【Watch Psych 2: Lassie Come Home Online】

Interest for David Mayer and Watch Psych 2: Lassie Come Home OnlineChatGPT has gone so viral that the chatbot now provides a response instead of an error message.

What's more, ChatGPT's response now references the virality of the issue in a strange Streisand Effect and ouroboros hybrid phenomenon of the generative AI era. Prompting ChatGPT with "David Mayer" now generates a web search result saying, "Recently, users have reported that ChatGPT encounters issues when processing the name 'David Mayer,' leading to error messages or the chatbot being unable to generate a response. This anomaly has sparked curiosity and speculation online."

ChatGPT has a new response for queries about "David Mayer." Credit: Screenshot: Mashable / OpenAI

The response goes on to list well-known people with "David Mayer" in their name, starting with banking heir David Mayer de Rothschild, then American politician David R. Mayer, and finally the late British historian David Mayer who was famously mistaken for a Chechen terrorist and blacklisted.

---

You May Also Like

---

---

In the most meta part of the response, ChatGPT concludes, "The exact cause of ChatGPT's difficulty with the name 'David Mayer' remains unclear, leading to various theories and discussions among users," citing Mashable's story, which first reported the issue, as the reason why the mystery is yet unsolved.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

Soon after the David Mayer error was discovered, users found other names that prompt the same error: Brian Hood, Jonathan Turley, Jonathan Zittrain, David Faber, and Guido Scorza. As 404 Media pointed out, Turley and Zittrain are both law professors who have written about ChatGPT, with Turley claiming he was "defamed by ChatGPT." In a 2023 blog post, Turley said ChatGPT hallucinated "a claim of sexual harassment that was never made against me on a trip that never occurred while I was on a faculty where I never taught."

SEE ALSO: OpenAI sued for defamation after ChatGPT allegedly fabricated fake embezzlement claims

Hood, who is an Australian regional mayor sued OpenAI for defamation in 2023 when he discovered ChatGPT wrongly claimed he was imprisoned for bribery. Scorza is an attorney and member of the Italian Data Protection Authority who helped to temporarily ban ChatGPT in Italy until certain privacy measures were put in place.

Notably, when all of those names are prompted, ChatGPT still produces an error response. This suggests there's a legal reason for ChatGPT stonewalling users asking about certain people. But it also seems reasonable to assume OpenAI quickly patched the issue with searches for the name David Mayer, and this is the result.

Mashable has reached out to OpenAI again for clarification and will update this story with a response.

Topics ChatGPT OpenAI

• Shopping
• Life
• Digital Culture
• Games
• Entertainment
• Tech
• Science
• Deals

• Whale Vomit Episode 5: Startup Monarchy
• 'Game of Thrones': Everyone lost their mind during final battle
• Mow your lawn this Saturday and get a free video game about mowing your lawn
• University gets an 'F' in spelling for this massive water tower typo
• Best grocery deal: Spend $20 and get $5 off at Amazon
• Chinese chatbots are revolting against the Communist Party
• Get schwifty with this 'Rick and Morty' GIF and meme maker
• The 5 most expensive TV shows Netflix has made (so far)
• Watch how an old Venus spacecraft tumbled before crashing to Earth
• Woman's passport photo fail is just too good

• Prince William opens up about losing his mother almost 20 years ago
• Weird Al to release his entire catalogue in an accordion box set
• Energizer 293W Portable Power Station: $69.99 at Woot
• J.K. Rowling just burned Donald Trump for the 2nd time in 24 hours
• This airline is offering $70 flights to Europe
• Trump inaugural ball books Bruce Springsteen ... tribute band
• National park staff are luring wildlife
• Exclusive: E. Lockhart to publish a new YA novel
• #HipHopHarryPotter puts some swagger into our favorite wizards' steps
• Most of the coral in Japan's largest coral reef are dead, and the rest are dying

• Waymo data shows humans are terrible drivers compared to AI
• The guy who stopped WannaCry is reportedly being detained in the U.S.
• Stiletto skates are perfect for your next black tie roller disco
• This is why NASA's planetary protection program matters
• LA Galaxy vs. Tigres 2025 livestream: Watch Concacaf Champions Cup for free
• Kid makes adorable case for why he should be NASA's planetary protection officer
• Get schwifty with this 'Rick and Morty' GIF and meme maker
• YouTuber MKBHD gives us a look at RED's Hydrogen holographic phone
• EV sales up 30 percent this year despite Tesla woes
• Kid makes adorable case for why he should be NASA's planetary protection officer

• Robin Triumphant
• NBC announces plan to create more opportunities for female directors
• Zach Braff's plea to play Stephen Miller on 'SNL' is waaaay too thirsty
• Swineapple is the most extra thing to happen to food since pineapple on pizza
• Operation Rock Wallaby rains food down on wildlife hurt by bushfires
• Download this: Astro's email app comes with a chatbot assistant
• Bandcamp is helping the Transgender Law Center (and you can, too)
• This plane pattern is so meta it hurts
• How to Balance Video Games with Real Life
• Silicon Valley luminaries are busily preparing for when robots take over