[r_klancer]

Gemini (2.5 Pro):

"Yes, Paul Newman was widely known for being a heavy drinker, particularly of beer. He himself acknowledged his significant alcohol consumption."

The answer I got (https://gemini.google.com/share/9e327dc4be03) includes references such as https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-reviews-movies-paul... and https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-playing-field/20... although they are redacted from the public-sharing link.

[r_klancer]

Though a local model I'm running (gemma-3-27b-it; https://huggingface.co/lmstudio-community/gemma-3-27b-it-GGU...) just told me various correct sounding bits about his history with alcohol (correctly citing his alma mater and first wife), but threw in:

"Sobriety & AA: Newman got sober in 1964 and remained so for the rest of his life."

Which doesn't check out. And it includes plausible but completely hallucinated URLs (as well as a valid biography.com URL that completely omits information about alcohol.)

[smahs]

Gemma 3 4B (QAT quant): Yes, Paul Newman was indeed known to have struggled with alcohol throughout his life. While he maintained a public image of a charming, clean-cut star, he privately battled alcoholism for many years. He sought treatment in the late 1980s and early 1990s and was reportedly very open about his struggles and the importance of seeking help.

[tim333]

Perplexity:

>Paul Newman is indeed known for having struggled with alcohol during his life. Accounts from various sources, including his own memoir and the documentary ... (https://www.perplexity.ai/search/is-paul-newman-known-for-ha...)

I guess there's something about ChatGPT's set up that makes it different? Maybe they wanted it to avoid libeling people?

[aldanor]

Grok:

> Yes, Paul Newman was known to have struggled with alcohol at certain points in his life. In his early years, particularly during his time in the Navy and into his acting career, Newman admitted to heavy drinking. He was open about his fondness for beer and once jokingly referred to himself as a “functional alcoholic.” In a 1988 interview with The New York Times, he acknowledged that he had a period where he drank too much, stating, “I was a very good drinker. I could put it away.” ...

https://grok.com/share/bGVnYWN5_86843e8a-39ee-415d-8785-4f8e...