I asked ChatGPT AI to write a short story about a lost kitten in the style of William Gibson:
The neon lights of the city cast a glow on the wet streets as the rain continued to fall. In the midst of the bustling crowds, a small kitten meowed pitifully, lost and alone. It had been wandering for hours, its small paws sore from the concrete and its fur matted with the rain.
As it turned down an alley, the kitten's eyes landed on a figure sitting against the wall, shrouded in shadows. The figure was typing furiously on a laptop, the blue light illuminating their face. The kitten meowed again, drawing the figure's attention.
"Well, well, what do we have here?" The figure said, their voice low and rough. The kitten looked up at them with wide, pleading eyes. The figure hesitated for a moment before scooping the kitten up and tucking it into their jacket, "Come on, little one. Let's see if we can't find you a home."
The figure, a hacker known only as "Neon," began to make their way through the city, scanning the feeds for any sign of a lost kitten. As they walked, the kitten's purring vibrations soothed them, and a sense of warmth spread through their chest.
Finally, after hours of searching, Neon found a post on a local community board from a woman looking for her lost kitten. She had described it perfectly, the same color and breed as the one they held in their arms.
Neon contacted her and arrange a meeting, the woman was overjoyed to see her kitten and thanked Neon profusely. As she took the kitten in her arms, Neon felt a pang of sadness, but also a sense of satisfaction in having helped reunite the kitten with its owner.
As they walked away, the kitten's meows growing faint, Neon couldn't help but smile. It felt good to have helped someone, even if it was just a small lost kitten. They knew the city could be a cold and unforgiving place, but moments like this made it all worth it.
And so, the kitten went back to its home, and Neon went back to the shadows, always looking for a way to make a difference in a world that can be so harsh.
You know so far the "write a story in the style of" stuff that I've seen from ChatGPT is not very convincing – which is not surprising; creating a pastiche from machine learning algorithms is one thing but having a real viewpoint and writing from an actual feeling state is another. I mean, Gibson wrote two of my favorite opening sentences:
"It was hot, the night we burned Chrome." (Burning Chrome)
"The sky above the port was the color of TV tuned to a dead channel." (Neuromancer)
I agree with your main points. ChatGPT does not provide novel insight, nor can it draw on its own experiences and emotions.
It has so many fun uses though. Papyrus birthday cards can will no longer intimidate the emotionally spent. With a simple prompt, ChatGPT was able to craft a decent birthday greeting for my entirely fictional Rolex Submariner.
"Happy 20th anniversary, my beloved Rolex Submariner! You have been my faithful companion through so many adventures, and your precision and style never cease to impress me. Even though you may have a few scratches on your aluminum bezel, they only serve as a reminder of the memories we have shared together. I am grateful that you have returned to me from your overhaul at Rolex, and I look forward to many more years of keeping perfect time and making a statement on my wrist. I would never trade you in for a newer model, no matter how shiny and scratch-free their ceramic bezel may be. Here's to many more years of adventures and wrist-hugs. With love and admiration, [Your Name]"
This is the polar opposite of your watchmaker challenge/moonphase article. I think if this were posted without comment on any number of popular watch journalist sites it would pass with no notice.
I asked ChatGPT AI to write a short story about a lost kitten in the style of William Gibson:
The neon lights of the city cast a glow on the wet streets as the rain continued to fall. In the midst of the bustling crowds, a small kitten meowed pitifully, lost and alone. It had been wandering for hours, its small paws sore from the concrete and its fur matted with the rain.
As it turned down an alley, the kitten's eyes landed on a figure sitting against the wall, shrouded in shadows. The figure was typing furiously on a laptop, the blue light illuminating their face. The kitten meowed again, drawing the figure's attention.
"Well, well, what do we have here?" The figure said, their voice low and rough. The kitten looked up at them with wide, pleading eyes. The figure hesitated for a moment before scooping the kitten up and tucking it into their jacket, "Come on, little one. Let's see if we can't find you a home."
The figure, a hacker known only as "Neon," began to make their way through the city, scanning the feeds for any sign of a lost kitten. As they walked, the kitten's purring vibrations soothed them, and a sense of warmth spread through their chest.
Finally, after hours of searching, Neon found a post on a local community board from a woman looking for her lost kitten. She had described it perfectly, the same color and breed as the one they held in their arms.
Neon contacted her and arrange a meeting, the woman was overjoyed to see her kitten and thanked Neon profusely. As she took the kitten in her arms, Neon felt a pang of sadness, but also a sense of satisfaction in having helped reunite the kitten with its owner.
As they walked away, the kitten's meows growing faint, Neon couldn't help but smile. It felt good to have helped someone, even if it was just a small lost kitten. They knew the city could be a cold and unforgiving place, but moments like this made it all worth it.
And so, the kitten went back to its home, and Neon went back to the shadows, always looking for a way to make a difference in a world that can be so harsh.
You know so far the "write a story in the style of" stuff that I've seen from ChatGPT is not very convincing – which is not surprising; creating a pastiche from machine learning algorithms is one thing but having a real viewpoint and writing from an actual feeling state is another. I mean, Gibson wrote two of my favorite opening sentences:
"It was hot, the night we burned Chrome." (Burning Chrome)
"The sky above the port was the color of TV tuned to a dead channel." (Neuromancer)
I agree with your main points. ChatGPT does not provide novel insight, nor can it draw on its own experiences and emotions.
It has so many fun uses though. Papyrus birthday cards can will no longer intimidate the emotionally spent. With a simple prompt, ChatGPT was able to craft a decent birthday greeting for my entirely fictional Rolex Submariner.
"Happy 20th anniversary, my beloved Rolex Submariner! You have been my faithful companion through so many adventures, and your precision and style never cease to impress me. Even though you may have a few scratches on your aluminum bezel, they only serve as a reminder of the memories we have shared together. I am grateful that you have returned to me from your overhaul at Rolex, and I look forward to many more years of keeping perfect time and making a statement on my wrist. I would never trade you in for a newer model, no matter how shiny and scratch-free their ceramic bezel may be. Here's to many more years of adventures and wrist-hugs. With love and admiration, [Your Name]"
Aww that is beautiful :) you could almost believe that the bot, somewhere deep down, has a soft little silicon heart ;) .
Did you try prompting it to write about the Submariner in your own style? I wonder what it might come up with... 🤔
This is the polar opposite of your watchmaker challenge/moonphase article. I think if this were posted without comment on any number of popular watch journalist sites it would pass with no notice.
"this is not exactly HAL 9000 level stuff"
If it responds with, "I'm sorry Jack, I can't do that right now," then we've got bigger things to worry about.