--- title: "New AI Tells Children That Santa Isn’t Real" description: "Kringled OpenAI's powerful new chatbot is so skilled at text generation that it was able to pretend to be Santa Claus while explaining to someone's kid that Santa isn't, in fact, real. After testing the new ChatGPT's capabilities — and attempting to explain to her son that \"we make up stories out of love\" — […]" date: "2022-12-02" modified: "2022-12-02" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/openai-chatbot-santa" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" tags: - "ai chatbot" - "OpenAI" - "santa claus" - "the digest" --- # New AI Tells Children That Santa Isn’t Real ![The new OpenAi chatbot is so good at text generation that it was able to pretend to be Santa Claus while explaining to someone's kid that Santa isn't real. ]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## Kringled OpenAI's powerful new chatbot is so deft at tone that it was able to pretend to be Santa Claus while explaining to someone's kid that Santa isn't, in fact, real. Heartwrenching! As she kicked the tires on the new [ChatGPT]()'s capabilities, Shopify exec Cynthia Savard [posted the generated text]() that she said made her "slightly emotional." "I am writing to let you know that I am not a real person," the bot wrote as it posed as Santa, "but a character that your parents have told you stories about out of love." ## Mall SAInta As [artificial intelligence enthusiasts have noted]() since OpenAI dropped ChatGPT this week, this latest offering from the Elon Musk-cofounded research firm is incredibly sophisticated. "We’re witnessing the death of the college essay in realtime," [one Twitter user noted](), posting screenshots of ChatGPT's "response to a prompt from one of my 200-level history classes at Amherst." They added that the AI-written essay about theories of nationalism was "solid A \[minus\] work" that the bot spat out in just 10 seconds. ## Myth Buster Indeed, as Savard's Santa-debunking letter continues, it's impressive how well the bot is able to concisely explicate a concept that many adult humans have trouble expressing to their children — although, to be fair, it does seem to crib a good deal of tone from the classic "[Yes, Virginia" letter]() by Francis P. Church. "Your parents have told you stories about me and my elves as a way to bring joy and magic into your childhood. They wanted you to believe in the spirit of giving and the magic of the holiday season," the bot wrote. "I want you to know that the love and care that your parents have for your is real. They have created special memories and traditions for you out of love and a desire to make your childhood special." We're clearly entering a brave new world of AI text generation — and hopefully, it'll be used more for positive reasons than to get out of academic essay writing. **More on AI:** [*New AI Shows What You'd Look Like in Different Eras*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()