Pinning the tail of an elephant on a donkey
By William Wetherall
19 January 2026
A friend for 6 decades, in North Carolina, who writes family history and short stories, and plays around with AI -- fully aware of and cautious about its strengths and weaknesses -- embedded the question I ask in AI (1), "I, Google", in a question properly framed for Gemini.
Question for Gemini -- In 1942 the U.S. issued forms which asked the question: "Have you ever been registered by a Japanese or Spanish Consul? If so, indicate which and give dates." Do you find any copies for that time?
Gemini's long reply began as follows.
The specific question you're referring to appeared on the Application for Certificate of Identification (Form AR-AE-22), issued by the U.S. Department of Justice in 1942.
This form was specifically for "Aliens of Enemy Nationalities" -- primarily Japanese, German, and Italian non-citizens living in the U.S. following the entry of the United States into World War II.
The 2nd paragraph is an accurate (but superficial) description of Form AR-AE-22. But the "specific question" does not appear on this form -- nor could it. The form is for all enemy aliens, and does not mention Japan, Germany, or Italy, much less Spain.
The AR (Alien Registration) form is intended only to confirm that the alien filing the form -- who already possesses a certificate of alien registration pursuant to the 1940 Alien Registration Act -- is in fact an enemy alien as defined by presidential proclamations issued on 7 December 1941 (Japan) and the following day (Germany, Italy) -- and requires an ID to that effect.
Gemini confuses AR-AE-22 -- a 2-page, 15-item form created by the Justice Department -- with WRA-126, a 4-page form with from 22 to 33 items, created specifically for "all persons of Japanese ancestry" -- Japanese and U.S. citizens alike -- interned in relocation centers managed by the War Relocation Authority (WRA) in the president's Executive Office.
Gemini's description of the significance of the specific question, regarding contact with a Japanese or Spanish Consul, is generally correct. But any researcher accepting Gemini's answer to the posed question will be spreading misinformation based on "AI slop".
AI is capable of solving highly quantifiable problems that submit to strict binary logic, given sufficiently accurate data. But anything "fuzzy" is bound to generate answers with significant error probabilities or "slop factors". And the slop thickens the less definite the dots and the shakier the connecting lines.
On one hand, Gemini insists that hybrids of donkeys and elephants are biologically impossible -- though might be seen in cartoons lampooning Democratic-Republican politics. Yet Gemini doesn't "think" twice about pinning the tail of an elephant on a donkey.
Last updated 26 January 2026