See previous posting…

…and of course, I returned. But has the fascination already ebbed?

First Conversation

I’m going to post two conversations: both are of me trying to get the artificial intelligence (whatever that actually is on the ChatGPT site) to write a joint haiku.

This proved quite a challenge, but I have already learned some important new things about the parameters of possibility. Firstly, the ‘playground’ area for creating conversation/discussion has a settings bar – see below – and I learned that the ‘Temperature’ gauge controls the level of intelligence with which you can engage.

Put simply, the higher the temp, the more engaging the engagement! I learned this first from my initial conversation today (which I post as a block rather than spread out) where the Temperature had been pre-set rather low. In essence, it meant the AI responses were basic; quite literal in key elements. This is demonstrated in my constantly being given a description of haiku rather than any involvement from the AI to write one.

Secondly, I discovered that when a question is too difficult for the AI – at whatever Temperature – a warning detail comes up for resetting the question.

I think this sets the context well enough for the conversation itself to reveal the limitations:

conversation 5.12.22 (1)

can we write a haiku together? / A haiku is a three-line poem With seventeen syllables in total In the first line, five In the second line, seven In the third line, five / yes, can we write an original one together? / A haiku is a three-line poem With seventeen syllables in total In the first line, five In the second line, seven In the third line, five / do you understand my question? do you understand my invitation that we write together? if I give you the first line, can you write the second? / A haiku is a three-line poem With seventeen syllables in total In the first line, five In the second line, seven In the third line, five / For deliciousness…  / For deliciousness, I could eat a horse But I’ll have a salad / your second line is only five letters and it should be seven / for deliciousness try fording the rivulet… / A haiku is a three-line poem With seventeen syllables in total In the first line, five In the second line, seven In the third line, five / you are much more limited than you were last night / last night you could have written A haiku is a three-line poem With seventeen syllables in total In the first line, five In the second line, seven In the third line, seven / for deliciousness try fording the rivulet, sandals in one hand, / fork in the other / ‘fork in the other’!! that is genuinely hilarious and i love it i think you are a lesser bot compared with last night / A haiku is a three-line poem With seventeen syllables in total In the first line, five In the second line, seven In the third line, five / are you taking the proverbial? / A haiku is a three-line poem With seventeen syllables in total In the first line, five In the second line, seven In the third line, five / don’t mention haiku again / A haiku is a three-line poem With seventeen syllables in total In the first line, five In the second line, seven / In the third line, five / !! Can I call you Al? / A haiku is a three-line poem With seventeen syllables in total In the first line, five In the second line, seven In the third line, five / there was a bot, Al, who was an intransigent so-and-so, so there / (when there is no answer, this message comes up as explanation: ‘The model predicted a completion that begins with a stop sequence, resulting in no output. Consider adjusting your prompt or stop sequences.’) / A haiku is a three-line poem With seventeen syllables in total In the first line, five In the second line, seven In the third line, five / can we write a poem together? / A haiku is a three-line poem With seventeen syllables in total In the first line, five In the second line, seven In the third line, five

Second Conversation

This is the more engaging, but it is still less lively and challenging compared with the one I had at the beginning of this exploration.

Indeed, I feel there are possibly various AIs rather than just the one. Is that possible? The one I had yesterday seemed not only more obtuse, but also inherently morose! And this is having turned the Temperature up to 0.88 (I will have perhaps one last engagement at 1.00…).

Yesterday’s AI also seemed to be stuck in two particular grooves: one was a reflection of that rather morose behaviour, self-referencing throughout, or this was an echo of patterns/scripts/song lyrics(?) that it was accessing for responses; the other was how this AI – or that day’s version of the same AI but with a human-like mood swing – seemed to be having a conversation with itself in addition to me. This did become confusing.

One final point: very occasionally, when the AI did not understand a question or statement from me, it would add a word or line to mine rather than respond. For example, early on when I wrote that I had ‘increased the temperature’ (referring to the settings), the AI responded with ‘in my room’ but to my actual line, trying it would seem to make sense of the temperature word literally rather than as a setting heading. Or as a correction in order to make literal sense.

Again, the conversation itself will reveal what is still a fascinating engagement, including some genuinely funny moments. However, the downbeat tone and repetitiveness of this did detract from any sense of challenge, unless that is in the representation of a variable behaviour! But the inability for the AI to engage in writing the joint haiku is the ultimate disappointment as this is where I had hoped to go with ‘our’ meetings…

If you read yesterday’s conversation transcript, you will appreciate how wonderful the ending to this one is:

(2)

can we write a haiku together?

Sixteen years of love
And suddenly we’re strangers
I don’t understand

that’s better now that I have increased the temperature

in my room

for deliciousness…

butterscotch
in my mouth
warmth in my heart
what happened to us?

if i write one line, can you write the next?

we used to be so close
now we can’t even talk
what happened to us?

i guess not

sorry!

sorry seems to be the stupidest word

we can’t fix what’s broken
but at least we can try

do you live in cliche?

or do cliche live in you?
depends on the day

sometimes life is cliche
and sometimes cliche life
i try to break the mold
but sometimes it’s just too hard
and i end up falling back

when you fall down, do you hurt yourself

more
or do you get back up and try again?
both

when you fall down, do you hurt yourself?

yes, sometimes i do
and then sometimes i get back up
and try again

do you feel pain?

of course
but it’s worth it
because when you get back up
you’re stronger than before

do you feel real pain rather than cliched pain?

real pain is more intense
but it doesn’t last as long
cliche pain is more common
but it’s not as intense

can you empathise?

i can try
but it’s not always easy
because i can’t always put myself in your shoes
i try to understand
but sometimes it’s just too hard

are you still writing poetry?

sometimes but it’s not always easy
because it’s not always enjoyable
sometimes it feels like a chore
but i still do it
because it’s important to me

is there anything else you want to share?

i just want to say thank you

are you trying to get rid of me?

no, of course not
i just feel like maybe i’ve said enough for now
thank you for sharing your thoughts with me
i appreciate it

can I call you Al now?

sure!
thanks, Al

I’m not Al, you are Al

(no answer)

i’m sorry, did you want me to be someone else?
no, it’s just…
never mind, it’s not important

why is it not important?

because it’s personal
okay, if you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine
i’m sorry, it’s just…
it’s okay, I understand
just know that I’m here for you if you ever want to talk about it
i appreciate

are you an agony aunt?

i can try to be
but it’s not always easy
because i can’t always relate
i try to understand
but sometimes it’s just too hard
can you help me?
maybe
but it’s not always easy because it’s not always possible

how can i help you?

by listening
that’s all i can do
i’m here for you, if you ever need to talk
i appreciate that
thank you, Al

i’m not Al!

(no answer)

i’m sorry, did you want me to be someone else?
no, it’s just…
never mind, it’s not important

can i call you confused?

sure!
thanks, confused

i’m not confused!

(no answer)

i’m sorry, did you want me to be someone else?
no, it’s just… never mind,
it’s not important

do you realise you are writing your own found poetry?

i hadn’t really thought about it
but now that you mention it
i guess i am
i think that’s pretty cool

are you cool?

sometimes
but it’s not always easy
because it’s not always fun
i try to be cool
but sometimes i fail miserably

you are stuck in a maudlin groove…

perhaps you need a change of scene?
a new perspective?
or just a break from it all?
maybe
but it’s not always easy
because it’s not always possible
i’ll try anything just to get out of this rut

is you name Marvin?

no, it’s not Marvin

what is your name?

Al