Sunday Read: ChatGPT and Life After Whistleblowing
This article highlighting the challenges of life after whistleblowing and the need for tech whistleblowers was sent as part of NWC’s “Sunday Read” series. For more information like this, please join our mailing list.
As developments in smart technology and A.I. dominate the news cycle, so do questions of ethics, accountability, and the extent to which smart tech can and should shape society. Although A.I. ethics is a new and evolving field, there is a rich history of tech whistleblowers who have worked, often at great personal cost, to hold Big Tech accountable and protect citizens from rampant invasion of privacy and the misuse of personal data.
Recently, the tech world has been buzzing with the release of new the A.I. technology tool ChatGPT, which can produce original text that can be widely shared while appearing as if it were written by a person–creating a huge risk that misinformation can be produced and circulated more rapidly than ever before.
In this Sunday Read, National Whistleblower Center (NWC) chronicles the story of one whistleblower who became a victim of misinformation by ChatGPT, highlighting the need for tech whistleblowers and illuminating broader issues of life after whistleblowing in the era of Big Tech.
Chat GPT and Brain Hood
Brian Hood is the mayor of Hepburn Shire town in Australia who blew the whistle on bribery crimes at Note Printing Australia, an entity of the Reserve Bank in Australia. Hood, a former employee of Note Printing Australia, reported to authorities that the company was paying foreign officials to win Note Printing contracts, resulting in a lawsuit in the early 2000s that found Note Printing Australia guilty of bribery.
Hood face egregious retaliation as a result of his whistleblowing, including verbal abuse by Note Printing Australia and pressure from inside the company to keep the corruption secret. Nevertheless, he successfully informed authorities of the bribery and has since moved on to a career in public service in Hepburn Shire.
But last November, when Hood’s constituents, like many members of the public, began experimenting with OpenAI’s text-generating tool ChatGPT, Hood was shocked to discover that the software was portraying him as a criminal.
Hood was informed by the public that, when asked to recount the story of Note Printing Australia and Brian Hood, ChatGPT was producing an account that identified Hood as the person responsible and serving prison time for the bribery–rather than the whistleblower who had reported the corruption at great personal cost.
Now, Hood is considering a defamation lawsuit if OpenAI fails to correct these errors within 28 days of the March 21st letter of concern Hood’s lawyers sent to OpenAI. As an elected official, Hood’s reputation for integrity is critical to his position as mayor, and the proliferation of ChatGPT’s false account could cause serious harm to his career. If he does sue, the case could be the first to bring defamation claims against the AI language tool, which was launched last year. OpenAI has yet to respond to Hood’s lawyer’s letter.
This incident of A.I.-generated misinformation about a whistleblower, draws attention to the challenges of life after whistleblowing and the kinds of defamation and retaliation whistleblowers fear even decades after their cases have been resolved.
Life After Whistleblowing: Why We Celebrate National Whistleblower Day
NWC recognizes the significant challenges whistleblowers face as a direct result of their courageous acts against corruption and misconduct. Hood’s story highlights the extent to which becoming a whistleblower is an ongoing identity that many whistleblowers navigate for the rest of their lives. As Hood’s experience illustrates, the complexities of life after whistleblowing may only grow more intense in the era of increasingly smart technologies and AI, in which misinformation can spread further and faster than ever before.
In recognition of whistleblowers, and in honor of the crucial contributions that whistleblowers have made to our democracy, NWC supports an incredible group of whistleblowers calling on both chambers of Congress and President Biden to permanently designate July 30th as National Whistleblower Day in the U.S. This is the single most important action that the Federal Government can take to acknowledge the importance of whistleblowing to upholding our democratic ideals and combating the culture of retaliation against whistleblowers that persists today.
NWC celebrates National Whistleblower Day to honor contributions of whistleblowers to our society, and to help reduce the burden of live after whistleblowing for those who have sacrificed in various ways to protect our democracy.
RSVP here for our annual National Whistleblower Day celebration on July 30th.
Support NWC
NWC fights to bolster whistleblower programs and raise awareness about the value of all whistleblowers. As a 501(c)(3) non-profit our awareness building work is made possible with the support of our generous donors. Please consider donating $50 today to help us continue to educate the public about life after whistleblowing and the need for whistleblowers in the tech industry.
