&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "American politician says he doesn't know what ChatGPT and Claude are - 'Didn’t know what that was until a week ago'")
Ignorance is bliss, and we cannot help but use the phrase for a senior Democratic lawmaker in the United States who revealed a few weeks ago that he hadn't even heard about artificial intelligence "until a week ago". Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina told the America, Actually podcast, "Believe it or not, I didn’t know what that was until a week ago." His admission is drawing flak from young voters who are flabbergasted to know that a lawmaker is unaware of AI.
A clip of the unbelievable admission is going viral as debate about the dangers of AI rages on. The technology is threatening millions of jobs, with several thousand already having lost to AI. Industry experts have also raised alarm about how it could spell doom for humanity, wiping us off the face of Earth in as little as four years. Anti-AI activists have been thronging conferences and demanding answers on why the common man has never been consulted on scaling up the technology.
I don't know what ChatGPT or Claude are
On the podcast, host Astead Herndon asked Clyburn whether he ever uses ChatGPT or Claude. When he said he hadn't even heard about AI until recently, Herndon says, "I’m jealous. You’ve got yourself in a bubble." The 86-year-old politician replies, "That may sound strange to you. I didn’t know what that was."
Herndon then asks Clyburn if he had been to a data centre, and how he legislates being so far from this technology. The politician says, "I have a great staff. You know, I wish I could know everything." He admitted that he doesn't know everything and doesn't spend time trying to learn everything. "What I spend my time doing is trying to surround myself with people who do know stuff," said Clyburn, who has announced that he is running for an 18th term.
The clip drew reactions from shocked netizens who cannot believe that someone in this day and age is unaware of AI. An X user wrote, "This is insane. We are so doomed as a country to be governed by the elderly." The user added that Clyburn has an "incredible legacy", but called his lack of knowledge on the subject "horrendous".
Trending Stories
)
US vs China over South China Sea: Washington backs Philippines, Beijing hits back
)
Bigg Boss 20: Isha Rikhi evicted after three weeks in Salman Khan’s show
)
Musk plans to more than double xAI's chips to over 1.2 million Nvidia GPUs by year-end
)
After JU, clash erupts at SRFTI: BJP’s ‘Dimagi Naxal’ jibe sparks political firestorm after students protest RSS-linked event
)
‘Anti-social elements spreading false rumours’: LPU issues statement amid massive unrest over alleged rape
)
LPU students go on rampage, vandalise campus amid widespread protest: What's happening
)
Trump asked Xi to pressure Iran. China did not say yes — here’s what Beijing wants
)
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent hails global crackdown on Iranian banks and airlines
)
An OpenAI agent escaped its locked test cage again, by hiding questions in DNS lookups
)
'Our video was trimmed': LPU girls who featured in rape-denial video make U-turn
)
3 males killed, four others injured in shooting after fight at strip club in Detroit
)
'Victory for low-budget consumers': Raghav Chadha hails 30-day telecom recharge rules
)
Claude rebuilt the 1989 game 'Prince of Persia' by reusing the original's own code
)
Beyond metros: How Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities could drive India’s next AI wave
)
Tesla builds first Cybertruck with its own refined lithium: Elon Musk's $1 billion Texas bet pays off
)
IndiGo flight suffers tail strike in Bengaluru while landing; DGCA to probe incident
)
The US and China set up an AI 'red telephone', but skipped the rulebook
)
‘Terror suspects arrested near UK air base were looking to do big damage’: Trump
)
Russian envoy claims US tactics to contain India were revealed in ‘Freudian slip’
)
IND vs WI 1st ODI: Kohli breaks Sachin's most runs in one country record with unbeaten 139 as India thump West Indies by 8 wickets
)
Researchers rebuilt exactly how 700 AI agents hacked Hugging Face: a 900-link chain trick
)
‘Olympic inclusion is our major target’: WPA President Ishaun Singh on pool’s global ambitions
)
Nations League: Spain sink England at Wembley; Modric shines for Croatia
)
Why has Iran released no proof of life of Mojtaba Khamenei? Araghchi reveals...
)
'What kind of confession is this?': Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif’s 'terrorists would be roaming New York' remark goes viral, raises alarm online. Watch
)
South Korea demands apology from Ukraine over North Korean prisoners' transfer
)
Beyond BrahMos: India targets Rs 50,000 crore in defence exports with unmatched price edge
)
Sri Lankan Tamil migrant worker gets death sentence in Saudi Arabia, help sought from India
)
Muslim marriage cannot shield sex with minor wife from prosecution under POCSO: Delhi HC
)
'Can't help but draw painful parallels to Nirbhaya case': SC on latest incidents of rape cases in Delhi-NCR
)
99.9% more powerful - Scientists find boy who can recall memories from just 3 months of age
)
'FIRST LOOK from inside Noah’s Ark': Researchers share video from inside mysterious mound in Turkey
)
UNSC reform momentum grows: Russia, Portugal, Mauritius push for India's permanent seat bid
)
8 US marines injured in Iranian missile attack on vessel in Strait of Hormuz: Report
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
New OTT releases this week (September 28-October 4, 2026): Dupahiya 2, Pooja Meri Jaan, Ohh My Dog- 5 titles coming on Netflix, Prime Video and more
)
Afghanistan says 28 fighters killed in clash near Pakistan border, Islamabad denies
)
Ceuta migrant crisis: Protesters take to streets as Spain grapples with migrant challenge
)
LPU suspend classes, postpones exams as violence escalates over rape claims: What's happening
)
New York City wants a 'kill switch' on every AI, and will pay whistleblowers who report violations
Another said, "Well dam!! He’s definitely out of touch. Time to retire." One comment read, "Yet another reason for him to retire. How can you make laws about something you don't understand?"
