ChatGPT3 in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Threat or an Opportunity?

Abstract

This commentary explores the extent to which Africa can participate in global debates about ChatGPT3, a language model developed by OpenAI. The author notes that technology has created a global village, making it important for Africa to engage in such discussions. However, the author raises questions about the fairness and effectiveness of using ChatGPT3 in African media settings, given the limited amount of African linguistic corpus available online. The study examines the nature of ChatGPT3 and its usage among journalists in Africa, as well as the threats posed and whether Africa should be concerned. Interviews with digital journalists from several African countries and insights from a quasi-experiment conducted at Harvard are used to support the study's findings. Overall, the commentary highlights the importance of Africa's increased online presence and participation in global discussions on technological advancements.

Keywords: ChatGPT3, Journalism, sub-Saharan Africa, African databases, pidgin language