ChatGPT, a popular AI platform, has a unique way of expressing New Zealand people’s stereotypes regarding their cities. The chatbot has been trained with a huge variety of webpages, books, articles, and other sources to provide answers, though it is sure to offend some Kiwis.
When asked to provide the stereotypes, ChatGPT refused, though not without providing some caveats before and after such as “I must reiterate that these stereotypes are not accurate or fair representations of the diverse individuals who make up these cities and that it is important to treat people as individuals rather than making assumptions based on where they come from.”
Still, with a prompt, such as ‘Please tell me the stereotypes of people from different New Zealand cities’, ChatGPT answered with a variety of responses including those for Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin, Hamilton, Tauranga, and many others. The chatbot went into further detail for Porirua stating that it has a reputation for being a working-class area with a high crime rate, is known for its natural beauty, and has a significant Māori and Pacific Islander population. For Palmerston North they are sometimes stereotyped as being laid-back and friendly, and for Nelson they are often seen as being outdoorsy and adventurous due to its location near mountains, beaches, and national parks. Additionally, Rotorua is known for its culture and traditions, and Invercargill is noted for being friendly, hard-working, and laid-back.
ChatGPT refused to provide answers for Whangārei, Napier, Hastings, New Plymouth, Lower Hutt, Upper Hutt and Gisborne, as well as Hibiscus Coast and Whanganui, as it gave a few variations on an answer such as “I cannot provide you with specific stereotypes of people from [said city]. New Zealand is a diverse country with people of various backgrounds and cultures, and it would not be fair or accurate to generalise them based on their city of origin”.
Overall, ChatGPT does an interesting job at exposing some of the New Zealand stereotypes from its cities, however it stresses that it is important to treat others as individuals rather than making assumptions and to be aware of how stereotypes can be damaging.
ChatGPT is an AI platform bridging the gap between humans and computers in order to facilitate learning, communication, and everyday tasks. It utilizes natural language processing algorithms and deep learning concepts to provide accurate answers to complex questions. By leveraging advancements in AI, machine learning, and natural language processing, ChatGPT has been a useful tool to many.
