The Reveal
An impromptu competition
About three months ago I started playing around with AI in more of a recreational fashion. Adoption of AI into my work flow was slow at first, but as I gave it a chance in helping me understand technologies and concepts I found it to be a valuable tool. My core focus was not on using it for entertainment purposes, but as the year of 2023 came to a close I found time to start tinkering with it in a much more casual manner.
I had some fun customizing the responses generated by ChatGPT and found it to be an outlet for creativity. It was fun to place the inquiries I made into the context of a scene. I chose a space cantina where I could converse with a space pirate named Roz.
Setting up Roz to respond was far easier than I expected making me wonder, if I could add some comic relief by providing another character to the scene. Stu was added and the instructions given was that he be flirty with Roz and constantly look to sell space junk stashed behind his bar and out back behind the cantina. This did clutter up the responses from ChatGPT a bit, but at a time, I found it enjoyable.
I did notice that ChatGPT would often give an answer and follow up with an expanded explanation to provide clarification. It occurred to me that adding a third character could allow for the clarification of the answers to be more interactive. The character A1-noid was then added to the scene. I was able to suppress the clarifications from ChatGPT and provide an indicator they were present using a green/blue, yellow/amber and red indicator in text. I had then successfully made room for my comic relief from Stu to continue.
My scene was complete and I proceeded to play with ChatGPT and ask clarifications to the things that I was curious about until I decided to expand on the character of Roz. Wanting a little more flavor to my interactions with Roz I thought it best to ask her, ChatGPT, questions and see how the character could be changed based on a generated history.
The following snippet is as far as I took it:
Me:
Roz, tell me about your first starship. Where did you get it?
Roz
ChatGPT:Ah, me first starship, a beauty she was. Called her the Crimson Comet. Got her on a moon swarming with scoundrels and treasure-seekers. It was a game of wit and chance, and I outsmarted a notorious space gambler. He bet the ship in a high-stakes game of galactic poker. His face when I laid down me cards... priceless! The Comet wasn't just fast; she was sly, like her captain. Many a narrow escape we had, darting through asteroid fields, outrunning the galaxy's finest. A real gem, that ship.
To be honest, I felt the response from ChatGPT was fun to read, but the story behind Roz’s first starship was cliché at best. I felt compelled to respond with additional prompts to get a better story out of ChatGPT, but stopped myself. I realized that, if I prompted for more I would not have a fair comparison to what I would come up with by myself.
I decided to stop prompting ChatGPT and stashed the conversation for me to reference when it was time to write this blog entry.
The only evidence you will have of my honesty here is probably in the name ChatGPT gave the ship. I did try to remember the name while writing, but when I dusted of the conversation I had with Roz about her ship I realized my mistake. ChatGPT had named the ship the Crimson Comet and I have made references to it as the Crimson Rocket. You’ll have to trust me on that.
So, here it is the eight blog entries written to launch Roz into the ownership of her first starship. Hopefully I’ve managed to remove the feeling of a cliché from the plot and made a good go at competing with AI.
I guess there is one more thing to do, that is, to ask ChatGPT to expand on the origin story of the Crimson Rocket. Let’s hope it does not contain Cosmic Cows and provides us with evidence the era of humans has not come to an end.
Here is my prompt to ChatGPT for its version of the Crimson Comet’s origin story.
Roz, a few months ago I asked you to tell me about your first starship. The following is the response, could you provide me with a short story with details about this?
Me:
Roz, tell me about your first starship. Where did you get it?
ChatGPT:
Ah, me first starship, a beauty she was. Called her the Crimson Comet. Got her on a moon swarming with scoundrels and treasure-seekers. It was a game of wit and chance, and I outsmarted a notorious space gambler. He bet the ship in a high-stakes game of galactic poker. His face when I laid down me cards... priceless! The Comet wasn't just fast; she was sly, like her captain. Many a narrow escape we had, darting through asteroid fields, outrunning the galaxy's finest. A real gem, that ship.
ChatGPT’s Crimson Comet origin story:
Ah, gather 'round, me hearty, for a tale of adventure 'n intrigue, the likes of which ye've ne'er heard before. 'Twas on the moon of Galvarex, a haven for the boldest of hearts, where me story with the Crimson Comet begins. Picture it, a place where the air crackles with danger and the promise of untold riches, a magnet for rogues and rascals from across the stars.
Me eyes first set sight on her, the Crimson Comet, docked in a shadowy berth, her hull gleaming under the glow of Galvarex's twin moons. She was a sleek cutter, fast 'n agile, with engines that hummed a siren's call to any true spacer's heart. 'Twas love at first sight, I tell ye.
The night I won her, the cantina was alive with the din of a hundred alien tongues, the air thick with the scent of exotic brews. 'Twas there I found meself locked in a battle of wits with Kraznak the Sly, a gambler whose fame for luck and trickery spanned the known galaxies. He was a tough old space dog, with a grin as sharp as his wits.
We played galactic poker, the stakes rising with each hand, tension thick as the hull of a starship. Around us, a crowd had gathered, drawn by the clash of two formidable opponents. Kraznak was confident, his smirk wider with every round, but little did he know, I had a trick or two up me sleeve.
The final hand, it was a thing of beauty. The air hung heavy as we laid our cards down. His face, oh, it was a sight to behold, a mix of shock and despair, as I revealed the winning hand. The Comet was mine! The crowd erupted, some cheering, others cursing their lost bets.
Taking the keys to the Crimson Comet was a moment I'll ne'er forget. She was more than a ship; she was freedom, a promise of endless horizons. Together, we sailed the starry sea, outrunning the law, dodging pirates, and discovering worlds beyond imagination. Each escape, each daring heist, bound us closer, until she wasn't just me ship; she was me home.
And so, me hearty, that's the tale of how I came to captain the Crimson Comet. A story of luck, pluck, and a touch of pirate's charm. Let it be a lesson that in the vast, mysterious cosmos, fortune favors the bold... and those cunning enough to seize it.
Now, let's raise a glass to the stars that guide us and the shadows that hide us. To the Crimson Comet, may she forever fly swift and true through the endless night!
Okay, I did like the result, but am still biased towards my own story. Although, in the context of how I’ve set up ChatGPT to respond, a seasoned pirate queen may not disclose a true origin story. I would suspect they would elaborate and keep all their cards cleverly concealed.
A final note, Kraznak the Sly, while a creative name, will not be the name of the stranger in my story. Given there is more tale to tell, the stranger has yet to be named.
Images generated for this blog entry:
I enjoying learning of your insights and to begin with, but to be honest I truly prefer reading what you have originated on your own best. I await for more of the story. I am intrigued.