We Wrote (Most of) This Blog Ourselves
Hey, ChatGPT: we're throwing down the gauntlet.
It's not yet tax season, but we hereby challenge you to a write-off: Who can pen the better blog — man or machine?
We are absolutely intrigued by ChatGPT, the latest advance in tech that debuted just two months ago and has already catalyzed seismic shifts in storytelling. The AI-powered chat engine is trained to mimic a variety of writing styles. Given a prompt, it can produce stunningly competent text content — from op-ed pieces to poetry, from long-form articles to lyrics — and pretty much any other genre of writing. All in the blink of an eye.
We'll admit that it is really, really cool. And it has led many of our collaborators to joke (maybe?) that the end is near for writers. (And it certainly is posing challenges to teachers, whose students may be using ChatGPT to write their homework, papers, theses, and other assignments.)
But there is a quote often attributed to Anton Chekhov — Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass. And ChatGPT is just telling us the moon is shining. There is no heartbeat to its work.
We gave it the following prompt: "Write the February blog for Brooklyn Story Lab." Here's what it came up with:
"February Blog - Brooklyn Story Lab
Happy February everyone! As we continue to dive into the world of storytelling, this month we want to focus on the art of character development.
A well-crafted and dynamic character can bring depth and emotional resonance to any story. To achieve this, writers must delve deep into the motivations, desires, and inner struggles of their characters.
Here are a few tips to help you bring your characters to life:
Give them a clear goal: What does your character want? Having a clear objective will give them motivation and drive, making them feel like a real person.
Develop their backstory: A character's past experiences shape who they are and why they act the way they do. Consider events that may have shaped their personality or worldview.
Give them flaws and fears: No one is perfect, and characters are no exception. Giving your characters flaws and fears makes them more relatable and human.
Show, don't tell: Instead of simply stating what a character is like, show the audience through their actions and dialogue.
Create internal conflict: A character's inner turmoil can add depth and interest to your story. Consider what they want vs. what they need, and the sacrifices they may have to make to achieve their goal.
By focusing on character development, you can bring your stories to life and create compelling and memorable characters that audiences will love. As always, keep writing and have fun!
Sincerely, The Brooklyn Story Lab Team"
That is pretty decent — picked its own topic, character development. Our biggest complaint would be that it does not follow its own advice in terms of offering specific color or granularity. Content creation — especially around issues of social good — needs to connect to the specifics of a particular story, like the work we're doing with atoll-island nations like Tuvalu facing existential crises from rising sea levels, or soy farmers in Brazil using NASA technology road-tested on Mars to improve their regenerative planting processes. To offer specific examples of the challenges these Pacific island residents or South American farmers face from the impacts of climate change would be the glint of light.
We expect ChatGPT to get better over time, but for now, we give the edge to humans.
