Tuberville says he likes to talk to ChatGPT on long drives

There's something almost poetic about a U.S. senator—someone whose job is steeped in human deliberation—turning to a machine for company on the open road. Tuberville's confession isn't just a quirky anecdote; it's a snapshot of our era's uneasy marriage between governance and artificial intelligence. On one hand, it's refreshing: a politician willing to engage with new tools, even if it means chatting with a chatbot about Medicaid like it's a co-pilot. On the other, it raises a quiet alarm. When we outsource even our *thinking out loud* to algorithms, what happens to the messy, human art of policy debate? The senator's choice to "listen" to ChatGPT suggests a comfort level with AI that many Americans don't yet share—and perhaps shouldn't, given the technology's known tendency to hallucinate or oversimplify complex issues. Still, there's a childlike wonder in his approach, a genuine curiosity that feels almost endearing. The road is long, and the questions are heavy; maybe a silicon sounding board isn't the worst companion. But let's hope he's also reading the primary sources, not just trusting the bot's summary. Because the highway stretches on, and so do the stakes.