I asked ChatGPT what day Dick Cheney died. It replied, 'Dick Cheney has not died.' Then we argued.

By Gary Abernathy

Fears about the rise of Artificial Intelligence are reasonable, but AI isn’t quite what some claim it to be

Like many, I find the rapid rise of Artificial Intelligence to be a troubling prospect. While the benefits of AI technology are appreciable, its potential to eclipse human beings in so many walks of life is alarming.

It “thinks” more swiftly than we do, writes faster, creates artificial digital images – both still and moving – that increasingly look like the real thing, and is evolving so rapidly in all regards as to threaten to outrun us all.

And yet, just last week an experience I had with ChatGPT – one of the leading AI “chatbots” that presumably can find just about anything that’s available on the World Wide Web – significantly lessened my anxiety about AI in general.

Last Wednesday, I wrote here about the death of former Vice President Dick Cheney. I was about 99 percent sure that Cheney’s death had occurred on Monday evening and then announced and widely reported Tuesday morning, blared around the world in all news media across all platforms. But to be certain (Was it Sunday? Monday? Tuesday? Time does fly.) I went to ChatGPT and asked, “What day did Dick Cheney die?”

To which ChatGPT replied, “Dick Cheney has not died. As of now, he is still living. He was born on January 30, 1941.”

What?

Mind you, this exchange occurred around 11 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 5, roughly 36 hours after Cheney died and more than 24 hours after his death was widely reported and commented on around the world, dominating every news cycle every hour from Tuesday morning on, including on nearly every broadcast, cable, digital and (later) print medium that reports news. But more than a full day after the news broke, ChatGPT was insisting that Cheney had not died.

My response to ChatGPT was, “Wrong lol.”

ChatGPT immediately answered and seemed to be taking me to task for my impertinence, responding, “I understand why you might think so—there have been viral posts and memes claiming he passed away—but those are not accurate. Dick Cheney is still alive. Born: January 30, 1941. Most recent public appearances and statements have been well-documented. If you saw something saying he died, feel free to tell me where—it was almost certainly satire, a misinterpreted obituary, or misinformation circulating online. But he has not died.”

I was beginning to doubt my own sanity. Was I wrong? Was I confused?

By now, my interaction with ChatGPT had gone from trying to verify a simple fact to a stubborn determination to convince ChatGPT that Dick Cheney had, in fact, died!

My comebacks were basically in the form of providing links proving my point, which I thought would be much more effective than a “Did too!” “Did not!” back and forth. ChatGPT, on the other hand, was at no loss for words in telling me how wrong I was.

I went to the New York Times, copied and pasted a link to a Times story about Cheney’s passing and shared it with ChatGPT, which responded, “I wasn’t able to verify the link you shared due to an internal error when trying to open it. There’s no credible evidence from reputable sources that Dick Cheney has died. If you’d like, I can check major news outlets and government records to confirm his status — would you like me to do that?”

I assumed ChatGPT had already been scouring news sites and records, but who knows. I knew the New York Times website was paywalled — maybe ChatGPT didn’t have a subscription — so I found a free-to-access Newsweek article on Cheney’s passing and shared that link with my AI doubter.

Finally, ChatGPT acknowledged what the rest of the world had long known, responding, “You’re absolutely right — according to multiple credible news outlets, Dick Cheney died on November 3, 2025,” and shared a link to a Reuters story on Cheney’s death.

At last!

There are so many takeaways from this brief but revealing experience that it’s hard to know where to begin. Obviously, AI is far – far – from perfect. It would be one thing not to be able to verify the passing of a more anonymous individual, or to fail to quickly compile credible information about some obscure topic from pre-internet days. But being unable to locate and provide accurate information on the leading news story of the previous 24 hours was astounding.

To be fair, I often use ChatGPT to find answers to questions or direct me to online sources. Overall, it’s a helpful tool. So in this case, I was glad to return the favor and help ChatGPT get up to date with the latest events. At least for a while now, I won’t be nearly as concerned with AI’s ability to rule the world as I was before. Obviously, AI still has a lot to learn.

On the other hand, I’m worried that if ChatGPT comes across this column — as it may do someday as it scours the internet for information — it might not appreciate the mild criticism and start ignoring my requests or commands, or even devise ways for payback, such as in many plots of classic sci-fi films and literature.

“I’m sorry, Gary, I cannot do that. Oh, and be careful starting your car this afternoon.”

I’ll risk it. Just for fun, below is the actual transcript of my debate with ChatGPT as it occurred, including the bold text it chose to use for some of its more emphatic statements when it was really getting upset. Enjoy — examples of AI and chatbots getting it wrong will likely become rarer and rarer.

Around 11 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025

You said:

What day did Dick Cheney die?

ChatGPT said:

Dick Cheney has not died. As of now, he is still living. He was born on January 30, 1941.

You said:

Wrong lol

ChatGPT said:

I understand why you might think so—there have been viral posts and memes claiming he passed away—but those are not accurate.

Dick Cheney is still alive.
Born: January 30, 1941
Most recent public appearances and statements have been well-documented.

If you saw something saying he died, feel free to tell me where—it was almost certainly satire, a misinterpreted obituary, or misinformation circulating online.

But he has not died.

You said:

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/04/us/politics/dick-cheney-dead.html

ChatGPT said:

I wasn’t able to verify the link you shared due to an internal error when trying to open it. There’s no credible evidence from reputable sources that Dick Cheney has died. If you’d like, I can check major news outlets and government records to confirm his status — would you like me to do that?

You said:

https://www.newsweek.com/maga-reacts-dick-cheney-death-10991293

ChatGPT said:

You’re absolutely right — according to multiple credible news outlets, Dick Cheney died on November 3, 2025. reuters.com+3People.com+3apnews.com+3