[Ads-l] "Promised Land" (Refuge for Black Americans, Not in OED): Possible Evidence from Unexpected Source

[dave@wilton.net]

I've informally experimented with ChatGPT to do this type of research and find that it is rife with hallucinations, ascribing fictional quotes to such sources as the OED. The one time it gave me an answer without hallucinations was when it was repeating info that was contained in a couple of blog posts--no new findings; LLMs don't "research"; they regurgitate information when it is available and make stuff up when it isn't. I concluded that it is less than worthless for this type of work and not even worth the time and effort of running a more rigorous test. 
 
And my understanding of journalists and others who've tried to use LLMs for professional writing is that they find it doesn't save time or effort. All it does is shift the human effort from research and writing to crafting the prompt, which needs to be done very carefully, and fact-checking the final result. And for that you need someone who is capable of doing the work without the LLM, so there really is no point to it.
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: "Ben Zimmer" <00001aae0710f4b7-dmarc-request at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2025 12:18pm
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Re: [ADS-L] "Promised Land" (Refuge for Black Americans, Not in OED): Possible Evidence from Unexpected Source



Please, please, please do not use ChatGPT or other LLM for this type of
research, as hallucinations are extremely common. None of these citations
are legitimate, as a quick Googling confirms. There's nothing to be gained
from posting spurious results, except as a cautionary tale about the state
of generative AI.

--bgz


On Wed, Dec 10, 2025 at 7:32 AM Shapiro, Fred <
00001ac016895344-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu> wrote:

> OED does not have a specific entry for the term "Promised Land" meaning a
> refuge for Black Americans. I have possible early evidence for this term,
> from an unexpected source. I asked chatgpt for earliest evidence that it
> could summon up. I did not have any expectations of getting good info for
> this kind of query from chatgpt. Below is what it sent me. This could all
> be hallucination, but it looks pretty good. I have not attempted any
> verification.
>
> Fred Shapiro
>
>
> ________________________________
> ✅ 1. The African Repository and Colonial Journal (the official publication
> of the American Colonization Society), 1825
> In early ACS promotional writing, Liberia was repeatedly framed as a “Land
> of Promise.”
> A recorded example appears in The African Repository, Vol. 1 (1825), p.
> 14, describing Liberia as a destination for free Black Americans:
> “To the people of color of the United States, Liberia opens as a land of
> promise, where the oppressions of this country are unknown.”
> This is one of the earliest printed uses of the phrase connected
> specifically to Liberia.
> ________________________________
> ✅ 2. The African Repository, 1827 – Sermon by Rev. R. R. Gurley
> A sermon reprinted in the 1827 volume (Vol. 3) includes this passage
> urging Black Americans to consider Liberia:
> “We call upon them to look to Africa, that promised land prepared for the
> redemption of her scattered children.”
> This shows clear religious framing—Liberia as a divinely prepared
> destination.
> ________________________________
> ✅ 3. Letters from early settlers (1820s)
> Several emigrant letters published by the ACS use similar language. One
> example is from a settler letter printed in The African Repository (1824,
> Vol. 1, p. 196):
> “We have reached this land of promise, and though trials surround us, we
> believe God has led us here.”
> Though individual letters vary in tone, this theological metaphor appears
> multiple times in emigrant correspondence.
>
>
>

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