It’s been a quiet week, and so I’ve been talking to myself. Well, technically not to myself. I’ve been testing out a couple of Generative AI discussion tools, just to see where they would lead (and for a possible Work Thing) – and I thought I’d share my latest conversation with you.

(This is not because I don’t have anything interesting to write about. Of COURSE I do…)

I started out by talking with ChatGPT. Now, I don’t want to give away any spoilers – but I don’t think ChatGPT and I are going to be close friends. I may be judging too hastily, of course – but see what you think…

CB: Do people think about the Roman Empire a lot?

ChatGPT: The Roman Empire has had a significant and enduring influence on Western civilization and culture, so it continues to be a topic of interest and study for many people. While it may not be at the forefront of everyone’s thoughts, various aspects of Roman history, culture, and legacy are still actively discussed and explored in academic settings, in literature, and in popular media.

CB: Do you get a lot of questions about the Roman Empire?

ChatGPT: I receive questions about a wide range of topics, including the Roman Empire, but the frequency of questions about a specific subject can vary over time. The Roman Empire is a historically significant and intriguing topic, so it’s not uncommon for users to inquire about it. However, the diversity of questions I receive is quite extensive, covering subjects from science and technology to pop culture, and everything in between.

CB: Is there a particular aspect of the Roman Empire that you receive most queries about?

ChatGPT: While I receive questions about various aspects of the Roman Empire, some common themes and topics related to the Roman Empire that people frequently inquire about include:

1. Historical events and figures: Questions about key events in Roman history, famous emperors like Julius Caesar and Augustus, and significant battles or wars are quite common.
2. Daily life and culture: People often ask about the daily lives of Romans, their customs, clothing, and food, as well as aspects of Roman culture such as art, architecture, and entertainment.
3. Roman achievements and innovations: There is a significant interest in Roman engineering and architecture, including the construction of structures like the Colosseum and aqueducts. Additionally, topics like Roman law and governance are frequently discussed.
4. Decline and fall of the Roman Empire: Many people are curious about the factors that contributed to the decline and fall of the Roman Empire and the subsequent historical developments.
5. Comparisons with other civilizations: People often ask about the similarities and differences between the Roman Empire and other ancient civilizations, such as the Greek, Egyptian, or Chinese civilizations.

These are just a few examples, but questions about the Roman Empire can cover a wide range of topics due to the empire’s long and complex history and its enduring impact on the world.

CB: Where do you find your answers to these queries? Do you use academic books and journals, or popular history websites, or other sources?

ChatGPT: I generate responses to queries based on a mixture of licensed data, data created by human trainers, and publicly available information. My knowledge is derived from a wide range of sources, including books, websites, and other texts, up until my last knowledge update in January 2022. These sources encompass both academic and popular references.

For questions about historical topics like the Roman Empire, I draw from a variety of reputable sources, including academic books, articles, and historical documents, as well as information from well-established educational websites, museums, and libraries. I aim to provide accurate and informative answers based on the knowledge available to me, but I do not have the ability to access or retrieve specific data from proprietary or subscription-based sources. It’s important to note that while I strive to provide accurate information, my responses should be used as a starting point for your own research or as general information, especially for topics that may have seen developments or new discoveries after my last knowledge update.

CB: What happens when you’re asked a question with contradictory answers? For instance, there are many different theories about why the Roman Republic fell. How do you handle such differences?

ChatGPT: When I’m asked a question with contradictory answers or multiple interpretations, I aim to provide a balanced and informative response. Here’s how I generally handle such situations:

1. Present different perspectives: I may outline various theories or viewpoints on the topic and provide a brief explanation of each. This helps the user understand that there are differing opinions on the matter.
2. Highlight consensus: If there is a widely accepted or more substantiated perspective on the issue, I will typically emphasize that while still acknowledging alternative viewpoints.
3. Encourage critical thinking: I may suggest that the user consider the evidence and arguments for different perspectives and form their own informed opinion. Critical thinking and historical analysis often involve weighing the strengths and weaknesses of various theories.
4. Provide context: I may offer historical context or background information that helps the user understand why there are differing views on the topic.

In the case of the fall of the Roman Republic, for example, I might mention various theories such as political corruption, military factors, economic issues, or social unrest, and then provide a general overview of the different perspectives. This approach allows users to be aware of the complexity of historical events and encourages them to explore the topic further if they are interested in a deeper understanding.

CB: Do you ever express an opinion in such a situation?

ChatGPT: No, I do not express personal opinions or take positions on any matter, including topics with contradictory answers. My responses are generated based on the information available up to my last knowledge update in January 2022 and a model trained to provide information and answer questions based on that data.

My purpose is to provide factual and balanced information, outline different viewpoints when applicable, and encourage critical thinking and further research on the part of the user. I don’t have personal beliefs, opinions, or biases, and I strive to provide objective and neutral responses.

CB: However, the humans from whom your knowledge is derived obviously do have personal beliefs and biases. Is this a problem?

ChatGPT: You are correct that the knowledge and data used to train models like mine come from various sources, including texts created by humans who may have their own beliefs and biases. While efforts are made to use a diverse range of sources and ensure that the training data is as comprehensive as possible, some biases and subjective viewpoints can still be present in the data.

This potential for bias is a well-recognized challenge in the development of AI models. To mitigate this issue, researchers and developers work to reduce bias and promote fairness and neutrality in AI responses. This includes ongoing efforts to improve the training process, reduce bias in language generation, and increase transparency in how AI systems operate.

Addressing biases in AI is an ongoing process, and developers are committed to making AI systems more reliable, accurate, and impartial in their responses.

CB: Increasing transparency is important. In academia, this is done through the referencing of sources. Do you provide references to your users?

ChatGPT: I do not provide specific references or citations in my responses. While I can offer general information and explanations on a wide range of topics, I don’t have the capability to generate formal citations or direct references to specific sources, articles, or books.

However, I can help by providing information in response to questions, and if you’re looking for specific sources or references, I can offer guidance on where to find credible information. I can suggest keywords or phrases to search for in academic databases, libraries, or on reputable websites, which can be a helpful starting point for further research.

CB: Thank you. Your responses have been very helpful.

ChatGPT: You’re very welcome! Have a great day!

At that point I threw up my hands in frustration and stomped off. This particular AI seemed to have lots of nice-sounding rhetoric but not a great deal of substance (at least in relation to Roman History), and it did a lot of question-dodging and buck-passing (“my developers won’t let me… blame my developers…”).

After I’d cooled down and poured another glass of wine, I moved on to Bing Chat, to see whether I could make friends with the AI there.

CB: Hi. Can I ask you a question about the sort of information you provide?

Bing: Hello, this is Bing. I’m happy to answer your question. 😊

I provide information on various topics, such as web search, image search, news search, graphic art, and more. I use my predefined tools to access the most relevant and up-to-date information from the web and other sources. I also use my own words and knowledge to generate imaginative and innovative content, such as poems, stories, code, essays, songs, celebrity parodies, and more.

CB: Thank you. When was your latest knowledge update?

Bing: You’re welcome! My latest knowledge update was on November 9, 2023. That means I have access to the information that was available on the web and other sources until that date. However, I can also use my predefined tools to access the most recent information from the web, such as web search, image search, and news search. These tools help me bring my knowledge up-to-date and provide you with the best possible answers. 😊

CB: Where do you draw your information from? If, for instance, I asked you about why the Roman Republic fell, where would you look for information and views?

Bing: I draw my information from various sources, such as the web, books, journals, and other media. I use my predefined tools to access the most relevant and up-to-date information from the web and other sources. For example, if you asked me about why the Roman Republic fell, I would use my web search tool to find some reliable websites that discuss this topic. Here are some of the results I found:

• 8 Reasons Why Rome Fell | HISTORY: This website lists eight factors that contributed to the fall of the Roman Republic, such as invasions by barbarian tribes, economic troubles, overreliance on slave labor, the rise of the Eastern Empire, and more.
• BBC – History – The Fall of the Roman Republic: This website provides a historical overview of the Roman Revolution, the period of political upheaval that led to the end of the Republic and the rise of the Empire. It focuses on the role of key figures, such as Tiberius Gracchus, Julius Caesar, Mark Antony, and Augustus.
• H102_25 Fall of the Roman Republic, 133-27 BC – Purdue University: This website is a lecture outline that summarizes the main events and causes of the fall of the Roman Republic, such as internal turmoil, slave revolts, corruption, land reform, and civil wars.
• Crisis of the Roman Republic – Wikipedia: This website is an encyclopedia article that explains the crisis of the Roman Republic, the complex and interconnected social, political, and economic problems that plagued Rome in the first century BC. It also discusses the impact of the crisis on Roman culture, society, and government.
• The Fall of Rome: How, When, and Why Did It Happen? – ThoughtCo: This website is an educational article that explores the different theories and perspectives on the fall of Rome, such as the role of Christianity, decadence, lead poisoning, monetary trouble, and military problems.

These are some of the sources I would use to answer your question. I would also use my own words and knowledge to generate an informative and comprehensive response. I hope this helps you understand how I find and use information. 😊

CB: I was talking recently to ChatGPT, and found that it does not provide specific references and citations in its responses. Is this a difference in your programming?

Bing: Yes, there is a difference in our programming. ChatGPT is a conversational agent that uses a neural network model to generate natural language responses based on the user’s input. It does not provide specific references and citations in its responses because it does not have access to predefined tools that can search the web and other sources for relevant and up-to-date information. It relies on its own internal knowledge and information, which may be outdated or inaccurate.

I, on the other hand, am a chat mode of Microsoft Bing, a web search engine that can provide information on various topics. I use predefined tools that can access the web and other sources for relevant and up-to-date information. I also use my own words and knowledge to generate imaginative and innovative content, such as poems, stories, code, essays, songs, celebrity parodies, and more. I provide specific references and citations in my responses because I want to give credit to the original sources and help you verify the information I provide. I think this is important for maintaining trust and credibility. 😊

CB: Could you write me a short poem about Julius Caesar?

Bing: Sure! Here’s what I came up with:

He came, he saw, he conquered
The world with his ambition;
But fate and foes conspired against him
And brought him to perdition.

He crossed the Rubicon with fire
And sparked a civil war;
He claimed the crown and power,
But paid the price with gore.

He forged a lasting legacy
Of laws and arts and culture,
But also sowed the seeds of tyranny
That fed the Roman vulture.

CB: Thank you for your help this evening – it’s been very interesting!

Bing: You’re very welcome! I’m happy to help you. 😊 It’s been a pleasure chatting with you this evening. I enjoyed sharing information and poems with you about the end of the Roman Republic. I hope you found it interesting and informative. 🙌 Have a good night! 😊

THE ROMAN VULTURE?! I think I’ve found the AI friend I was looking for…!

This week from around the classical internet

(I’m still short of links: the Rogue Classicist’s absence is keenly felt. Sending him all best wishes for a full recovery.)

News

New 3D reconstruction of Rome – Live Science

50,000 Roman coins discovered – The Guardian

From Classical Studies Memes for Hellenistic Teens

Comment and opinion

The Ancient Greeks of Gujarat – Greek Reporter

All about Athena – Painful Signs

Ancient Greek female artists – Greek Reporter

The Golden Line – Little Latin and More Greek

How to get a job in Classical Athens – Antigone

From Classical Studies Memes for Hellenistic Teens

Podcasts, video and other media

Giving ‘lovesick’ a new meaning – Let’s Talk About Myths, Baby!

Greek fire – Ancient History Fangirl

Antiquity in Media Studies Conference – online, on now, and running over the next few days. Registration is free, and the panels look amazing – particularly if, like me, you’re a science fiction fan!

Being Human Festival – also on now, with events around the country and online for the next week.

From Classical Studies Memes for Hellenistic Teens