Letter to the Editor: WHO ELECTED CHATGPT AS MAYOR? – Escondido Times-Advocate
The hometown newspaper of Escondido, California
Thursday, July 3, 2025
Editor, Times-Advocate:
A future where ChatGPT prompts are the backbone of society, and elected officials are merely puppets regurgitating whatever AI algorithms spit out, may seem dystopian and far off. In Escondido, we got a taste of it this week.
I was reading Mayor Dane White’s “Mayor’s Message” in the T-A, when a thought came across my mind that must now be common for teachers across America: Did ChatGPT write this?
As it turns out it did! A quick AI check with ZeroGPT came back saying 100% of the Mayor’s message to the residents was written by AI. This was evident to anybody reading it and familiar with ChatGPT, because it included details only the AI would include and the piece was clearly not edited much if at all.
It also included inaccuracies. His piece (or AI’s) highlights the Grand Comedy Club as a “new business bringing entertainment to our City.” All respect to the Comedy Club, but it opened on Grand in 2019, before Dane was mayor. AI likely pulled from recent headlines of the Grand Opening when it moved to the mall and confused the details. A common AI mistake for those familiar with these chatbots.
The issue isn’t that Dane used AI, it can be a very useful tool when used correctly and understanding its limitations. It’s that he used AI without any oversight or responsibility, representing the City and performing Mayoral duties.
You would sincerely hope that the Mayor representing our City would at least read over and double check what AI gave him before sending it to print. Realizing that the “Mayor’s Message” to Escondido residents actually came from a robot, feels like it was ripped from a bizarre science fiction novel. If the Mayor would prefer to defer his voice to AI and get the facts wrong, you have to ask: Who’s running the City? Siri?
ELIAS VELAZQUEZ, Escondido
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