This is the name that makes ChatGPT 'give up'

For some unknown reason, typing in the name "David Mayer" causes ChatGPT to display an error message. The internet is scrambling to figure out why.

The issue first surfaced a few days ago when a Reddit user in the r/ChatGPT subreddit posted that they asked "Who is David Mayer?" and received the message: "I can't provide an answer."

Since then, it has sparked a wave of experiments where users have tried to get ChatGPT to simply say the name, let alone explain who 'David Mayer' is. Many have tried everything from sharing screenshots of messages with the name or changing their profile name to David Mayer and asking ChatGPT to read it back. But all have failed, and not only that, users who want to 'ask' ChatGPT for a favor will have to create a new chat after mentioning 'David Mayer.'

The big question here is who is David Mayer, and why does mentioning his name cause ChatGPT to "error"? Many theories have been put forward. A Google search for "David Mayer" returns David Mayer de Rothschild, heir to the famous Rothschild banking family, as well as an explorer and environmental activist.

However, ChatGPT can talk about "David de Rothschild," and other famous figures with the last name "Mayer" and a first name starting with "D," but will still crash as soon as "David Meyer" is entered.

Some have pushed ChatGPT to explain why it blocks certain responses. It could be a technical glitch or a 'specific filter or rule in the system that prevents certain names from being processed.' For some reason, David Meyer's name may have been blacklisted in ChatGPT's 'dictionary,' whether by accident or on purpose, leading to further speculation. Could the Rothschild heir have used his power to block his name from appearing on ChatGPT?

Another theory is that this is another "David Meyer," such as the historian who was mistaken for a Chechen terrorist with the same nickname, and that his name may be forbidden to be mentioned.

The most plausible theory is that someone named David Meyer has had great success removing his personal information from the internet. In some jurisdictions, such as the EU, which has strict privacy regulations and the Right to Be Forgotten Law, users can request that their personal information be removed from ChatGPT's training data. One user (according to Justine Moore on social network X) found a few other names that "prompted similar responses."

Samuel Daniel

Update 09 December 2024