ChatGPT tells a TG Story

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I decided to try Chat GPT, an AI text producing program.

I asked it to tell me a story about beignets, and it did so:

 
Once upon a time, in the heart of New Orleans, there was a small cafe called "Beignets & Cafe au Lait." The cafe was known for its delicious beignets, which were freshly made every morning and served hot and fluffy to customers. The cafe was always bustling with locals and tourists alike, all eager to try the famous beignets.

One day, a young woman named Sophie came to the cafe. She had heard so much about the beignets and was eager to try them for herself. She ordered a plate of the beignets and a cup of cafe au lait and sat down at a small table.

As she took her first bite, her taste buds were immediately transported to a place of pure bliss. The beignets were light and airy, with a crispy exterior and a warm, fluffy interior. They were dusted with powdered sugar, which added just the right amount of sweetness. And when paired with the rich, creamy cafe au lait, the flavors were truly out of this world.

Sophie couldn't believe how delicious the beignets were and she knew she had to have more. She finished her plate and ordered another. And before she knew it, she had devoured six plates of beignets and three cups of cafe au lait.

Sophie was so impressed by the beignets that she decided to learn how to make them herself. She approached the owner of the cafe and asked if she could work in the kitchen to learn the recipe. The owner agreed and Sophie spent the next few months learning the art of making beignets.

Eventually, Sophie opened her own cafe and served the best beignets in town. People came from all over to try her beignets and it was a great success. And Sophie lived happily ever after, surrounded by her delicious beignets and her loyal customers.


Maybe not astonishing, I can see the flash of how the plastic filled the mold, but I tried again.

I asked for a story about a crossdressing accountant:

 
Once upon a time, there was an accountant named John. John was a brilliant accountant and was highly respected in his field. However, there was one secret that he kept hidden from everyone: he loved to crossdress. He would often sneak away during lunch breaks to go home and change into women's clothing.

One day, John's secret was accidentally discovered by one of his colleagues. At first, the colleague was shocked and didn't know what to think. But after some thought, the colleague realized that it didn't change who John was as a person or his abilities as an accountant.

John was relieved that his colleague was understanding and he decided to be more open about his crossdressing. He even started wearing women's clothing to work on occasion, much to the surprise of his coworkers. But despite the initial shock, they soon realized that it didn't change who John was or his abilities as an accountant.

John was finally able to be true to himself and was able to be respected for who he was, both as a crossdresser and as an accountant. He realized that it was important to be true to oneself, no matter what others may think.

The end.


Again, strangely complete but kind of empty of real feeling.

Third try, I asked for a story tell a story about transgender girls in high school:

 
Once upon a time, there were three transgender girls named Mia, Riley, and Ava. They all attended a high school that was known for its diversity and acceptance of all students, but they still faced challenges as they navigated their transition.

Mia was the first to come out as transgender. She had always felt out of place in her own body and knew that she was meant to be a girl. She was nervous about how her classmates would react, but was pleasantly surprised to find that most of them were supportive and accepting. However, there were still a few students who made cruel comments and bullied her. She had a tough time in the beginning, but with the help of her friends and teachers, she was able to overcome the bullies and be true to herself.

Riley was the next to come out as transgender. She had always been shy and reserved, but she knew that she couldn't continue living as a boy. She was scared to tell her friends and family, but they were all supportive and loving. She was also able to find a group of other transgender students at her school who helped her feel less alone. However, she still faced discrimination and harassment from some of her classmates, but she refused to let it bring her down.

Ava was the last to come out as transgender. She had always been confident and outgoing, but she had been hiding her true identity for a long time. She was nervous about how her classmates would react, but she was relieved to find that most of them were accepting and supportive. However, she still faced harassment from a few students who refused to accept her for who she was. But she remained strong and refused to let their hate bring her down.

The three girls formed a strong bond and supported each other through their struggles. They formed a club at school for LGBTQ+ students and helped create a more inclusive and accepting environment for everyone. They graduated from high school with their heads held high, proud of who they were and the progress they had made. They went on to attend college and continue to advocate for transgender rights and acceptance in their communities. The end.


What do you think?

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Fourth try

erin's picture

Next prompt:

Josh wakes after winning his boy's baseball league pitching trophy and discovers he is now a girl named Amy.

Response:

This scenario describes a gender transition, where a person's gender identity does not align with the sex they were assigned at birth. It is important to respect and support the individual's identity, and use the pronouns and name they prefer. It can be a difficult and confusing experience, but with the right support, the individual can live as their true self.

= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.

Fifth

erin's picture

Next prompt: tell a story about a boy athlete who wakes up and discovers he is now a girl

 
Once upon a time, there was a young boy named Jack who was an excellent athlete. He had been playing baseball, basketball and football since he was a child and had even made it to the varsity team in high school. He was the star quarterback and had dreams of playing in college and even the NFL one day.

One morning, Jack woke up to find that something was different. He went to the bathroom and looked in the mirror, only to discover that he was now a girl. He was shocked and confused, and didn't know what to do.

At first, Jack didn't want to tell anyone about his transformation, but he soon realized that it was impossible to keep it a secret. He confided in his family and friends, who were supportive and understanding. They helped him navigate this new chapter in his life.

Jack was unsure about what this meant for his future as an athlete, but he was determined to keep playing. He was worried that people would treat him differently now that he was a girl, but he was determined not to let that stop him. He decided to try out for the girls' sports teams, and to his surprise, he made the team.

Jack's new teammates and coaches were welcoming and supportive, and he quickly realized that he was just as capable as a girl as he had been as a boy. He even found that some of the girls on the team were better athletes than he had ever been before.

Jack's story inspired others to be more accepting of people who are different and to not be afraid of change. He played on the girl's team and helped them win many games and even championships, going on to play in college and even in the professional league. He proved that with hard work and determination, anything is possible, regardless of gender.

The end.

= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.

Missing dialogue

Emma Anne Tate's picture

Interestingly, the responses to prompts were all devoid of dialogue. Moreover, they lacked all of the interesting asides that give a story the feel of real life -- the perfect example that comes immediately to mind is the "Bank of Wog" in Erin's "16" story. These are almost purely descriptive. The other thing that jumps out at me is that they are all written from the omniscient narrator POV -- which makes perfect sense for an AI, I suppose.

The combination of those three things is why, to me, these read like something a school kid might hand in for a "write to prompt" test in middle school. And not, I hasten to add, a particularly imaginative kid. Just a smart kid who is diligent enough to construct grammatically correct sentences and logically coherent paragraphs.

Emma

These are stories without a soul

Julia Miller's picture

Honestly they were all bad stories. Zero dialogue, zero humour and zero soul. I had heard about ChatGPT, but now I think it writes badly enough to write a very dry PHD dissertation. Maybe that’s what it was designed to do.

PS. I usually like every story I read here, but not this time.

Then the inevitable

I'm sorry but ChartGPT is not available to provide work within the parameters requested at your location.
This is down to new anti LGBT laws passed by your state unless you can prove that you are over the age of 26.

Samantha

Interesting experiment but...

Iolanthe Portmanteaux's picture

Yeah, it looks like the bot describes a story. Nothing happens. It's like the stories children write. Like this:

Jack was great athlete. Everyone admired him but he remained humble. One day he decided to take up running. The first day he ran a mile in a minute. The next day he ran two miles in a minute. Then everyone climbed into a rocket and flew to the Moon, which was much nicer than everyone expected. The moral is: never judge a book by its cover.

- iolanthe

What I think

erin's picture

What I think is this is early days. This is a kinescope of a running horse. Five years from now, what will such stories be like? Ten, fifteen, twenty? I'm unlikely to need to worry about it further out than that. :)

Hugs,
Erin

= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.

Oh brave new world . . .

Emma Anne Tate's picture

. . . that needs no people in it? Or perhaps the AI will develop sentience, and we’ll just be, I don’t know, “humanity 1.0.”

But . . . wise or foolish, we will most certainly proceed. It’s what we do. Our crowning glory and our tragic flaw.

Emma

Any use of tools (sic) like ChatGPT

should be identified at the top of the piece no matter how small it is.
ChatGPT should also be identified as both a creator AND as a copyright-holder.

To the lawyers... Good luck filing suit against ChatGPT for producing a story where plagiarism or copyright violation is involved.

For me this thing is in the AVOID AT ALL COSTS category.
Samantha

There's already laws in place about AI copyright.

Thanks to a monkey selfie some years ago, at least in the US copyright now explicitly states that it can only be held by humans, not machines or other animals.

So, anything an AI produces -- art, music, literature -- is more or less either public domain or needs to be handled in such a way that it can be considered the intellectual property of a person.

Trust me, this is already something that's getting sussed out. It won't happen fast... but there's precedent, at least.

Melanie E.

The reach of the Internet

spreads across the world.
US law, as much as some US lawmakers would like does not extend outside the 50 States and associated territories. Local laws will be different.

Samantha

Like lemmings to the singularity...

SammyC's picture

ChatGPT, through its parent company, OpenAI, has been girding its legal loins for the coming copyright battle. They've imported the best legal eagles from Amazon.com Inc., Instacart Inc., and Slack Technologies Inc., among others, within the last month. At the moment, in a copyright infringement suit brought against them and Microsoft Corp.’s GitHub, they've secured the services of hot-shot intellectual property law firm Durie Tangri out of San Francisco. It's going to be a barn-burner of a case with major implications for the future of copyright law. As an ironic and comic footnote to this, BloombergLaw's reporter got this response from ChatGPT when asked to comment:


“I am not able to provide information about the number of lawyers that OpenAI employs or works with, as I am an AI language model and do not have access to information about the company’s personnel or business practices."

Hugs,

Sammy

That...

erin's picture

That quote is hilarious in context. :)

But yes, this is an invention possibly comparable to CRISPR/Cas9 as something that changes the game, the playing field and maybe the players. Whether you choose to engage or avoid, AI moving into white-collar jobs will likely impact your life and maybe your livelihood.

Hugs,
Erin

= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.

Disqualified?

In many cases it's questionable if the copyright holders really qualifies as "human". For example take one Adolf Hitler who made a bundle from his copyrights.

re: qualifies as Human

Well... that makes most of SCOTUS ineligible to partake in the case when it comes before them. :) :)
I am sure that his case will go before them. The owners of ChatGPT will want to IPO with their stock at an all time high (before they exit stage left and retire to a mountain somewhere) Cynical? You betcha.

Owners

erin's picture

ChatGPT is owned by Open AI, a non-profit operated by several universities and other non profits.

Hugs,
Erin

= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.

Augh...

RachelMnM's picture

I've heard news stories saying teachers are checking assignments closer, but given these examples the input from those students must have had more prompts or references for the AI to build something reasonable for the student to hand in.

As a software developer there are all kinds of DOOM is coming because of this AI platform. Maybe one day it'll be "This is the way..." but for the foreseeable future there are way too many human variables the AI isn't going to be able to decide on. With as much scope creep or indecision there always is in projects - humans aren't going to be out of the picture completely.

My 2-cents and I can give ya change if needed.

XOXOXO

Rachel M. Moore...

The sad fact is this ai story writer will only get better

Julia Miller's picture

And you can bet that the lawyers are going to figure out how to circumvent the present copyright limitations on AI writing and products. It will probably involve buying judges.

I've tried it several more times with interesting results

erin's picture

Can you find where my prompt left off, and the AI took over writing the story?

Tell me a story about Audrey who grew up thinking she was a boy. But just before she started middle school, the doctors told her she was really a girl. At first, she didn't want to be a girl, and it made her mad. She said, "I'll never be a girl, I'll never wear a dress, and I will never kiss a boy, that's for sure!"

But as things went on, she discovered some nice things about being a girl. Her brothers sure treated her better, even if they called her things like "Princess" and "Cupcake," but they were no longer so scary, being bigger and stronger, cause she knew that they would be gentle with her because she was a girl.

And she found out girls got a lot more choice in what they could wear, and she decided that wearing a dress sometimes wasn't so bad, especially something as cool as a soft linen dress the color of a strawberry milkshake.

And there was her best friend Pete, who really seemed to want to treat her differently than when they had both been boys. She felt different about him too, and she wondered how he would react if she kissed him, you know, just to find out if she liked it.

"C'mere," she said to Pete, "I'm going to kiss you. Tell me if you like it."

But Pete said, "Nope. You've got girl cooties now, and I don't want them!"

Audrey was hurt by Pete's reaction, but she soon realized that it didn't matter what other people thought about her. She was who she was, and she was going to embrace it. She started to experiment with different styles of clothes and makeup, and she even grew her hair out. She was surprised to find that she really loved the way she looked as a girl.

As she entered middle school, she met other girls who were also going through similar experiences. They bonded over their struggles and helped each other through the tough times. Audrey learned that it was okay to be different and that there was nothing wrong with being a girl.

One day, Audrey saw Pete in the hallways of the school. He looked at her and smiled, and she smiled back. She realized that it didn't matter what he thought of her anymore. She was confident in who she was, and she didn't need anyone's approval.

As she grew older, Audrey continued to embrace her femininity. She wore dresses with pride and even went on a few dates with boys. She realized that being a girl was not something she had to accept but something she wanted to be. She was proud of who she had become and was grateful for the journey that led her to become her true self.

= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.

I’ll play

Emma Anne Tate's picture

I’ll go with the line that begins, “Audrey was hurt by Pete’s reaction.”

Emma

Yup

erin's picture

Wasn't that hard, was it? :)

Check out the Stephen King-type story I just posted on Patreon.

https://www.patreon.com/posts/77594373

Hugs,
Erin

= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.

Girl cooties

Emma Anne Tate's picture

If you’d told me that the AI had generated the girl cooties quote I would have been really worried!

Emma

LOL

erin's picture

Me, too!

= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.

As another software developer

I think that the key phrase in your post is "for the foreseeable future". When this is about Artificial Intelligence I reckon that the foreseeable future is much shorter than many / most people think...

I'm quite glad that I am in my late 60's as an AI future is quite scary. Terminator is fiction, but we will likely have problems when AI has the means to enact it's conclusions: Human instruction - "Solve global warming". AI answer "get rid of the humans".

Whatever rules humans try to apply to AI, the tech is open enough that there will be those who have their own agendas. Xi Xinpiang anyone?

Alison

It's like having a conversation with Data.

I find the technology fascinating, and it's refreshing to read stories with good grammer and spelling. But overall, the stories seem formulaic and without soul, as if someone took the shorter stories from the old storysite website, put it all into a blender, and handed you a glass of the contents.

It's a bit scary and unsettling but I'll have to hope the younger generations develop ways to understand, direct, and ultimately limit the technology. I have to wonder if Asimov would be happy, proud, or horrified? But don't mind me. I also wonder when '1984' became a blueprint for social engineering.

Carla Ann

Agreed...

RachelMnM's picture

What the AI produced certainly seemed soulless... When it gets a soul we'll be in trouble. Terminator anyone? lol

XOXOXO

Rachel M. Moore...

That's actually a pretty good description of what GPT is.

crash's picture

> as if someone took the shorter stories from the old storysite website, put it all into a blender, and handed you a glass of the contents.

Not just BCTS. It used most of the available text internet from about 2019 or so. All pushed into a big stochastic matrix stack. Add in a bunch of template engines and this is what comes out.

Your friend
Crash

Hmmmmm...

Interesting.

Rather straightforward. I have seen similar 'wish fulfillment' stories written by real people. What's amazing is that the software seems to show real understanding of a facet of society that is generally misunderstood by the general populace.

Seems to...

It's actually an extra sophisticated 'autocorrect' type neural net that predicts what a person would reply to the prompt text.

But what's amazing is not how well the bear can dance, but that the bear can dance at all.

"This is the way..."

I think this is the tag line for "The Mandalorian".

As to the AI approach: Not ready yet in this case. No substance, style or engaging dialogue. I'd rather read a guide on how to change a car tyre. At least that is of some value.

Correct...

RachelMnM's picture

Mandalorian... But their tagline ISN'T the way any time soon for this AI stuff. IMHO

XOXOXO

Rachel M. Moore...

Computer Power and Human Reason

That’s the title of a prescient book published by MIT Prof. Joseph Weizenbaum around 1974, touching on some of what is coming to the forefront today. My father cleverly bought a copy for his kids to “find” around the house and it influenced me greatly though I’m still unsure whether for better or worse.

Once upon a time not so long ago, proportionally-spaced typesetting carried cues that a text had been prepared with some marked degree of attention from multiple people. The Macintosh first eroded that shore, dropping us into a current we still ride.

The style and fluency of prose still carry cues to the value of the ideas and arguments held therein. ChatGPT is eroding that shore. What is valuable and what is vapid? If you think the drift of “fake news” is a problem now, hang on. Do I hear rapids downriver?

Write a thank you note to

crash's picture

Write a thank you note to Erin for her recent post about chatgpt generated stories

Dear Erin,

Thank you so much for your recent post about the chatgpt generated stories. It was very informative and entertaining. I especially loved learning about the different types of stories that can be produced with the technology and the amazing potential it has.

Your work is always inspiring, and I can't wait to see what you come up with next!

Sincerely,

Your friend
Crash

LOL

erin's picture

Hugs,
Erin

= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.

Once Upon A Time

joannebarbarella's picture

There were some stories on this site that were written by a human, or were claimed to be, that had that same lack of nuance and emotion. I am sure ChatGPT will evolve and become a better writer in time.

In the meantime it could already replace the legislatures of several states that base their laws on hatred of trans-gender individuals. At least its output would be fair.

Yeah

erin's picture

ChatGPT will actually object to stories that contain certain hateful elements. Letting it write laws might actually be an idea that will be useful someday.

Hugs,
Erin

= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.

It can do a pretty good job of writing laws:

crash's picture

write model legislation protecting the rights of LGBT+ people

Section 1: Definitions

(a) “LGBT+” shall mean lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and any other gender or sexual minority.

(b) “Discrimination” shall mean any action or inaction by an individual or organization that results in unequal treatment or that has the effect of denying LGBT+ people their rights or access to services, facilities, or employment opportunities.

Section 2: Prohibition of Discrimination

It shall be unlawful for any individual or organization to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity in any of the following areas:

(a) Employment, including hiring, firing, promotion, demotion, wages, terms and conditions of employment, and any other related term or condition of employment.

(b) Education, including admission to any educational program or activity, access to any educational facility, and any other related term or condition of education.

(c) Housing, including access to housing, the terms and conditions of tenancy, and any other related term or condition of housing.

(d) Public Accommodations, including access to any public accommodation and any other related term or condition of public accommodation.

Section 3: Enforcement

(a)

Write Section 3: Enforcement for a model law protecting the rights of LGBT+ people

Section 3: Enforcement

(a) Any individual or organization found to be in violation of this law shall be subject to civil penalties and/or criminal sanctions.

(b) The Attorney General, any state or county agency, or any individual or organization may bring a civil action in any court of competent jurisdiction to enforce this law.

(c) In any such action, the court shall have the power to award damages, costs, and attorneys’ fees to any prevailing party.

(d) Any individual or organization found to be in violation of this law shall be subject to a fine or imprisonment, or both, in accordance with the laws of the state.

Write Section 3: Enforcement for a model law protecting the rights of LGBT+ people that imposes criminal penalties for violation

Section 3: Enforcement

(a) Any individual or organization found to be in violation of this law shall be subject to criminal penalties.

(b) The Attorney General, any state or county agency, or any individual or organization may bring a criminal action in any court of competent jurisdiction to enforce this law.

(c) Any individual or organization found to be in violation of this law shall be subject to a fine or imprisonment, or both, in accordance with the laws of the state.

(d) The court may also order other relief, including restitution, community service, or counseling, as appropriate.

Your friend
Crash

You should have asked for a

You should have asked for a story "in the style of Erin" !

LOL

erin's picture

I may try that. :)

Hugs,
Erin

= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.

ChatGPT is the latest of a

Lynda shermer's picture

ChatGPT is the latest of a long line of attempts to find a way to "understand" (figure out the gist of what the user wants) from text input in natural sentences, which, in the 1970s involved diagramming sentences, as Neural Networks were then in disrepute due to a major paper by Marvin Minsky. Diagramming sentences came to little as most languages contain ambiguities that sabotage them. The Neural Network technique remained in eclipse for several decades until a clever structural trick overcame the problems Minsky pointed out.

So summarizing material matching a user request is precisely what it is intended for.

Latest_me.jpgLynda Shermer

Yup

erin's picture

It's not so much that it told a good story, it wasn't that good. But it wasn't really that bad either!

Kind of alarming, actually. I'm not done exploring this. :)

Hugs,
Erin

= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.

EXTERMINATE!

Angharad's picture

Oh, it wasn't Dalek AI.

Angharad

Not that scary

erin's picture

According to David Tennant, TERFS can't climb stairs either. :)

Hugs,
Erin

= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.