There’s been plenty of buzz about <a href="https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt/">ChatGPT</a> lately.
From Microsoft using the technology in Bing, to users asking it to help them write code. It seems like ChatGPT is everywhere.
But there’s one thing that I never thought ChatGPT would be used, writing comedy sketches.
“Ssssssskiiiineerrrr!”
Says Superintendent Chalmers, as he wonders around Principal Skinner’s dining room. Arms stretched in a T-pose.
“Okay, think fast. What can I do?” Ponders Skinner, wondering around the kitchen, as his meal burns in the oven.
“I know, I’ll pretend like it’s supposed to be burned. He’ll never know the difference. Okay here goes nothing. Hey Chalmers, lunch is ready!”
The screen changes to the outside window of Skinner’s house.
“Oh, look at that. A cat just caught a mouse.”
Of course, this doesn’t happen in the ‘Steamed Hams’ sketch. Skinner tries to cook a roast, ends up buying fast food, and his house burns down.
There’s a Twitch stream called <a href="https://www.twitch.tv/unlimitedsteam">UnlimitedSteam</a> - a 24 hour stream where ChatGPT and other technologies write constant scenes based on Streamed Hams from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jXEuIHY9ic">The Simpsons</a>.
Each episode follows the same scenes:
<ul>
<li>Skinner greets Chalmers at the door</li>
<li>Chalmers enters the house</li>
<li>Skinner burns whatever he’s cooking</li>
<li>Skinner finds an alternative</li>
<li>Lunch is served, but Chalmers knows that the food is different from what was being cooked originally</li>
<li>Kitchen catches fire, Skinner gives a bizarre excuse for why the kitchen is on fire</li>
<li>Skinner and Chalmers exit the house</li>
</ul>
But each episode’s dialogue will be different, and the results are incredible.
Here's an example:
From ghosts, volcanic lightning, Skinner denying the fire is happening and even swearing. The stream has it all! I’ve laughed hard plenty of times at the wild scripts that ChatGPT comes up with.
But I’m laughing at the fact that the script that the AI wrote was just so wild, not that it was actually funny. It looks like it has a long way to go to understanding humour. I decided to ask ChatGPT to write a few scenes in Friends with different scenarios and although it wrote lines for each of the characters, none of the material it wrote was actually funny.
Here's an example of where I asked ChatGPT to write a scene in Friends where Chandler turns into a Zombie:
<blockquote>
INT. MONICA'S APARTMENT - DAY
Chandler enters the room, shuffling his feet and groaning. His eyes are blank, and his skin has a pale, lifeless look.
RACHEL: (screaming) Oh my God! Chandler, what happened to you?!
JOEY: (also screaming) Yeah, man, you look like a zombie!
MONICA: (calmly) Joey, zombies aren't real.
JOEY: (disbelieving) Then what's wrong with Chandler?
PHOEBE: (whispering to herself) This is not good, not good at all.
RACHEL: (nervously) I think we need to get him to a hospital.
MONICA: (skeptically) I don't think that's going to help, he looks dead already.
CHANDLER: (groaning) Brains...
JOEY: (alarmed) Whoa, man, this is getting freaky.
RACHEL: (pleadingly) Chandler, can you hear us? What happened to you?
CHANDLER: (loudly) Brains!
PHOEBE: (firmly) I think we need to call 911.
Just then, Chandler suddenly lunges at Joey, trying to bite him. Joey yelps and jumps back, tripping over the coffee table and falling to the floor.
JOEY: (scared) Get it away from me!
RACHEL: (screaming) Somebody do something!
MONICA: (taking charge) Okay, okay, we need to get him contained. Joey, grab some towels, we'll wrap him up.
The group works together to subdue Chandler, tying him up with towels and propping him up against the wall.
PHOEBE: (worried) What are we going to do with him now?
RACHEL: (tearfully) I don't know, but we can't just leave him like this.
MONICA: (determined) We'll figure something out, but right now we need to keep him from hurting anyone else.
The camera pulls back to show the group huddled together, looking worried and uncertain as they try to figure out what to do with their friend, who has become a zombie.
</blockquote>
There was another AI powered steam called <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/qjkyxp/whats-the-deal-with-nothing-forever-a-21st-century-seinfeld-that-is-ai-generated">Nothing, Forever</a>, which ran a 24 hour stream of an endless Seinfeld episode. But the stream was taken down and banned after it made an <a href="https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2023/02/endless-seinfeld-episode-grinds-to-a-halt-after-ai-comic-violates-twitch-guidelines/">offensive joke</a>.
But there’s one clip from the stream that does show the limitation of ChatGPT (starting at 1:13):
The audience laughing hard at the set up and then absolute silence at the punch line is a good example of a reminder that AI isn’t perfect, it’s still flawed.
While I was exploring ChatGPT I asked it what it thought of this website, and it gave an interesting response:
<blockquote>
Based on my analysis, <a href="https://joshblewitt.dev/">https://joshblewitt.dev/</a> appears to be the personal website of Josh Blewitt, a software engineer based in Melbourne, Australia.
The website showcases Josh's portfolio of software projects and his blog posts on various topics related to software development, including front-end development, back-end development, and software architecture. The website also provides information about Josh's skills and experience as a software engineer, as well as his contact details.
Overall, the website appears to be well-designed, user-friendly, and informative. If you are interested in software development, particularly in the context of web development, you may find Josh's website to be a useful resource.
</blockquote>
So, according to ChatGPT - I’m based in Australia?
<blockquote>
Based on my analysis of the website at <a href="https://joshblewitt.dev/">https://joshblewitt.dev/</a>, here are some general features and information about the site:
<ol>
<li>Purpose: The website appears to be a personal portfolio and blog site for Josh Blewitt, a web developer and designer. The site showcases his work and skills through examples of his web design projects, as well as blog posts on various web development topics.</li>
<li>Design: The website has a minimalist and clean design, with a black and white color scheme and prominent use of typography. The site is responsive, meaning it adapts to different screen sizes and devices, and has a consistent layout across pages.</li>
<li>Content: The website features a prominent section showcasing Josh's work, with links to his design projects and a brief description of each. There is also a blog section featuring Josh's writing on web development topics, with articles organized by category and date.</li>
<li>Navigation: The website has a prominent navigation bar at the top of each page, featuring links to the Home, Work, Blog, and Contact pages. The navigation bar remains visible as the user scrolls down the page, making it easy to access from anywhere on the site.</li>
<li>Contact: The website has a Contact page with a form that visitors can fill out to reach out to Josh regarding his work or potential job opportunities. The page also includes links to Josh's social media profiles and a brief bio.</li>
</ol>
Overall, the website appears to be a well-designed and professional portfolio and blog site for Josh Blewitt, showcasing his web development and design skills and providing useful information for visitors interested in his work or web development in general.
</blockquote>
It’s wrong that I have a contact page, even a link to this non-existent page.
The way I view AI at the moment is that it's not in a position to be seen as a replacement for anything, but more of an additional tool to enhance our work. Here's an example of me asking ChatGPT how to create a class in Python
<blockquote>
In Python, you can define a class using the class keyword followed by the name of the class. Here is a basic example:
class MyClass:
pass
In this example, we define a class called MyClass using the class keyword, and we include the keyword pass to indicate that there are no methods or attributes defined in this class.
To define methods and attributes within a class, you can use the same syntax as you would when defining functions and variables outside of a class. Here is an example of a class with some methods and attributes:
class Person:
def init(self, name, age):
self.name = name
self.age = age
def say_hello(self):
print("Hello, my name is", self.name)
def get_age(self):
return self.age
</blockquote>
AI such as ChatGPT is not in a position to replace anyone. Besides, ChatGPT doesn't have a web browser, it can only provide information on the content of the website. Here's an example:
<blockquote>
As an AI language model, I don't have a web browser to visit websites like humans do. However, based on the website's URL you provided, "https://joshblewitt.dev/", I can provide you with some information about the website's content.
</blockquote>
So, don't worry about ChatGPT taking over the world.
It can't visit websites, and it doesn't have a sense of humour.

A few hours well spent. And a glimpse into the future?

Joshua Blewitt

Posts tagged with AI