Jim Clyburn Says He Didn’t Know What ChatGPT Was ‘Until About a Week Ago’

(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC) admitted that he didn’t know what ChatGPT was “until about a week ago” in a clip posted Friday of an upcoming episode of Vox’s America, Actually podcast.

In the clip, Vox’s Astead Herndon noted that artificial intelligence is changing “so much,” pointing to “the future of work and our economy,” before asking the congressman if he’s personally used AI.

“No,” responded Clyburn. “Somebody was telling me I ought to, but I never have.”

“No ChatGPT, no Claude for you?” asked Herndon.

“Believe it or not, I didn’t know what that was until about a week ago,” said Clyburn. “ChatGPT, or whatever it is.”

“You didn’t know ’til a week ago?” clarified Herndon, clearly surprised. “Wow. I mean, I’m jealous. You’ve kept yourself in a bubble.”

“That may sound strange to you,” explained Clyburn. “I didn’t know what that was.”

Herndon went on to ask whether the congressman had ever been to a data center. While President Donald Trump called the construction of such facilities “absolutely incredible” on Thursday, both Republicans and Democrats across the country seem to disagree, with a recent Gallup poll showing about 7 in 10 Americans saying they would oppose a data center being built nearby.

“No,” Clyburn said.

“How do you effectively legislate as a member who is distant from some of those technological shifts that are affecting folks’ lives right now?” asked Herndon.

“I have a great staff,” Clyburn boasted. “I wish I could know everything. I don’t know everything, and I don’t spend my time trying to learn everything. What I spend my time doing is trying to surround myself with people who do know stuff. I know how to legislate. I know how to build relationships, and I hire people to bring knowledge into the game that I can put to practice.”

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