We quiz ChatGPT about Suffolk, business plans in Bury St Edmunds, nicknames for Stowmarket residents and ask it to write a rap song about Thetford
An online bot has been making headlines as the future of technology – but how much does it know about Suffolk?
Today we are testing the AI model ChatGPT and its knowledge on all things Suffolk, from politics, business proposals, nicknames and rap lyrics.
We started the conservation going over Suffolk’s political history and it accurately recounted some key facts and made reference to how the the East of England is primarily Conservative.
The AI said: “Suffolk has a rich political history, with the county having played a significant role in the Civil War, with the town of Bury St Edmunds being a major stronghold for the Royalists.”
Although this is an impressive response, we then asked it to give suggestions for what Suffolk’s councils could do to improve issues residents experience.
It suggested investing in infrastructure, increasing affordable housing, addressing environmental concerns, improving social care provision and supporting local businesses.
Some good strategies were mentioned in this response, but could ChatGPT actually help one of these local businesses to get started?
We asked the AI to write a business proposal for a successful café based in Bury St Edmunds and it proceeded to write an executive summary, marketing plan and even tackled the business’ financial plans looking at projected revenue and gross profit margin.
This detailed response was a bit too smart for our liking.
The proposal for ‘Bury Beans’ café (a name which it came up with itself) ticked all the necessary boxes for any start-up business – but it referred to more than 40,000 residents living in Bury St Edmunds.
After a quick Google search, it’s clear that the town's population is closer to 35,015 not 40,000.
We asked: Are you sure Bury St Edmunds has a population over 40,000?
ChatGPT replied: “I apologise for the mistake in my previous response. According to the latest estimates from the Office for National Statistics, the population of Bury St Edmunds is around 35,000. Thank you for bringing this to my attention.”
This confirms that the AI model can definitely get rather basic facts completely wrong - which is slightly reassuring to know.
ChatGPT’s creativity was also put to the test when we asked it to come up with some new nicknames for the residents of Stowmarket.
We asked: The people from Stowmarket have lovingly adopted the nickname 'Stowmartians' - can you please suggest some more nicknames for the residents?
ChatGPT said: “Certainly! Here are a few suggestions for nicknames for the residents of Stowmarket.
- Stowies
- Stowites
- Marketeers
- Stowonians
- Stowstonians
- Stowvillians
- Stowiesians
- Marketpoppers
- Stowfolk
- Stowians
“I hope these suggestions are helpful.”
They were indeed helpful and very imaginative, but I’m not sure if residents will be adopting ‘Marketpoppers’ any time soon.
The AI model was even smart enough to consider these nicknames when thinking about SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) keywords which help websites, like SuffolkNews, to generate more engagement from readers.
ChatGPT considered its suggested nicknames, but decided the term ‘Stowmarket’ or ‘Stowmarket residents’ would be the best for our articles going forward.
We finished our conversation with something everyone can appreciate – a rap song all about Thetford.
Is the chorus catchy? No. Is the line ‘we’re a town with a vibe that just can’t be faked’ any good? Not really – but it gets an A+ for effort.
The AI model may not be the next Kayne West or Kendrick Lamar - but you can’t argue with the accurate references to notable spots in the town.
You can read the full thing below.
To test out ChatGPT and ask for your own business proposals or rap songs, you can click here to sign up.
It’s free to use but currently only draws on information up to 2021.
