In my own experience, the vast majority of people using this phrase ARE using it as a source of authority. People will ask me about things I am an actual expert in, and then when they don’t like my response, hit me with the ol’ “well, I asked chatGPT and it said…”
I think you are misunderstanding them. I also frequently cite ChatGPT, as a way to accurately convey my source, not as a way to claim it as authoritative.
