I’m not the first to play with ChatGPT, maybe not the millionth, judging by all the awe-struck articles and the red warnings: “We’re experiencing exceptionally high demand” and “Request timed out.” But I did want to see ChatGPT try its hand at space pirates.
And I wanted to see how good a student it could be. Here we go!
Gil: Tell me a story about a space pirate who unexpectedly encounters an alien spaceship.
As Captain Jack sailed through the vast expanse of space, he never expected to come across anything other than the usual asteroid fields and drifting debris. But as he rounded a cluster of dense celestial bodies, a strange shape caught his eye.
At first, he thought it was just a trick of the light, but as he drew closer, he realized it was an alien spaceship. Its sleek, curved lines and unfamiliar markings were unlike anything he had ever seen before.
Captain Jack’s pulse raced as he realized the potential of what he had stumbled upon. A space pirate like himself lived for adventure and treasure, and this encounter could be the opportunity of a lifetime.
He hailed the alien vessel, eager to make contact and see if they had any valuable technology or resources to trade. But as he waited for a response, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.
Suddenly, the alien ship launched a barrage of laser fire at Captain Jack’s ship. He cursed himself for not being more cautious and quickly retreated, narrowly avoiding the attack.
As he fled, Captain Jack couldn’t help but wonder what had caused the alien spacecraft to turn on him so suddenly. Had he unknowingly stumbled upon a rival pirate crew, or were these aliens hostile to all outsiders?
Regardless, Captain Jack knew he needed to be more careful in the future. The vastness of space held endless possibilities and dangers, and he couldn’t afford to let his guard down again.
Gil: Well, that’s kind of boring, isn’t it? Like a ‘be prepared’ 101 moral for space pirates. Can’t you spice it up a little?
Certainly! Here’s a revised version of the story:
As Captain Jack sailed through the endless expanse of space, he relished in the thrill of the unknown. He had always lived for adventure and treasure, and he never knew what he might encounter on his travels.
So when he stumbled upon an unfamiliar spaceship, he was filled with excitement at the potential for adventure. The sleek, curved lines and strange markings were unlike anything he had ever seen before, and he knew he had to investigate.
He hailed the alien vessel, eager to make contact and see if they had any valuable technology or resources to trade. But as he waited for a response, he noticed something strange. The spaceship was completely silent, as if it were abandoned.
Undeterred, Captain Jack sent a boarding party to explore the vessel. As they made their way through the corridors, they found signs of a struggle. Equipment was scattered about, and there were scorch marks on the walls.
Suddenly, they heard a faint noise coming from one of the rooms. They cautiously approached, weapons at the ready, and burst through the door to find a group of small, humanoid aliens huddled in the corner.
The aliens were clearly terrified, and Captain Jack could see the fear in their wide, alien eyes. But as they began to speak, he realized they weren’t the ones who had caused the destruction on the ship.
They told a tale of a group of rogue space pirates who had attacked them, plundering their technology and resources. They had managed to escape in the chaos, but they had been drifting through space for weeks, barely keeping the ship running.
Feeling a sudden sense of compassion, Captain Jack vowed to help the aliens get back to their home planet. He knew it would be dangerous, but he couldn’t leave them to face the perils of space alone.
Together, they set off on a thrilling journey through the galaxy, facing off against rival pirate crews and dodging asteroids as they made their way to the aliens’ home world. And when they finally arrived, Captain Jack was hailed as a hero, his reputation preceding him as the kind-hearted space pirate who had risked everything to save a group of stranded aliens.
From that day on, Captain Jack’s adventures took on a whole new level of excitement, as he traveled the galaxy in search of treasure and justice.
Gil: Better - it has a twist now. It would have been still better if the pirate had planned to plunder the alien ship rather than trade with it. Then the pirate would have had his moral compass do a 180. But thank you.
You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed the revised version of the story. I’m happy to continue revising it if you have any other ideas or suggestions.
It’s always interesting to explore different perspectives and motivations in storytelling, and adding in a twist can definitely add an extra layer of depth and complexity to the plot.
Here’s a version of the story with the twist you suggested:
As Captain Jack sailed through the endless expanse of space, he relished in the thrill of the unknown. He had always lived for adventure and treasure, and he never knew what he might encounter on his travels.
So when he stumbled upon an unfamiliar spaceship, he saw it as the perfect opportunity to add to his vast collection of plunder. The sleek, curved lines and strange markings were unlike anything he had ever seen before, and he knew this alien vessel would fetch a high price on the black market.
He hailed the spaceship, eager to board and begin his search for valuable technology and resources. But as he waited for a response, he noticed something strange. The spaceship was completely silent, as if it were abandoned.
Undeterred, Captain Jack sent a boarding party to explore the vessel. As they made their way through the corridors, they found signs of a struggle. Equipment was scattered about, and there were scorch marks on the walls.
Suddenly, they heard a faint noise coming from one of the rooms. They cautiously approached, weapons at the ready, and burst through the door to find a group of small, humanoid aliens huddled in the corner.
The aliens were clearly terrified, and Captain Jack could see the fear in their wide, alien eyes. But as they began to speak, he realized they weren’t the ones who had caused the destruction on the ship.
They told a tale of a group of rogue space pirates who had attacked them, plundering their technology and resources. They had managed to escape in the chaos, but they had been drifting through space for weeks, barely keeping the ship running.
As the aliens begged for his help, Captain Jack found himself torn. He had always been motivated by greed and the thrill of the hunt, but something about the aliens’ plight touched a chord in him. He knew it would be dangerous, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave them stranded and alone.
So he made a decision that would change the course of his life forever. He vowed to help the aliens get back to their home planet, no matter the cost.
Together, they set off on a thrilling journey through the galaxy, facing off against rival pirate crews and dodging asteroids as they made their way to the aliens’ home world. And when they finally arrived, Captain Jack was hailed as a hero, his reputation preceding him as the kind-hearted space pirate who had risked everything to save a group of stranded aliens.
From that day on, Captain Jack’s adventures took on a whole new level of excitement, as he traveled the galaxy in search of treasure and justice. He had discovered that there was more to life than just accumulating wealth and power, and he knew he could make a difference in the lives of those he encountered.
Gil:That’s much better. But in 3rd person past, it’s a bit distant. I wonder how it would sound if told in first person, from the perspective of Captain Jack?
I sailed through the endless expanse of space, relishing in the thrill of the unknown. …
You get the idea.
My conclusion? It ain’t literature, it lacks spark, but it’s still pretty impressive.
AIs have been writing for human consumption for years now. Did you know - almost all the sports writing you see in local newspapers is produced by AIs. Many corporate blogs are already written by a commercial version of OpenAI’s GPT3 (to be fair, even before GPT3, those corporate blogs read as though they were written by an AI). But ChatGPT really highlights the exponential pace of improvement in AI language models. I think Wikipedia, which I believe is one of the Best Things Ever, may be faced with an existential crisis. AIs aren’t quite ready to replace us long-form authors … but the writing is definitely on the wall.
