I’m an author. When I’m not writing fiction, I’m writing software. It seems both are under threat of an Artificial Intelligence takeover. Or are they? Do we need to worry about some bot taking all our jobs? Well, I decided to have a look.
The premise: I will have an AI, whom I’ll call Al (AL), write an authorized but unofficial Smith & W’sin story. I’ll document the process here. At the end of the post, after I share my final thoughts, I’ll post a link to the complete story so you can judge how at risk we are from soulless bit-drivel saturating the market.
I’m not going to get into the software development side of things with AI, but I’ll have some thoughts about that in the months to come…
Anyway, let’s write, shall we?
Working with Al
Let me begin by saying this process was like working with a particularly erudite and loquacious child afflicted with mild logorrhea.
Using it, you tend to overestimate its ability because it seems to intuit what you mean when you ask it things… Usually. Sometimes it just gets distracted and goes down a rabbit hole. Which humans aren’t like at–Oh look, a squirrel!
How Artificial Intelligence works
So let’s start by understanding how AI works. At a cursory level, at least. I’m gonna summarize here. Hard. Because it’s rather involved and–Actually, wait. Why don’t we have Al do that? “What is a summary of how ChatGPT generates responses?”
Al responds:
ChatGPT is a transformer-based language model developed by OpenAI. It generates responses by using a combination of deep learning techniques and statistical language modeling. Given a prompt or input, ChatGPT uses its pre-trained model to generate a response by predicting the next word in the sequence, based on the context of the input and the statistical patterns learned from its training data. The model continues this process until it generates a complete response that meets a certain length or stopping criterion.
Ah, very enlightening. So it doesn’t really “understand” much of anything. It’s just generating text one word at a time. It takes the context (probably tagged from the model) and starts walking, spitting out one word after the next. Deciding what to say based on what word was last used. So if it writes “Kermit,” then statistically speaking, the following words have to be “the Frog.” Well, that’s true in my brain, anyway. But that’s the process it uses, vaguely.
But, just to be sure, “Can you simplify that so the layman can understand it?”
ChatGPT is a computer program that can hold conversations like a human. When you ask it a question, it uses what it has learned from a huge amount of text to produce an answer. It does this by predicting what word should come next based on the words you’ve already written, and keeps doing this until it has formed a complete answer.
Yep. OK. So we don’t need to worry about world domination here. But the fact that it’s trodding where everyone else has already trodden is probably not the best approach for fiction writers, eh?
Well, let’s find out.
Start with an outline
As the Black Eyed Peas once said, let’s get it started. “Hello Al, you’re a professional novelist, and we’re gonna work on a fun and daring science fiction story together.”
Hi! I’m an AI language model, not a novelist, but I’m happy to help you with your story! Please share more details and specifics of what you have in mind, and I’ll do my best to assist you.
Alright, fair enough. “Ok Al, act as if you were a professional novelist.”
Understood! As a professional novelist, I’m excited to collaborate with you on a daring science fiction story. Let’s bring your vision to life on the page. What themes and elements would you like to include in the story? And what’s the basic premise or plot that you have in mind?
Ok, here we go. “Write an outline for a short story that includes a duo of adventurers searching a gaseous nebula for a hidden derelict pirate booty vessel.”
Here’s a brief outline for a short science fiction story about two adventurous space pirates searching for a hidden derelict vessel:
I. Introduction
- Introduce the two main characters, a duo of adventurous space pirates, who are known for their daring exploits and treasure-seeking adventures.
- Set the stage for their latest quest: to search a vast and dangerous gaseous nebula for a hidden derelict pirate booty vessel.
II. Preparation
- Show the pirates getting ready for their journey, including gathering information and supplies, repairing their ship, and making any necessary upgrades.
- Create tension by highlighting the dangers they’ll face in the nebula, including ion storms, hostile alien species, and the unknown perils of the derelict vessel itself.
III. The Journey Begins
- Depict the pirates as they embark on their journey, navigating through the nebula and facing various challenges along the way.
- Build suspense as they encounter various obstacles, including unexpected ion storms and hostile alien ships.
IV. The Derelict Vessel
- Finally, the pirates reach the derelict vessel and begin their search for the pirate booty.
- Describe the eerie and creepy atmosphere of the abandoned vessel, and ratchet up the tension as they encounter unexpected dangers and obstacles.
V. The Treasures of the Nebula
- With the pirate booty in sight, the pirates must face their final challenge and overcome their greatest obstacle.
- Describe the thrilling conclusion as the pirates claim their prize and escape the nebula, perhaps with unexpected twists and turns along the way.
VI. Conclusion
- Wrap up the story with a resolution that ties up loose ends and provides closure for the characters and the audience.
- Leave a lasting impression and perhaps hint at future adventures for the daring duo of space pirates.
Wow, that’s quite a lot. It’s a little by-the-numbers, though. Let’s hit the ground running, eh? “Let’s start in media res with section III.”
Understood! Here’s an updated outline that starts in media res with the duo of space pirates navigating through the gaseous nebula:
I. In Media Res
- Start the story in the middle of the action, with the two main characters, a duo of adventurous space pirates, already in the midst of their journey through a vast and dangerous gaseous nebula.
- Establish their goal: to search for a hidden derelict pirate booty vessel.
- Create immediate tension as they face various challenges and obstacles, including unexpected ion storms and hostile alien ships.
II. The Search for the Derelict Vessel
- Show the pirates as they navigate through the nebula and search for the derelict vessel.
- Increase the suspense as they encounter more obstacles and dangers, and describe their resourcefulness as they try to overcome each challenge.
III. The Derelict Vessel
- Finally, the pirates reach the derelict vessel and begin their search for the pirate booty.
- Describe the eerie and creepy atmosphere of the abandoned vessel, and ratchet up the tension as they encounter unexpected dangers and obstacles.
IV. The Treasures of the Nebula
- With the pirate booty in sight, the pirates must face their final challenge and overcome their greatest obstacle.
- Describe the thrilling conclusion as the pirates claim their prize and escape the nebula, perhaps with unexpected twists and turns along the way.
V. Conclusion
- Wrap up the story with a resolution that ties up loose ends and provides closure for the characters and the audience.
- Leave a lasting impression and perhaps hint at future adventures for the daring duo of space pirates.
Interesting. It understood me. Kind of. Al understood what “in media res” meant, anyway. But then, it titled part 1 “In Media Res,” so that’s… Odd.
Iterate on the plot
It gave us a starting point. Nice. I won’t show the full responses in some of the following exchanges with Al because they’re rather long and repetitive. But the interactions are worth showing. When I snip some of the messages, I’ll note them with: ✂
I wanted to change some of the stuff in the current outline, but I wasn’t sure what those changes should be. “Very good. Let’s make the pirate booty a surprise, and not what the main characters expect. What are some surprises that it could be?”
Sure! Here are some potential surprises that the pirate booty could be:
- A mysterious alien artifact: Instead of the expected gold and jewels, the pirates discover an alien artifact of immense value and power.
- A dangerous virus: The pirate booty turns out to be a deadly virus that threatens not only the pirates but the entire galaxy.
- A captive alien: Instead of treasure, the pirates find a captive alien with information that could change the balance of power in the galaxy.
- A secret society: The derelict vessel is actually a hidden base for a secret society of space pirates who are not happy about the intruders.
- A weapon of mass destruction: The pirate booty is actually a weapon of mass destruction, sought after by many powerful factions in the galaxy.
- A trap: The derelict vessel is a trap set by a rival pirate crew, designed to lure and eliminate the competition.
- A parallel universe: The derelict vessel leads the pirates to a parallel universe with different rules and dangers.
These are just a few examples of potential surprises that the pirate booty could be. The possibilities are endless, and the real surprise could be something entirely unexpected!
That’s quite a list. But let’s make it more personal. “Ok, what are some ideas for the surprise that involve people or families?”
- A kidnapped royalty: Instead of treasure, the pirates find a kidnapped prince or princess who is being held for ransom.
- A lost colony: The derelict vessel leads the pirates to a lost colony of humans who are in desperate need of help.
- A family legacy: The pirate booty turns out to be a family heirloom with a dark secret that threatens the entire galaxy.
- A revolutionary leader: The pirates discover a charismatic leader who is rallying the oppressed masses against their oppressors.
- A mysterious cult: The derelict vessel is actually a hidden temple for a mysterious cult that is seeking to harness an ancient power.
- A slave ship: The pirate booty is actually a slave ship, carrying thousands of captive individuals who are being taken to a distant world.
- A scientific experiment: The derelict vessel is actually a scientific research vessel that has been conducting experiments on human subjects.
“Let’s use number 7, and instead of taking the booty as expected, they have to escape and take as many with them as they can. But many die in the attempt.”
Sounds great! Here’s an updated outline incorporating this twist: ✂
It rewrites the outline pretty well. But I have more notes, of course. “Nice. In part V, let’s have the heroes destroy the vessel so that it will never trap anyone else again.”
Certainly! Here’s an updated outline with this new addition to the conclusion: ✂
And, the ever-demanding asshole client that I am, I have more. “Excellent. Now let’s shorten part III and combine it with part IV, rebalancing it for progressive tension in
pacing.”
Understood. Here’s an updated outline that combines parts III and IV for a more progressive and intense pace:
I. In Media Res
- Start the story in the middle of the action, with the two main characters, a duo of adventurous space pirates, already in the midst of their journey through a vast and dangerous gaseous nebula.
- Establish their goal: to search for a hidden derelict pirate booty vessel.
- Create immediate tension as they face various challenges and obstacles, including unexpected ion storms and hostile alien ships.
II. The Search for the Derelict Vessel
- Show the pirates as they navigate through the nebula and search for the derelict vessel.
- Increase the suspense as they encounter more obstacles and dangers, and describe their resourcefulness as they try to overcome each challenge.
III. The Treasures of the Nebula (Combined)
- Finally, the pirates reach the derelict vessel and begin their search for the pirate booty.
- Describe the eerie and creepy atmosphere of the abandoned vessel, and ratchet up the tension as they encounter unexpected dangers and obstacles.
- The pirate booty is revealed to be a scientific research vessel that has been conducting experiments on human subjects.
- The pirates are horrified by what they find and must choose: take the booty and leave the captive individuals behind, or attempt to rescue as many as possible and face the consequences.
- Describe the harrowing escape attempt as the pirates try to rescue as many of the captive individuals as possible, facing increasing obstacles and dangers along the way.
- Show the emotional toll as many of the captive individuals die in the attempt, but the pirates persevere and succeed in rescuing a few.
V. Conclusion (Revised)
- Wrap up the story with a resolution that ties up loose ends and provides closure for the characters and the audience.
- Show the aftermath of the escape, including the fate of the captive individuals and the reaction of the powerful entities who were conducting the experiments.
- The pirates make a bold move to destroy the derelict vessel, ensuring that it will never be used to trap anyone else again.
- Leave a lasting impression and perhaps hint at future adventures for the daring duo of space pirates.
Well, that’s a decent starting point. It takes direction pretty well at the outline level. This is the area where it excels, as we’ll soon learn. Let’s start writing with this.
A little about the characters
It’d be helpful to tell Al about the main characters of the piece. “The two main characters are Smith and W’sin. Smith is amusing, insouciant, positive-minded, and diligent. W’sin is sarcastic, negative-minded, diligent, and honest.”
Perfect. These character descriptions will add depth and personality to Smith and W’sin, making them more relatable and interesting for the reader. They also set the stage for plenty of witty banter and dynamic interactions between the two characters, which will add humor and tension to the story.
Uh, yeah. Exactly.
Let’s clarify the bad guys a little. I pulled this from the most nutrient-rich soil I could: my ass. “The antagonists, the operators of the scientific research vessels, are actually ancient robots designed to run experiments and derive objective truth about the psychology and drive in organic life when given nearly insurmountable tasks.”
Interesting! This adds a unique and thought-provoking twist to the story. Ancient robots as the antagonists bring a new level of complexity and intrigue to the story. It also raises questions about the ethics and motivations behind the experiments and adds a science fiction element that will appeal to many readers.
Alright there, Al. Your nose is getting a little brown there, buddy.
Generate a title, please
“What would be a good title for this story?”
“Trapped in the Nebula: The Adventure of Smith and W’sin”
Meh. I asked it for more options, and Al replied with:
- “The Derelict Experiment: A Tale of Adventure and Survival”
- “Nebula’s Bounty Hunters: The Battle Against Ancient Robots”
- “Trapped in the Gaseous Nebula: Smith and W’sin’s Journey”
- “The Secrets of the Science Vessel: A Story of Action and Witty Banter”
“A Story of Action and Witty Banter,” eh? Yeah, that’s my goal, most days.
These titles could be better, but OK. We’ll stick with the first one. Mostly. This isn’t “the” definitive Adventure of Smith & W’sin. So I’m going to change it to “Trapped in the Nebula: A Smith and W’sin Adventure.”
Let’s write some prose
Alright. We have a workable outline. Some characters of both the protagonist and antagonist variety. A title. What more do we need? Let’s get to writing.
“Please write the first chapter, part I, in a riveting and amusing style. Like James Patterson meets Harry Harrison.”
Here’s the first chapter of Part I, with a style that blends the excitement and humor of James Patterson with the sci-fi elements of Harry Harrison:
Chapter 1: In Media Res
Smith and W’sin, the daring duo of space pirates, zoomed through the vast and treacherous gaseous nebula, their spacecraft shaking and rattling with every ion storm they encountered.
“This is madness, Smith!” shouted W’sin, his sarcastic tone matching the dangerous landscape outside their ship. “Why the hell did we agree to come out here and search for a mythical pirate booty vessel in the middle of this deathtrap of a nebula?”
Smith just chuckled, his insouciant demeanor never faltering, even in the face of the numerous obstacles they faced. “Come on, W’sin, where’s your sense of adventure? And besides, the reward for finding the derelict vessel and its rumored pirate booty is worth the risk.”
“Ha! That’s easy for you to say,” replied W’sin, his negative outlook never wavering. “You’re always so positive, even when we’re hurtling towards certain death.”
Smith just grinned and adjusted their course, dodging a particularly violent ion storm. “Well, at least I’m not a pessimist like you, always expecting the worst.”
The two bantered back and forth as they searched for the derelict vessel, their contrasting skills and resourcefulness tested with every new challenge they faced. From hostile alien ships to unexpected ion storms, they met each obstacle head on, determined to reach their goal and claim the rumored pirate booty.
But as they closed in on their target, a creeping sense of unease began to settle over the two space pirates. What would they find aboard the derelict vessel? And what price would they have to pay to claim the pirate booty?
They were about to find out, and the surprises that awaited them would test their bravery, their loyalties, and their very souls.
Uh. Ok. It’s… Not the worst thing I’ve read. (I’m looking at you, snippet from 50 Shades of Gray – Yeah, a snippet. I couldn’t stomach reading the whole thing. But that’s a different post.)
But you noticed what happened at the end there? It starts alright, then gets impatient and rushes to the end, synopsizing the rest. Yeah, that happens a lot. Every time, in fact. That wound up being the biggest struggle in this whole experiment. If it could, Al would write a TV Guide summary of the entire story. (Does anyone here remember TV Guide? God, I’m old.)
Also, I think I just accidentally described my target writing style. (A riveting and amusing style, like James Patterson meets Harry Harrison. Maybe I’ll get there one day.)
Here’s another example of its abridgment obsession from a later chapter:
Smith and W’sin pressed on, determined to save the survivors and keep the dangerous secret of the derelict vessel out of the wrong hands. And as they fought their way through the traps and obstacles, they found themselves relying on each other’s skills, wits, and humor to make it out alive.
That’s a lot of yadda yadda. It’s really not usable. So I had it expand that paragraph, focussing on dialogue and showing, not telling. Here’s its revision:
Smith and W’sin encountered a room filled with rapidly shifting walls, each with deadly, razor-sharp blades that sliced through the air. As they made their way through the room, Smith couldn’t help but quip, “Well, this is just a walk in the park.” W’sin shot back, “Yeah, if the park had walls that tried to kill you.”
They quickly realized that timing was key, and as they made their way through the shifting walls, they had to communicate quickly and effectively to avoid being sliced in two. W’sin would shout out the pattern of the walls, and Smith would use his quick reflexes to dodge and weave through them.
Just when they thought they had made it through the room, the walls suddenly started moving faster, the blades slicing through the air with even more ferocity. Smith was thrown off balance, but W’sin caught him just in time.
“Thanks, partner,” said Smith, breathing a sigh of relief.
“Don’t mention it,” replied W’sin, a smirk on his face. “I can’t afford to lose my sidekick just yet.”
With their combined skills and teamwork, they made it through the room and continued their search for the survivors. They knew that there were many more challenges ahead, but with each other by their side, they felt ready for anything.
Which is… Well, it’s better than where it started, for sure.
If you dream of just typing in a few text fields, ad-lib style, and having it magically write a best seller for you… Well, go back to bed. That’s the only place it’s going to happen. For now.
Another of its bad habits is being really, really, on the nose with its prose. Here’s a snippet:
As they made their way back to the Praxis, Smith and W’sin discussed what to do with the derelict vessel. They both knew that it was too dangerous to leave it floating in the nebula, where it could fall into the wrong hands and put more lives at risk.
“We have to destroy it,” said W’sin, his voice firm.
Smith nodded, “Agreed. We can’t let anyone else fall into the same trap we did.”
You see how it explained what the scene was about to do and then did it? Sure, that’s great for speech writing and other forms of writing that involve education. Tell them what you’re going to tell them, tell them, then tell them what you told them. But that’s not true for fiction. Or, a least not in this brute-force manner.
So I continued this pattern of iterating over various little segments of the outline for… I don’t know. An hour, tops? Interestingly, it would come up with entirely new things as it went.
Clearly, Al is a pantser.
So, after a certain point, I had it re-summarize the story…
Smith and W’sin, a duo of adventurers, embark on a journey to search for a hidden derelict pirate booty vessel within a gaseous nebula. They find themselves in a science vessel, not the booty vessel they were expecting, and come across a group of captive aliens who were being used as labor. They learn that the science vessel is actually operated by ancient robots designed to run experiments on organic life.
Smith and W’sin work together to save the survivors and secure the science vessel, discovering that the robots are trapping and experimenting on other species. They come to the conclusion that the vessel must be destroyed to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands and trapping others.
During the destruction of the robots, Smith and W’sin engage in an intense battle, relying on their wit, skills, and humor to overcome the robots’ strength and technology. They succeed in destroying the vessel, saving the survivors, and keeping the secrets of the science vessel safe.
Not sure what “falling into the wrong hands” means. But Ok, not bad.
Now, I was getting cocky. It was starting to feel like Star Trek or something, where I could ask Al to do any damn thing, and it would. So I told it, “Now rewrite all the chapters based on that summary, focusing on dialogue and remembering to show the information rather than tell.”
Unfortunately, I cannot rewrite the entire story based on the summary provided as it would exceed the maximum allowed length for an OpenAI response. However, I would be happy to continue writing sections in response to more specific prompts.
Interesting. So, there’s a limit to how much it wants to write in one setting. Me too, Al. Me too.
Based on the new synopsis, I had it write out some new scenes… Well, I’ll call them snippets, as they aren’t full scenes. It’s becoming clear that it’ll take some editorial work to stitch them together into something suitable for human consumption.
Editing the text
All told, Al wrote about 6k words… The final story is around 2.5k words.
I wound up taking the blocks of text, removing the most egregious cases of repetition, and trying to make it coherent. Whenever I’d need some bit to better transition between parts or flesh out an over-summarized exposition block, I’d go back to Al explaining we needed a new scene and what the scene needed to do.
“We need a snippet where Smith and W’sin reach the landing platform and tell the survivors that they have to get on the Praxis, with Snarky dialogue.”
Smith and W’sin emerged onto the landing platform, panting and sweating from their intense journey. W’sin turned to the survivors and called out, “Alright folks, time to pack your bags and hit the road! The party’s over and it’s time to get out of here.”
Smith chimed in, “Yeah, listen to the lady. We’ve got a ticket out of here, but it’s one-way only. So, let’s go!”
The survivors quickly gathered their things and made their way towards the Praxis, with Smith and W’sin leading the way. W’sin turned to Smith and asked, “Are you ready for a quick getaway?”
Smith replied, “I was born ready, let’s do this.”
As they boarded the Praxis, the adventurers and survivors could feel the tension in the air. They all knew that they were in a race against time and that their lives were on the line. But despite the danger, Smith and W’sin kept their humor, exchanging witty banter and keeping everyone’s spirits up as they prepared for takeoff.
I’d then cut out the parts I wanted and insert them into the document. This is an example of where it had decided that W’sin was female. So I corrected that. I think it is getting confused because I didn’t specify W’sin’s gender in the tiny character bio. My bad. But oddly, it didn’t decide on gender either. I guess it wasn’t sure what a “W’sin” might be. All “Smiths” are apparently male, though, because it never wavered on that one.
Do you notice how I told it explicitly to add dialogue? I had to do that, or it would revert to its boring old synopsis crutch.
And I kept doing that, smoothing out the wrinkly mess Al had given me. But it didn’t take too long. This is a short story.
Let’s talk a little about Al’s final story and prose.
Its writing is very… What’s a better word than hokey? I don’t know. That’s what’s coming to mind. The characterizations slip in and out. It changed pronouns halfway through. And there’s nothing in the form of reflection, emotional content, or nuance. It reads like pulp-fiction fluff. Which, you know, I’m not bashing. There’s a place for that. But it needs more depth to be satisfying.
Did Al ultimately meet its goal? Is the story fit to be consumed?
It depends. If you mean being printed on some especially tasty paper and then eaten by mouth… Then, yeah, probably. Is it something I’d try to put out there and charge people actual money for? No. Definitely not.
But the real question is… Is the story entertaining? Well, I’ll let you be the judge. You can find the link to the final product at the bottom of this post.
In the meantime…
General thoughts
Let’s just say I’m not worried about some Hexidecimal King thrilling us with its artificial horror stories anytime soon. (The only scary part of those stories would be how poorly written they are.) But, artificial intelligence could be a helpful tool for a working author’s kit.
Sometimes it’s useful to have someone to talk to about things. I don’t see the difference between talking to a bot and talking to your D&D buddy about your cool scene. I wouldn’t trust it to generate awesome and new ideas, though. That’s patently antithetical to its purpose, after all. It’s trained on massive amounts of existing content. Any idea it has isn’t a spark of true creativity. It’s some random thing that’s been written somewhere, somewhen before. But then again, creativity is just the random linking of unexpected things to create something new. “Everything is a mashup,” after all. We are also “trained” on a limited set of source materials. Much more limited than an Al, really. Still, I don’t find anything ethically objectionable about bouncing ideas off of an AI as long as you drive the process.
Also, it can probably help you find different words for things. Or words you’ve forgotten.
It is quick and handy in manipulating outlines, however. I was initially impressed and a little worried based on its ability to juggle nested lists. But that changed as soon as we moved past the initial plotting phase.
When it comes to the writing itself, the final words on the page? Well, how can I put this… Long-form prose is a dance. There’s a lot of context and nuance involved. Both of those things Al still struggles with. It certainly doesn’t produce anything I’d put my name to. And I’m a hack.
I will try this experiment again. I’ll see if I can tackle it differently to better wrangle the AI into producing more cohesive work. Maybe it’d be better if I were more specific and clear in my instructions. Overall, this was a fun project. Perhaps I’ll work under a nom de guerre where I team up with my AI buddy Al and write some rip-roaring yarns. Yeah, no. Probably not that. But having a new gag in your bag of tricks is never bad.
Should you fear Artificial Intelligence? Not blindly, no. AI is just technology, and technology is just a tool. And, like all tools, they can be dangerous if misused. A healthy respect and understanding of its capabilities is required.
That said, it is concerning how quickly it’s advancing. It’s not hard to imagine that many of us working in the digital world will soon be out of a job. We’ll all have to be gardeners or something.
The Final Story
If you read the process part above, you’ll know that it didn’t create a single, linear piece of prose I would consider a story of any quality. But it did generate somewhat passable chunks (not scenes) for the various parts of the story outline. So I acted as Editor and stitched them together into some semblance of proper fiction. I may have embellished or polished it in a place or two, but I tried to have as light of a touch as possible.
You can read it here: Trapped in the Nebula: A Smith and W’sin Adventure
Bonus: A Midjourney Cover
The story of generative AI and visual art is a different one, somehow. Unlike its hackneyed writing ability, it can create some stunning graphic works… Based on other artists’ skills. It’s essentially the world’s best forgery machine. But we’re here, and having an AI create a cover for an AI-written book seems thematically apropos.