Melania Trump very rarely issues any kind of public statements. And when she does, they’re very rarely about her husband, unsurprisingly.
After all, it must be hard to write twelve paragraphs about creating a bright future for America with Donald at the helm if she mentions him too much. The evidence all shows our future doesn’t look bright at all if he were to win again.
So the Daily Beast got right down to brass tacks.
An enterprising sort at the outlet thought it was a little weird that the non-native English speaker could, herself, craft such a lengthy piece on her own, especially given some of the peculiarities of the writing itself.
They uploaded the full text of the statement to ChatGPT to look for clues as to whether the missive had been machine-generated.
Their result? Well, I’ll let you read it here. The bold parts are emphasis added by Daily Beast not additions.
“There are several elements in the letter that might indicate it was written by a large-language model like ChatGPT or a similar piece of software. Here are some potential clues:
Repetitive and Redundant Phrases: Phrases like “I am thinking of you, my fellow Americans,” are repeated, which can sometimes be a characteristic of language models that overuse certain phrases to create emphasis or structure.
Lack of Specificity: The letter has a generalized tone without many specific details or personal anecdotes that a human writer might include to make the message more personal and impactful.
Overly Formal and Polished Language: The language is quite formal and polished throughout, which can be a hallmark of text generated by language models that tend to err on the side of formal writing.
Emotional Yet Vague Sentiments: The letter uses a lot of emotional language and sentiments like “love,” “compassion,” and “empathy,” but does so in a somewhat generic way that lacks the nuance and complexity often found in human writing.
Mixed Metaphors and Clichés: The letter uses several mixed metaphors and clichés, such as “the fabric of our gentle nation is tattered” and “Dawn is here again.” This can be a sign of language models that pull from a wide array of sources to create text, sometimes resulting in a mishmash of familiar phrases.
Emphasis on Unity and Love: While the emphasis on unity and love is a common theme in political speeches, the way it is expressed here is quite broad and idealistic, which can sometimes be characteristic of language models attempting to cover all bases in a positive manner.
While none of these clues alone definitively prove the letter was written by a language model, together they might suggest that possibility.
Of course, there’s the possibility that Melania has no idea how to use ChatGPT. Surely she knows a recent high school graduate who does, though.
Here is the text of her statement in full. We’ll let you decide whether you think this is Ms. I Don’t Care Do U or some kinder, gentler Terminator with a digital quill pen and a heart full of love for its fellow totally human fellow humans.
“I am thinking of you, now, my fellow Americans.
We have always been a unique union. America, the fabric of our gentle nation, is tattered, but our courage and commonsense must ascend and bring us back together as one.
When I watched that violent bullet strike my husband, Donald, I realized my life, and Barron’s life, were on the brink of a devastating change. I am grateful to the brave secret service agents and law enforcement officials who risked their own lives to protect my husband.
To the families of the innocent victims who are now suffering from this heinous act, I humbly offer my sincerest sympathy. Your need to summon your inner strength for such a terrible reason saddens me.
A monster who recognized my husband as an inhuman political machine attempted to ring out Donald’s passion – his laughter, ingenuity, love of music, and inspiration. The core facets of my husband’s life – his human side – were buried below the political machine. Donald, the generous and caring man who I have been through the best of times and the worst of times.
Let us not forget that differing opinions, policy, and political games are inferior to love. Our personal, structural, and life commitment – until death – is at serious risk. Political concepts are simple when compared to us, human beings.
We are humans and fundamentally, instinctively, we want to help one another. American politics are only one vehicle that can uplift our communities. Love, compassion, kindness, and empathy are necessities.
And let us remember that when the time comes to look beyond the left and the right, beyond the red and the blue, we all come from families with the passion to fight for a better life together, while we are here, in this earthly realm.
Dawn is here again. Let us reunite. Now.
This morning, ascend above the hate, the vitriol, and the simple-minded ideas that ignite violence. We all want a world where respect is paramount, family is first, and love transcends. We can realize this world again. Each of us must demand to get it back. We must insist that respect fills the cornerstone of our relationships, again.
I am thinking of you, my fellow Americans.
The winds of change have arrived. For those of you who cry in support, I thank you. I commend those of you who have reached out beyond the political divide – thank you for remembering that every single politician is a man or a woman with a loving family.”