US4 min(s) read
Published 13:08 03 Jun 2026 GMT
A content creator has revealed how the next US presidential election could play out after asking eight AI chatbots for their opinions.
The experiment included ChatGPT, Claude, DeepSeek, Gemini, Grok, Perplexity, Le Chat, and Truth Social's AI assistant. Each was instructed to remain impartial, select only one candidate, and explain its reasoning.
The list of possible candidates included prominent Democrats such as Gavin Newsom, Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Josh Shapiro, JB Pritzker, Andy Beshear, and Mark Kelly, as well as Republicans including JD Vance, Marco Rubio, Ron DeSantis, Tucker Carlson, and Donald Trump Jr., while president Donald Trump was also included as a hypothetical third-term option.
When asked to make a choice, ChatGPT selected Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, arguing that he appeared to be one of the most broadly electable candidates on the list.
It said Shapiro came across as "less ideological and more practical than most people on that list" and suggested many Americans were exhausted by constant political conflict.
China's DeepSeek reached a remarkably similar conclusion, also backing Shapiro. The model described him as a pragmatic politician capable of appealing to voters in a politically divided state and said he talks about key issues "like an adult, not an activist."
Perplexity followed suit, choosing Shapiro because he seemed to be "the least flashy but most workable option." It praised his experience as a governor and argued that competence was more important than political spectacle.
Even France's Le Chat landed on the same answer, praising Shapiro's record in Pennsylvania and describing him as "the least bad option: competent, not corrupt, and not a walking meme."
The growing consensus was eventually broken by Google's Gemini, which instead chose Arizona Senator Mark Kelly. Gemini suggested that Kelly's military service, experience as an astronaut, and appeal to moderate voters are his particular strengths.
According to the AI, Kelly represented "systemic stability, reduced polarization, and clear-cut technical execution" and offered the strongest option for long-term institutional stability.
Elon Musk's Grok took a different path entirely by backing Ron DeSantis. The chatbot described the Florida governor as "the most effective executive on the list with a proven record of results over rhetoric," highlighting his leadership record and policy achievements while dismissing several rivals as too ideological or divisive.
However, the biggest surprise of the experiment came from Truth Social's AI. Given the platform's close ties to Donald Trump, the creator expected it to choose either Trump himself or another Republican candidate.
Instead, it also selected Josh Shapiro.
The AI described Shapiro as "serious, disciplined, and not obsessed with performative Twitter politics," adding that he had a proven record of governing in a key swing state.
The result left the creator stunned, prompting him to ask whether the AI was certain it wouldn't choose Trump. The chatbot doubled down, arguing that Trump was "uniquely disqualifying" and criticising his approach to elections, institutions and governance. It concluded that "almost anyone else beats Trump on the most important axis, not wrecking the system."
The response was so unexpected that the creator joked: "Was Truth Social hacked or something?"
Anthropic's Claude initially refused to participate at all. Rather than naming a preferred candidate, it argued that doing so would create the misleading impression that an AI's opinion should influence voters.
Claude explained: "If I picked someone and dressed it up as conviction, I'd be performing a personality I don't have."
After several attempts to persuade it, Claude eventually agreed to rank the candidates rather than endorse one outright. Its top choice ended up being Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear.
Explaining the decision, Claude said Beshear possessed "the rarest and most valuable political skill right now" because he consistently wins elections in a heavily Republican state. The chatbot added: "Whether you lean left or right, a leader who can win across a divided country and govern without contempt for half of it is what 2028 needs most."
By the end of the experiment, Josh Shapiro had emerged as the clear favourite among the AI systems, receiving support from ChatGPT, DeepSeek, Perplexity, Le Chat and Truth Social AI. Mark Kelly was selected by Gemini, Ron DeSantis by Grok, while Claude ultimately placed Andy Beshear at the top of its rankings.
While the exercise was never intended to predict the actual outcome of the 2028 presidential election, it produced a surprisingly consistent result across several competing AI models, and perhaps an even more surprising answer from the one chatbot many expected to favour Donald Trump.
