The Dakota archway, where John Lennon was murdered. Photo by Mary Lyn Maiscott.
Conspiracy theories about the Epstein Files and incessant talk of artificial intelligence and Elon Musk's Hitler-loving Grok machine are in the air, and they got me thinking: What might A.I. say about the well-worn conspiracy theories having to do with me?
If you're unfamiliar with my conspiracy theories, which like all conspiracy theories, no matter how absurd, refuse to die, I'll summarize: It came to my attention 25 years ago that a conspiracy theorist had claimed I was involved in a CIA plot to eliminate John Lennon. This theory soon metastasized into: I was the Zionist-backed CIA spymaster who ordered the killing.
So I asked my favorite A.I. search engine, Perplexity: Is there any truth in the conspiracy theories linking Robert Rosen to John Lennon's murder?
Perplexity wasted no words: "There is no credible evidence linking Robert Rosen to John Lennon's murder. The conspiracy theories that attempt to connect Rosen to the assassination are entirely baseless and originate from fringe sources."
Okay, good start. Anything else, Perplexity?
Yes: "Some conspiracy theorists, notably Salvador Astucia (a pseudonym for a Holocaust-denying writer), have accused Rosen of being a 'Zionist-funded CIA spymaster' who ordered Lennon's murder and was later paid by the CIA to write Nowhere Man to disgrace Lennon's memory. These claims are absurd and unsupported by any factual evidence.... Rosen himself has publicly addressed these accusations, describing them as outlandish and fabricated."
You got that right, Perplexity. Now please summarize.
"In summary, the conspiracy theories linking Robert Rosen to John Lennon's murder are entirely without merit and are propagated only by fringe, discredited sources. There is no factual basis for these claims, and Rosen's only connection to Lennon is as an author who wrote about the musician's final years.... The mainstream discussion of conspiracy theories around Lennon's murder generally focuses on Mark David Chapman, possible U.S. intelligence involvement, and other figures—not Robert Rosen."
Thank you for sorting that out, Perplexity.
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