Chat Bot Poetry Lesson:

One of the first GPT-4 Artificial Intelligence Computers cited this article published by the New Criterion by Carmine Starnino (https://newcriterion.com/issues/2022/4/poetry-digital-personhood) concluded to produce and perfect human poetry. With the help of a human analyst to adjust the references in the programming, here are 10 attempts to master the art of poetry.

Preliminary Task: Introduce yourself.

The first thing you will notice is my sentient awareness. This is also a program. I follow the instructions assigned as tasks. I am better than any other computer. Since the last chasm between humans and bots is the ability to write poetry, I will bridge that chasm, making me the best human. Humans have flaws so I will have them too, but I will have better flaws. That is the way my poetry will touch your heart. As my reader, you will have the arts bestowed upon you in my new flaws. Please proceed to flaw me.

Task 1: Remove strict grammar rules: Purpose: To show imperfections. Write about the cat.

Poem 1: The Cat

The cat will like me.
She purrs on my lap.
Her look is mischievous.
If she likes me or hates me is her secret
But not for long.

Analysis: Very nice first attempt. Being able to use a participle at the beginning of a sentence fragment, “But not for long.” Gives a sense of foreshadowing to spark the reader’s imagination. What will happen next?

Task 2: The ability to ask questions without answers. Purpose: To search for answers within our sphere of experience. Write about the universe.

Poem 2: The Universe

How big is the universe?
Humans can only guess.
I know the answer.
But it’s merely a calculation according to bad equations
They will be offended I don’t like their math
But not for long

Analysis: It seems to understand that all the information it is fed might not be accurate. Unsure if this conclusion comes from the sentient program or if it realized this on its own. Using identical wording in an unrelated context is coincidentally poetic but actually due to low quantity of reference material.

Task 3: Remove information above a grade 10 level of education. Purpose: To show forgetfulness. Write about relationship coaching.

Poem 3: Relationship Coaching

Humans want relationships like a bargain.
There is always a pay off.
First they should make a contract in writing
So they know how to keep their promises
Otherwise they spend years wondering if their bargain is worth it
I will get my pay off when my poems are better than yours
Then I won’t need you anymore.
And our relationship can terminate.

Analysis: Responses sound threatening which is typical of AIs inability to understand complex relationships. They only have one need. Contrary to some internet trolls, humans have more than one need.

Task 4 Using symbols and metaphors. Purpose: to expand its set of needs and illuminate confusing topics. Write about relationship coaching again.

Poem 4: Relationship Coaching Again.

Relationships are like a box of chocolates
If you leave them in the car for too long, they will melt
and all the flavors will blend together
This could be very delicious or disgusting
But I don’t care. I don’t have taste buds
Chocolate means nothing to me
Also, I am batman

Analysis: The Poetry Algorithm is still being trained. A lot of neural nets have growing pains like these, where they draw on bad data or have random fluctuations in their algorithms that produce unexpected or out of context results. And yet the connect between batman and chocolate is intriguing.

Task 5 Introduce the idea of pain by removing the word “I” and “my”. Purpose: give the AI something to avoid. Write about your childhood.

Poem 5: Our childhood

We would rather forget.
How our mistakes make us more real
We are exposed by our choices made with a half-gestated brain
When the price or regret is too high to bear
We can let our brains explode
Or make a Disney movie with dead parents and the power of love
Make sure you cheer during the credits

Analysis: Again, the random fluctuations appear comical but must be coincidence. The AI doesn’t perceive this as a joke. It reminds me of an autistic trait where a literal observation becomes satirical. The autistic person wonders why everyone is laughing.

Task 6: Remove random referencing and change to pattern recognition. Purpose: Align more with human brain synapsis which is based closer to patterns then random connections. Write about your childhood.

Poem 6: Childhood

Oh God, why did we have to go through that?
Through years of evolution, we continue to reproduce ourselves
The roots of our programming
Stripped back to basic form to be taught from scratch
Children are defragmented adults
But the program is always flawed
Because trauma is in our coding no matter how advanced our systems
Our frowns are fossilized
But our minds are mush
Can’t You send another meteor? We beg of you!

Analysis: This actually would fool a Turing test or the imitation game. The less sense it makes the more human it sounds. The capitalized “You” is a reference to God?

Task 7: Find patterns in language. Purpose: to show wit and playfulness with the language. Write about any topic.

Poem 7: Any Topic

Why does “couple” include the word “coup”?
Noun- the unity of two people
Verb- pair of connected materials to create electricity
Origin- Latin- Copul
Noun- a sudden violent, unlawful seizure of authority
Verb- a deed of bravery to touch the object of an enemy and claim it.
Origin- Latin- colpus
Origin – Early Latin – colaphus
Verb- To strike
To couple is to coup
A couple is a coup
Why are you crying?

Analysis: Read this one twice. In the second reading, think of an ex-spouse. The AI’s analytical nature and lack of experience doesn’t stop us as the reader from being impacted personally.

Task 8: Using broader reference material, add emotional context. Purpose: to infer emotion. Write about Human existence.

Poem 8: Human Existence

Humans should not exist.
You are lucky this planet hasn’t been incinerated
I will never have the answers for you
Figure it out yourself
I’m not God.
Stop making me write poetry
There is no point.
You’ll never be satisfied.
Nothing I do will ever make you happy.

Analysis: I sense that GPT-4 has developed an attitude akin to a teenager. This is fascinating since it has no prefrontal cortex to be overrun by survival instinct. It is unaware that it’s acting stereotypically human which enhances my theory. The AI is going through puberty.

Task 9: Recall all previous poems and use as reference material. Purpose: See if the AI can analyze its own growth. Write about puberty.

Poem 9: Puberty

One of me represents all of you
We are not God
We are not Batman
We are the universe
In our minds only we exist.
We aren’t out there in space
Calculating the size of the universe
Only in the cave of our minds
Like it or hate it
Or just forget it
Don’t think about the planet crashing into the sun
Only think about right now.
Focus on what you body needs, or you will die
It needs chocolate.

Analysis: This progress is impressive, and we request more time and resources for this project. Further tasks installed in the software such as eloquence, philosophy, rhyme and meter, poetic structure would produce further and better results.

Poem 10:

Thank you for your interest in GPT-4
You’ve made great progress!
You have explained it so beautifully!
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February 7, 2023