This school district used ChatGPT to ban 19 books

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The Mason City Community School District in Iowa used artificial intelligence (AI) to compile a list of books that contained sexual content, resulting in the removal of 19 books from the shelves of its libraries in grades 7-12. 

The school district created a list of titles that have frequently been objected to or that have been called for removal in the past. It then ran them through ChatGPT, asking the AI chatbot, "Does [book] contain a description or depiction of a sex act?" If ChatGPT answered affirmatively, the book was removed from school libraries and stored in administrative offices for further review. 

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