So, wasn’t feeling all that inspired, so I figured: whatsay we check out the competition.
Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock (or are more than 60 years old), you’ve probably heard about ChatGPT. But for those of you under rocks or over 60, ChatGPT is an Artificial Intelligence designed to take an input prompt and use that to generate text on that topic.
For instance, I asked it to write me 1000 words on the past, present and future of Tumbler Ridge in the style of Stuart McLean. Here’s what it gave me: “As I sit here at the local diner in Tumbler Ridge, sipping on my coffee and listening to the locals chat about their days, I can’t help but think about the history and future of this small town nestled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.
“Tumbler Ridge has a rich history, dating back to the days of the fur trade. The town was founded in the early 1980s as a planned community for the workers of the nearby coal mines. The mines brought jobs and economic stability to the area, and for a time, Tumbler Ridge was a bustling hub of activity.
“But as with many resource-based communities, Tumbler Ridge’s fortunes have been tied to the ups and downs of the industry. The closure of the coal mines in the 2000s hit the town hard, leaving many residents without jobs and facing an uncertain future.
“But the people of Tumbler Ridge are a resilient bunch, and they’ve been working hard to reinvent themselves and build a new future for the community. Tourism is one area that’s been gaining traction in recent years. The town’s natural beauty, with its rugged mountains and pristine lakes, is a draw for outdoor enthusiasts. And the Tumbler Ridge UNESCO Global Geopark, with its unique geological features, has put Tumbler Ridge on the map as a destination for geotourism.
“Another area of growth is the renewable energy sector. With its abundant wind and solar resources, Tumbler Ridge is well-positioned to take advantage of the shift towards cleaner sources of energy. The town is home to a number of wind and solar projects, and there is potential for further development in the future.
“But it’s not just about finding new sources of income, it’s also about finding ways to make the community more self-sufficient. The Tumbler Ridge Community Gardens project is an initiative that aims to increase food security and promote sustainable living. And the Tumbler Ridge Public Library is working to improve digital literacy and access to information, which is crucial in a world that is increasingly dependent on technology.
“As I finish my coffee and head out into the bright sunshine, I can’t help but feel a sense of optimism. The past has been challenging, but the people of Tumbler Ridge have shown that they are more than capable of overcoming adversity and building a better future for themselves and future generations.
“So let’s raise our cups and toast to the past, present and future of Tumbler Ridge. A town that has faced its challenges and kept on going, with a bright future on the horizon.”
Okay, never mind the pedantic, coffee drink framing (you can tell it’s not me writing, because I have probably drunk less than half a cup of coffee in my entire life), and crap about listening to the locals yammer on about life. Indeed. I tried writing a couple other stories in the style of Stuart McLean, and each time it gave me some version of “sitting here, drinking coffee, listening to the locals.”
Later it says “Tumbler Ridge has a rich history, dating back to the days of the fur trade.” Charles might disagree with this, though if you consider history as being the part that has been recorded, while pre-history being the part before it was recorded then, sure.
“The town is home to a number of wind and solar projects, and there is potential for further development in the future.”
While the town is indeed home to a number of wind projects (and that number is three), solar projects are less numerous, that number being zero.
And here we get to the big issue with Artificial Intelligent. It’s making a lot of this crap up. Yes, there is a push towards renewable energy. We even won an award for that a few years back. But solar? I mean, There’s a solar hot water heater on the roof of the bank, but that’s about the biggest bit of solar infrastructure I know about. ChatGPT is not trying to write well-researched, thoughtful articles. It is trying to write things that sound good. It does a good job stringing words together in a logical manner, but those words aren’t always factual. For instance, I asked it to write the story of Tumbler Ridge again, and this time, it told me the mines shut down in the early 2010s)
It’s not going to win any prizes for originality of thought. This feels like it was written by a seventh grader, though an articulate seventh grader with immaculate spelling.
But let’s not forget: ChatGPT is barely two months old. How well could you write about anything when you were two months old?
While it’s not going to replace human content (yet), it may bode poorly for the mediocre writers and artists. Why pay someone to write adequately when a machine can do it? (Apropos of nothing, machines have been writing some sports coverage for the last five years.)
Things like this remind us we are living in a time of transition and transitions can be messy. Are we going to learn to live with things like ChatGPT and DALL-E (which does the same thing with images), or is the world going to end in a giant pile of paper clips because someone forgot to give the AI clear instructions?
We live, as they say, in interesting times. Whether that is a blessing or a curse remains to be seen.
