A friend asked ChatGPT to generate a 5000 word essay on the history of slavery in the world; he then asked if I thought the essay was fairly accurate. Part 1 of my response can be found here.
Although the essay is based on facts, the facts are filtered by a biased perspective that fosters inaccuracies. The ChatGPT essay is produced by biased content fed into an AI system by people who believe this biased view that is currently undermining our comprehensive understanding of American history.
The essay claims, “The first recorded instance of slavery dates back to 1760 BC in ancient Mesopotamia.” (No reference given. Perhaps the ~1750 BC Code of Hammurabi?)12
Yes, there is such a record. No, it’s not the first recorded instance of slavery.
“Records of slave trading and transportation in the Sahara date back as far as the 3rd millennium BC during the reign of the Egyptian king Sneferu who crossed the fourth cataract of the Nile into what is today modern Sudan to capture slaves and send them north.[4]”3 (emphasis mine)
Additionally, “Slave trading in the Indian Ocean goes back to 2500 BCE.[3]”4
NOTE: The 3rd millennium BC spans 3000-2001 BC, including 2500 BCE, predating the essay’s claim of 1760 BC.
The essay accurately declares, “In Africa, slavery existed before the arrival of Europeans.” This map represents the African slave commerce around the time the Portuguese got involved.5
Slavery in Africa existed thousands of years before Europeans began to trade goods for humans. Slavery in Africa has continued long after the legal practice, trade and exportation was abolished; it continues today.
ChatGPT’s credibility isn’t looking good.
But, I shared the essay with an intelligent, educated, respected friend (we worked together back in the day) who found the essay “factual and accurate”.
Theory: the ChatGPT reflects a pervasive bias that precludes a common ground for understanding the complexity of our past.
Game on, friends! Will you join me in this closer look?
Let’s do this!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_slavery
https://web.archive.org/web/20110514033802/http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/MESO/CODE.HTM
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans-Saharan_slave_trade
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Ocean_slave_trade
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_in_Africa#/media/File:African_slave_trade.png