We all know that AI is the wave of the future, but I wanted to see just how accurate it really is. As an American who's lived in the UK for the last six years, I was especially interested to see how well AI could interpret some of the biggest cultural differences between us.
So, how well can Chat GPT (an AI chatbot) actually reflect our differences? Let's find out!
1. The first thing I HAD to ask about was British food. There are some shocking foods here in the UK that I had never even heard of back in the US, so let's see what AI thinks Americans think is the worst British food.
Sorry, but I will never understand how people actually enjoy marmite, it's absolutely wild to me.
2. Continuing on the subject of food, I also wanted to know which British snacks AI might bring up – especially since I've made endless amounts of snack swap videos during my time at BuzzFeed!
Overall, I'd say these are actually pretty good – ESPECIALLY the Monster Munch!
3. Next, I was curious what AI would say about the aspects of British etiquette that would shock Americans most. Spoiler alert: it was dead on.
Okay, now this one actually made me LOL. You guys love a queue! And tea time, my LORD is this accurate. I legit thought it was just a stereotype how much Brits love tea, but it's never-ending. And is it really the beginning of a conference call if you haven't spoken about the weather for a few minutes?
4. As someone obsessed with TV, the next thing I wanted to find out was which British shows would send Americans into a coma, according to AI. I have a few in mind, but there's only ONE non-negotiable winner to me... How right will it be?
I can't say I've seen all of those, but when I watched Peep Show for the first time, I was pretty uncomfortable, so it definitely got that right. However, the one show I was expecting to see but AI totally missed... Naked Attraction.
5. While on the theme of TV, I was curious to know which reality TV stars might shock Americans. People from shows like Love Island and The Only Way Is Essex have become some of the BIGGEST names in the UK... Let's see who it comes up with!
I'm kind of shocked there are no Islanders on here, specifically Molly-Mae, as she's essentially the UK's Kylie Jenner. I do think the rest are pretty spot on though.
6. Next up, I wanted to get into some linguistic differences! So I asked Chat GPT which British slang words would cause Americans to fully pass out.
I'm not even sure I can publish a post with some of the actual words, so for this one, you can either click below or read the definitions of the terms it sent.
7. To be a bit more PC, I asked AI to generate some general slang terms Americans may not know.
Pissed is a confusing one for me. In America, pissed means angry, but over here it means drunk. So, the phrase "I was so pissed last night" can be read in two very different ways, and I always find myself needing to explain which one I mean!
8. On the subject of language, I had to know whether AI could tell me which British words for daily items might confuse Americans. After all, we may technically speak the same language, but American English and British English have soooo many differences!
Brolly – short for Umbrella – was also on the list, which is seriously the ~cutest~ abbreviation. I don't think that would confuse Americans as such, they'd probably find it adorable!
9. Next, I wanted to dig into music a bit. Since living here, I've learned a lot about early '00s British Pop, and have been surprised by the random songs people love to chant, mainly at Bavarian halls, wedding parties, and football games. Let's see if AI picks up what I'm putting down...
There are many other songs people love chanting here – "Sweet Caroline" and "Come On Eileen" to name a few – but there is one song I had in mind that somehow didn't make the cut...
10. To round this out, I figured, let's end on a high! I wanted to look at the opposite of the above, i.e. which aspects of British life and culture do Americans LOVE the most, which would surprise Brits (according to AI, of course).
So what have we learned? First off, we've learned that Chat GPT is pretty accurate at perceiving some major cultural differences. It's not always 100% spot-on, but it's pretty close!
