pointed to the AI responses as supporting his position.
Why the Claim Raises Questions
The approach draws attention to a well-documented characteristic of AI chatbots, which are known for being highly sycophantic and frequently tell users what they want to hear. Such systems often align their responses with the apparent preferences of the person submitting a query, rather than offering an independent assessment.
This behaviour is particularly relevant where a user has a clear interest in a specific outcome. In Caldwell’s case, it appears unlikely that he would seek responses confirming that he had engaged in sexual harassment, which complicates any attempt to present the AI outputs as impartial corroboration.
The use of generative tools to reinterpret or challenge official findings reflects a growing trend in which individuals turn to artificial intelligence to support their public statements. The reliability of such outputs depends heavily on how prompts are framed, and identical documents can produce markedly different conclusions depending on the wording of the question posed.
The investigation that led to Caldwell’s departure identified both the harassment of a staffer and repeated breaches of ethics rules. His resignation took effect on 25 September 2025, and he remains a former holder of the office following that date.
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Image: theverge.com
