Who is David Mayer? Adventurist and heir to billion-dollar fortune ...
Social media users have been baffled by the strange response ChatGPT recites when asked 'Who is David Mayer?'. David Mayer de Rothschild, 46, is a British adventurer, environmentalist, and heir to the billion-dollar Rothschild fortune. The Rothschild family created their abundant financial situation by establishing banks across Europe in the 1760s.
AI's Strange Response
Despite his family's prominence and his personal accolades, curious Reddit and X users have discovered that AI program ChatGPT seemingly does not acknowledge Mayer. When users search him up on the platform, ChatGPT replies 'I am unable to produce a response.' Some discussed the possibility that Mayer - or someone who shares his name - has taken steps to clear their digital footprint.
Potential Explanations
One shared theory was that Mayer has been blacklisted because a Chechen terrorist went under the alias 'David Mayer.' Another user wrote: 'This suggests that there's likely a system filter or restriction in place that automatically triggers this response when that name is mentioned.' According to The Guardian, a professor was accidently put on a terrorist watchlist due to sharing a name with Mayer.
ChatGPT's Response
ChatGPT users have discovered several names produce an 'error' response on the AI platform. The program attributed 'privacy and legal risks' and 'conspiracy theories' as possible reasons for blocking certain names. A woman shared a list of six other names she noticed warranted the same 'error' response from ChatGPT.
David Mayer's Achievements
Mayer is best known for spending more than 100 days crossing the Arctic from Russia to Canada in 2006. He launched a website called Mission Control the same year, with the aim of inspiring children and young people with his expeditions and adventures. Mayer also started a mission to raise awareness of the Pacific Garbage Patch. He invented a new form of sustainable ship called the Plastiki that sailed across the Pacific Ocean from San Francisco to Sydney in 2010.
