“Are You Blacker Than ChatGPT?” is an online game that tests a person’s knowledge of Black culture against what ChatGPT has been trained to know about the Black community. Launched in February 2024, the critical insight behind the game’s creation was the belief that Black culture is so nuanced and changes so quickly that AI simply cannot keep up. The game challenges players to match their knowledge of Black culture against ChatGPT with questions like: “What song are you most likely to hear at any Black celebration? and “Who coined the phrase "on fleek"? By inviting people to test their knowledge, the game illuminates how AI bias can manifest in ways many people don't realize, making the experience enlightening and enjoyable.
We first compiled a list of fifty questions based on different aspects of Black culture. Each question had four multiple-choice answers, and ChatGPT was instructed to choose the correct answer. ChatGPT’s answers were recorded and then programmed into a CMS. We opted to have the questions randomized into five questions per round to keep users engaged. The game was then tested internally with small, diverse groups of people.
We didn’t create ads for this campaign; instead, we made a variety of social media assets to promote the game. These included Instagram reels and static images. also used Instagram Stories polls to engage with users and asked them questions like “Does sugar belong in grits?” and “Who was the worst friend on Girlfriends?”
The main challenge arose from the question of whether or not the team should reveal the correct answers. Some core team members felt that giving the correct answers would discourage people from playing the game multiple times. In contrast, others felt that providing the answers would help educate users unfamiliar with Black culture. Ultimately, the team decided against giving the correct answers, as it was a way to encourage users to seek out the information on their own.
Since launching, the game has been played by almost 5,000 people, with most users spending an average of two and a half minutes on the site (the average time spent on a website is around fifty seconds). The game was also featured in TechCrunch, People of Color in Tech, and Tubefilter.
One of the main reasons we consider the game a success is the positive feedback we received from Black people who played it. While the game was open to everyone, we wanted it to be like a silent nod to Black people and Black culture, a way of acknowledging that the intricacies of the culture will always be slightly out of AI’s understanding. Black players often commented on how much fun they had playing the game and suggested other questions we should add. We also received positive feedback from non-Black players, many of whom commented on how much they didn’t know about different elements of Black culture.
