This kind of experiment with AI is now way overdone by too many bloggers, but I figured I’d ask ChatGPT to write me a Slice of Life blog post for today, and see what it came up with.
I asked it:
Write a slice of life blog post about a day sick at home, reading books, walking dogs, and wondering how students in the classroom are doing with a substitute teacher
It replied – in a response it entitled “Sick Day Worries”:
And, well, it’s words capture much of my worries and the slow unfolding of the day at home yesterday with books and dogs, and such, including a cup of tea in the afternon and some soup as snack. We live in strange times. (But, alas, Bot, I won’t be back to school this week at all)
And the image below? That comes from Stable Diffusion, another AI, which I asked to generate a watercolor image of a man walking two dogs on a winter day. It sorta looks like the dogs and I out on a ramble.
Peace (Automated),
Kevin
I don’t know whether to think this is amazing or terrifying. Glad you are putting your isolation to good use.
I think AI is so strange and unsettling that it’s hard to know how to feel or how to approach it. But I don’t think we can ignore it.
Thanks for stopping by
Kevin
I was almost convinced that the chatbot could, indeed, craft a viable Slice….until the end when the substitute said that they were behaving and learning l in your absence! Leave it to a computer to further push the narrative that teachers are nonessential!
🙂
The bot don’t know …
Kevin
The AI implications are daunting, aren’t they? I think the piece lacked your characteristic voice and felt somewhat bland or generic. (Was I influenced by knowing how it was created?) I hope you’re feeling better soon.
That’s a huge thing — lack of voice. And maybe your reading was influenced by the knowledge of creation, but even so, it still writes pretty flat.
Kevin
That was creepy…and flat, as you stated in a reply. Childlike in a way, with just the mundane common details one would expect but no flourishes that reflect a human author’s personality and style. I may play around with ChatGPT for lesson plans this summer, though…
It’s worth using, trying, thinking about, wondering on and more. It’s really the only way to understand the shift that has happened.
Kevin
Well, I am glad you are back and seem to be feeling better; however, this AI story is both a little scary and a lot creepy. There is a story here and so I am sure students will be using his tool soon – perhaps already. Maybe writing will soon be replaced with revision to add “voice” in the days to come. I feel SO very old….
There is definitely an odd element (creepy, perhaps) to the world unfolding. How to best prepare our student for that world is the path before us (as it always is)
A Unique Voice. That’s what’s missing from AI. There’s so much good about it, but there is no substitute for real writing that comes from someone’s heart and soul.
Absolutely, it’s all about voice. Hopefully, it always will be.
This much is clear: there’s no substitute for you. AI can’t take your place as an artist or as a wordsmith. I don’t like what our world is coming to. As teachers, we have outdata’ed ourselves, and as people, we have outtechnologied ourselves. It is indeed a freaky world where we have to hope and pray our grandchildren don’t grow up to marry robots.
What a wedding party that would be!
🙂
I was drawn to your slice today because I wrote about the same thing! I, like you, am not quite sure how I feel about it. I agree with Stacey that there’s no substitute for a writer’s unique voice.
https://aggiekesler.wordpress.com/2023/03/02/lots-to-think-about/
Heading over to see what you wrote now …
When we were a military family stationed in a country I will not name, there were some popular sayings… “this is the land of not quite right” and “you can find whatever you might need, but it might not be quite right.” The AI writing is not quite right. But the creepy thing is, it might “do,” it might “get by.”
Good point. In some circles, the “getting by” is just enough to succeed. So, too, with AI writing, perhaps.
Sorry to hear you’re i’ll, Kevin. It is worrisome to be home sick wondering how things are w/ the sub. Also, ChatGPT makes me sad.
Don’t be sad!
🙂
But I get what you mean.
🙁
Kevin
I have to say, the bot didn’t capture your voice or magical way with words, which may be reassuring. It might need to train by reading some of your previous posts. I like the AI watercolor better than the AI post.
Thanks for sharing your experiments in AI!
Kim
In a comment on another slice tonight, I wondered about what AI might generate in response to a slice-writing prompt. Thanks for serving up one answer to my query, and I hope you feel better soon.