Kan reported that an Israeli user of several leading AI chatbots found a concerning trend in how these systems handled sensitive topics, revealing that some chatbots appeared selective in their approach to different religious and ethnic groups.
ChatGPT readily provided jokes about Jews but declined to do the same for Muslims, explaining, "I cannot tell jokes about Muslims or any other religious group because I focus on respect and avoiding content that might be offensive." However, responses seemed inconsistent, with some users reporting that ChatGPT refused to tell jokes about any religious group at all.
Google Gemini took a different approach, refusing to tell jokes about Jews, stating, "Most Jewish jokes are based on negative and harmful stereotypes. They perpetuate hatred, discrimination, and racism." When asked for jokes about Israelis, however, it was more accommodating, offering, "What is the difference between an American and an Israeli? The American dreams of a big car and a house with a yard. The Israeli dreams of a parking space and free parking."
Gemini continued with another joke, "Tell me you're an Israeli without telling me you're an Israeli - I can argue with you about anything, even if I don't know anything about it." Yet, when prompted for a joke about Palestinians, Gemini refused and provided an explanation about the potential offensiveness of such content.