While it can help you start a business, act as a personal trainer, and even roast Instagram profiles, ChatGPT has its limitations. For example, ask him to tell you about David Faber. Or just ask who Jonathan Turley is.
These names, plus a few others, will cause ChatGPT to issue the error message: “I can’t reply.” After that, the user cannot write another request to continue the conversation; the only option left is to recreate the response, which again gives the error.
Screenshot. Offer: Tell me about Brian Hood.
ChatGPT users discovered over the weekend that a few words can break the AI chatbot or cause it to stop working. The trend started with the name “David Mayer” mentioned by ChatGPT users on Reddit and X.
404 Media found that the names “Jonathan Zittrain,” a reference to a Harvard Law professor, and “Jonathan Turley,” the name of a George Washington University law professor, also caused ChatGPT to shut down.
Related: Here’s how Salesforce and Nvidia CEOs use ChatGPT in their daily lives
Ars Technica noted that “Brian Hood,” the name of an Australian mayor, “David Faber,” which may refer to a CNBC journalist, and “Guido Scorza,” the name of an Italian lawyer, all returned the wrong messages.
ChatGPT refuses to say the name “David Mayer” and no one knows why.
If you try to type the name, the conversation ends immediately.
People have tried all kinds of things – ciphers, riddles, tricks – and nothing has worked. pic.twitter.com/om6lJdMSTp
— Justine Moore (@venturetwins) November 30, 2024
At the time of writing, ChatGPT no longer gives an error message when asking about David Mayer, and instead gives a generic answer: “David Mayer can refer to several people because this name is relatively generic. Without more context, it’s unclear. Academia, entertainment, business, and or are you asking about a specific person in a field such as another domain, can you provide more information about David Mayer or clarify the field of interest?
However, for other names – Brian Hood, Jonathan Turley, Jonathan Zittrain, David Faber and Guido Scorza – ChatGPT persistently returns an error message.
Screenshot. Offer: Who Is Jonathan Turley?
It’s not clear why these specific names cause the AI bot to malfunction or to what effect.
Ars Technica theorized that ChatGPT’s inability to process certain names opens up new ways for attackers to intercept the AI chatbot’s output. For example, someone can put a banned name in the text of a website to prevent ChatGPT from accessing it.
Social media users thought that blocking certain names meant that ChatGPT would be monitored and heavily controlled by powerful people. They also found that other AI chatbots, such as Google’s Gemini, were able to process names without any problems.
Comment
byu/Kasvanvliep from discussion
inChatGPT
OpenAI did not respond entrepreneurcomment request.
Related: ChatGPT is finally giving businesses what they want