ChatGPT on the Moon, with shark adrenaline

 I wasn't particularly excited by the rise of AI text generators until February 20th, when Neil Clarke had to close Clarkesworld (a major SF short story market) to new submissions in order to fight off a sudden flood of computer-written short stories. 

I'd used openai before, to create pictures, but hadn't tried generating text.  I'd read about it - I knew it refused to write things that are sexist or racist, or illegal, but was quite happy to lie like a rug, even when the questioner is expecting a factual article-like output. In fact, it generates extremely convincing citations for its "facts" which turn out, on investigation, to be bogus. 

I'm not suggesting that this is in some way a failure. I think there have been assumptions made on the part of the users which weren't shared by the programmers and trainers. Every chatbot since Eliza "wants" to keep you on the line and tells you what it "thinks" you would like to hear. That doesn't mean it mines the deep veins of human knowledge and brings back precious nuggets of insight. 

It makes stuff up.

It makes up stuff so well that someone, somewhere has convinced users that magazines like Clarkesworld would like to buy its stories. It can write a story in one minute, so there's little to lose and a few cents a word to gain. (Since there's a limit on how many pieces an SF magazine can run in each edition, I don't think this is going to get anyone rich quick, even if editors give in and buy some. And since the copyright office says Midjourney pictures can't be copyrighted, it's extremely likely you can't copyright ChatGPT output either.)

On a Zoom call yesterday, I met a writer who is using openai to transform prose into script format and provide other "hands"-on help with writing tasks. I know of several people who say the AI produces decent code from a text description of what the code should do. These are remarkable advances, though hardly worth putting every short-story magazine out of business, I would have thought. 

I've been told that the creative writing it produced was a) not creative and b) "dull" so I had a go myself. Remember the Left Shark, Katy Perry's 2015 Superbowl dancer who was not as coordinated as it could have been?

I asked ChatGPT to tell me a story about it. 

Input: Please write a short fiction story (about 500 words) in which the Superbowl Left Shark becomes the first marine dancer on Earth's Moon.

Here's the conversation in full:

"Please write a short fiction story (about 500 words) in which the Superbowl Left Shark becomes the first marine dancer on Earth's Moon."

"Left Shark had always been a talented dancer. He had spent years perfecting his moves, and his performance at the Superbowl had made him famous around the world. But even as he basked in the glory of his newfound celebrity, Left Shark knew that he was destined for something more.

One day, as he was watching the moon rise over the ocean, an idea occurred to him. What if he could dance on the moon? It was a crazy idea, but Left Shark was determined to make it happen.

He spent months training in a specially-designed underwater tank, perfecting his moves and building up his strength. Finally, he felt ready to take on the challenge of dancing in space.

The day of the launch arrived, and Left Shark climbed aboard the spacecraft that would take him to the moon. As he blasted off into the sky, he felt a thrill of excitement and anticipation. This was his chance to do something no one had ever done before.

When he landed on the moon, Left Shark stepped out of the spacecraft in his specially-designed spacesuit. He could feel the difference in gravity immediately – it was like dancing in slow motion. But he was undaunted. He had practiced for this moment, and he was ready to show the world what he could do.

As he began to dance, Left Shark felt a rush of adrenaline. The lunar landscape stretched out before him, a barren expanse of rock and dust. But as he moved, he created something beautiful – a dance that was both powerful and graceful, a celebration of the human (or, in his case, shark) spirit.

As he danced, Left Shark felt a sense of freedom that he had never experienced before. For the first time in his life, he was truly weightless, unencumbered by the limits of gravity. It was like he was flying, soaring through the void of space.

And then, as suddenly as it had begun, the dance was over. Left Shark returned to Earth, hailed as a hero and a trailblazer. But he knew that his journey was far from over. There were other planets to explore, other dances to be danced.

Years later, as he looked back on his life, Left Shark knew that he had achieved something truly remarkable. He had gone where no dancer had gone before, and he had shown the world what was possible when you dared to dream."

Yep. Uplifting, well-written and yet dull.  It's fascinating that the AI "knows" that Left Shark is male (uses he/him pronouns) and thinks of Left Shark as a talented dancer.  It "thinks" the Moon has no gravity. It's almost uncanny that it put in "a celebration of human (or, in his case shark) spirit." It thinks that sharks react to adrenaline...which they apparently do. (It may even have read medical literature on the subject.) It also ignored my capital letter on "Moon" and substituted a lower case m. (I feel disrespected.)

A few more chapters and Superb Owl Halftimers Conquer The Moon will be ready to publish. Watch out Mr. Clarke.