diff --git a/deep_speech_2/demo_server.py b/deep_speech_2/demo_server.py
index 60d972393bff185d98dcf8b67a714b51523442af..e4093ab29d992305dc02062d8fd73e6b6daeb39c 100644
--- a/deep_speech_2/demo_server.py
+++ b/deep_speech_2/demo_server.py
@@ -68,8 +68,8 @@ parser.add_argument(
     help="RNN layer cell number. (default: %(default)s)")
 parser.add_argument(
     "--use_gru",
-    default=True,
-    type=bool,
+    default=False,
+    type=distutils.util.strtobool,
     help="Use GRU or simple RNN. (default: %(default)s)")
 parser.add_argument(
     "--use_gpu",
diff --git a/deep_speech_2/evaluate.py b/deep_speech_2/evaluate.py
index 2f87abbde0685d07058e1f6d7796d615509e5bda..8ab5b94494c78e2b37c52a020e3aaaef30e3ae37 100644
--- a/deep_speech_2/evaluate.py
+++ b/deep_speech_2/evaluate.py
@@ -40,8 +40,8 @@ parser.add_argument(
     help="RNN layer cell number. (default: %(default)s)")
 parser.add_argument(
     "--use_gru",
-    default=True,
-    type=bool,
+    default=False,
+    type=distutils.util.strtobool,
     help="Use GRU or simple RNN. (default: %(default)s)")
 parser.add_argument(
     "--use_gpu",
diff --git a/deep_speech_2/infer.py b/deep_speech_2/infer.py
index 91b08932c2438377bb54fb052d9d17e7a8170d39..6b77f3d727eef4fad9bf69ae95816305603570bd 100644
--- a/deep_speech_2/infer.py
+++ b/deep_speech_2/infer.py
@@ -35,8 +35,8 @@ parser.add_argument(
     help="RNN layer cell number. (default: %(default)s)")
 parser.add_argument(
     "--use_gru",
-    default=True,
-    type=bool,
+    default=False,
+    type=distutils.util.strtobool,
     help="Use GRU or simple RNN. (default: %(default)s)")
 parser.add_argument(
     "--use_gpu",
diff --git a/deep_speech_2/train.py b/deep_speech_2/train.py
index 1d0b92fff7726c4a5fc56757ca53c7619b92ded1..42870bf536e95f6622451b8906381f05db3ea4b6 100644
--- a/deep_speech_2/train.py
+++ b/deep_speech_2/train.py
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ parser.add_argument(
 parser.add_argument(
     "--use_gru",
     default=False,
-    type=bool,
+    type=distutils.util.strtobool,
     help="Use GRU or simple RNN. (default: %(default)s)")
 parser.add_argument(
     "--adam_learning_rate",
diff --git a/deep_speech_2/tune.py b/deep_speech_2/tune.py
index 8a9b5b6109168da63bd04cad47b17898a4cea354..ffab8860bb2b36fd47f11fea0cf16e61e0af97e1 100644
--- a/deep_speech_2/tune.py
+++ b/deep_speech_2/tune.py
@@ -36,8 +36,8 @@ parser.add_argument(
     help="RNN layer cell number. (default: %(default)s)")
 parser.add_argument(
     "--use_gru",
-    default=True,
-    type=bool,
+    default=False,
+    type=distutils.util.strtobool,
     help="Use GRU or simple RNN. (default: %(default)s)")
 parser.add_argument(
     "--use_gpu",