by goldenskye on 10/15/23, 10:43 PM with 72 comments
by danenania on 10/16/23, 1:21 AM
While I wouldn't expect Atwood's conclusions to change too much by using GPT-4 instead, I think it's interesting that even the majority of educated people and journalists outside of tech don't seem to realize that the best model is at least 10x smarter than the free version of ChatGPT, which is what they seem to be using for all their prejudice-confirming "experiments".
They also always seem to assume that if the output from whatever prompt they came up with can't reach X quality bar, that means it can't be reached by anyone else either with a different prompting strategy.
Not trying to throw any shade toward Ms. Atwood, who is one of my favorite writers, and I'm also not claiming AI will be writing as well as her anytime soon... just pointing out that if we want to really measure where we're at on tasks like this one, a more rigorous approach is needed.
by armchairhacker on 10/16/23, 1:15 AM
But I know AI is already being used to assist human writers, not just with boring emails and speeches, but creative works like articles and books.
Moreover, if AI ends up writing something decent, it won't be recognized as AI-written. And the human "author" probably won't be quick to reveal so; due to the controversy surrounding AI, and because then people would over-scrutinize it and just point out mistakes which even a human would make (or really minor opinionated things they call mistakes just to have a point).
Going back though, if AI ever does get to the point where it can replicate human talent, eventually we're going to know. If GPT-5 exists and is able to replicate human-quality writing, it's only a matter of time before someone reveals it, or a competitor catches up and then they reveal it.
by dools on 10/16/23, 1:15 AM
In exactly the same way, sometimes I give ChatGPT a complete coding task and it can't do the job. But while I'm working on code I can get it to do certain things and it saves me a lot of time and sometimes comes up with very useful insights and things I was unaware of.
I'm sure authors (or anyone else whose job maps to "language processing") can use it similarly.
by boplicity on 10/15/23, 11:25 PM
by braydenm on 10/16/23, 2:18 AM
The Snows Came Early That Year
The snows came early that year, blanketing the prairies in white before the harvest was complete. I awoke to howling winds rattling the panes of my solitary cabin, the radio readout blinking ominously, batteries too weak to check the weather reports again. I shuffled outside in layers of wool and coveralls, squinting against the icy gusts, to find the chicken coop door ripped clean off. Feathers and blood painted the snow crimson. The four hens I had left were gone, with only scattered tracks and droplets leading into the tree line to indicate the predator's escape.
I cursed under my frosted breath, the bitter wind stealing away my words. Food had already been scarce, each winter harder than the one before. I shuttered the coop and turned back inside just as the power flickered and went out. Now there was no heat, no light, no way to cook. The solar panels would be useless under the heavy snows.
As I sat wrapped in furs, watching my breath turn to plumes of smoke in the gloom, I made a plan to walk to town when the blizzard passed. Perhaps barter some handicrafts for a few days of rations. The trek would be risky, but staying here held a different kind of peril. The food stocks in my locked pantry were dangerously low. There was no choice but to go.
The Katskil wolves would likely be on the prowl, their numbers multiplying as the animal population declined. Stay to the road, move quick, keep head down. Don't attract attention. Don't look too frail, too thin, too cold. The robotic guards at the checkpoints would be indifferent to my starvation, but opportunistic thieves might not. This was the world we inhabited now. Hold fast to what is yours. Trust no one. Every day another fight to survive. My grandmother's voice echoed in my mind...from her days before the collapse: "Don't lose hope, girl. It's always darkest before the dawn." But that was in another era, now lost to us. There were no more dawns ahead, only the howling dark.
by michaelmrose on 10/15/23, 11:39 PM
Here are some interesting results from literally feeding this article and prompting chatgpt to improve the poem and take into account her critique. They seem at least to my eyes a little better.
===========================================================
Upon these shores, where time seems still,
PIBO stands, guided by a passioned will.
With hands ungloved, their touch sincere,
They embrace nature, drawing it near.
Loving straightforwardly, without pretense or guise,
In every bird's song, a part of them lies.
In this dance, where boundaries fade and intertwine,
Your journey, dear bird, feels much like mine.
In the quiet of Pelee, where heartbeats merge with the sea's hum,
There lies a tale of dedication, of hands and feathers becoming one.
Upon Pelee's shores, where the migratory journey starts,
PIBO stands undeterred, with gentle, gloveless hands and hearts.
No insect repellant, for it might be toxic, they bear,
Yet with every sting and bite, their dedication's rare.
Warblers greet the dawn, singing their age-old song,
Yet amidst them, mosquitoes and chiggers throng.
With delicate touch, they band, note, and release,
Suffering in silence, so our joy in birdsong doesn't cease.
In the hum of nature and the dance of skies so grand,
Echoes the profound mission, of PIBO's ever-watchful band.by hyperman1 on 10/15/23, 11:06 PM
by abledon on 10/16/23, 1:01 AM
hahah "Pod People"... is that what SV residents are now?
by jaza on 10/16/23, 12:21 AM
by hoseja on 10/16/23, 8:23 AM
by esafak on 10/16/23, 3:38 AM
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/07/godel-esch...
by flenserboy on 10/16/23, 12:07 AM
by starkparker on 10/16/23, 4:36 AM
by strken on 10/16/23, 3:15 AM
by galkk on 10/15/23, 11:07 PM
I'm not native speaker and many weirdnesses of the text may go past me, but I can say that for me the commented texts (especially the 2nd one, about post apocalyptic Canada) are completely passable and much better that what I will be able ever to write.
Yes, it may be not a threat (yet) to professional, especially established author. But they will be good helpers for people like me, who can get suggestions, improvements and illustrations just for the price of my 4090 and time to tinker with models.
No gpt was used for writing this though.
by huytersd on 10/16/23, 12:32 AM