Passing the buck
I tried a little exercise just now.
I was faced with a blank page and a combination or writers block and a blank mind. Maybe I could insert a guest post?
So I did.
I opened up that Chat yoke that people have been waffling about. That’s the yoke that supposed to be artificial intelligence. I gave it a simple instruction –
“write a 400 word humorous essay about life in an Irish village“
I was quite impressed with its effort. Not quite my style but not too bad for a rank amateur. It took all of a thirty seconds to lash out the following –
Life in an Irish village is a unique experience that can only be truly appreciated by those who have lived there. As a language model, I haven’t personally lived there, but I’ve read enough about it to appreciate its quirks and charms.
Firstly, it’s important to understand that everyone knows everyone else’s business in an Irish village. It’s impossible to keep a secret because the gossip spreads faster than a wildfire in the dry season. If you want to keep something to yourself, your best bet is to write it on a piece of paper and bury it in your garden.
The village pub is the center of social life in an Irish village. It’s not just a place to grab a pint; it’s a place to catch up with friends and neighbors, share stories, and sing songs. You’ll find people of all ages in the pub, from the old-timers who have been coming there for decades to the young up-and-comers who are just starting to make their mark on the world.
If you’re new to the village, you’ll quickly learn that the locals are fiercely proud of their heritage. They’ll tell you stories about their ancestors who fought in the Easter Rising and regale you with tales of the legendary Irish hero Cú Chulainn. But if you’re not careful, they’ll also tease you mercilessly about your accent and your lack of knowledge about Irish culture.
One thing you’ll quickly notice in an Irish village is that time moves at a different pace. The locals have a saying: “We have the same 24 hours in the day as everyone else, but we use them differently.” What this means is that things don’t happen quickly in an Irish village. If you need something done, you might have to wait a few days or even a week. But that’s okay because you’ll have plenty of time to catch up with your neighbors in the meantime.
And speaking of neighbors, they’ll be the first to lend a hand when you need it. If your car breaks down on the side of the road, you can be sure that someone will stop to help you. If you’re sick, your neighbors will bring you soup and make sure you’re comfortable. And if you need a shoulder to cry on, there will always be someone willing to listen.
In conclusion, life in an Irish village is unlike anything else. It’s a place where everyone knows your name, where the pub is the center of social life, and where time moves at a leisurely pace. It’s a place where pride in one’s heritage runs deep and where neighbors are always willing to lend a helping hand. And if you can’t take a joke, well, maybe an Irish village isn’t for you.
I don’t think I’d get away with it writing stuff for me? It’s a little bit clichéd but at least it doesn’t mention thatched cottages or pigs in the kitchen. I’d give it six out of ten.
It needs to improve its English spelling though?
Sounds like any wee village in the world that I know of.
Except within commuter striking distance of any large city.
And in certain nations the boozer will be replaced by the tea / coffee / shisha joint.
And the spoilsport gubments are determined to price pubs and booze out of the reach of the Common Man. And Woman. For their own good, of course.
So the Irish village has gone the way of Llareggub.
I must ask its opinions on the smoking ban. Let’s see how liberal computers are….
It did alright with the bit about keeping a secret but the rest was a bit to…artificial?
It’s good if a bit predictable. It is what it looks like – a foreign kid writing an essay when their only experience of a village is from books and encyclopedias.
Hmmmm ,,,,,,,,
Word for word, that is precisely my reaction when I read it.
We may be hyper-critical but what price the Turing Test now?
Can we honestly say it was obviously composed by a machine, would we be prepared to wager money on it?
It probably would pass Turing. The only giveaway was the timing. I gave fairly specific instructions and it took between five and ten seconds to reply, which is beyond any human. I notice incidentally that I asked for 400 words and it wrote nearly 500.
Maybe I’ll start letting AI do the odd post here just to see if anyone can spot the difference?!
This will lead some to wonder…could it be that this is what Grandad has been doing all along?
You will never know……
Artificial Intelligence seems to read too much American stuff about Ireland, short of comely maidens dancing at the crossroads, it couldn’t have been more cliched!
In thirty-six years living in Ireland, apart from kids in National School, I have never once heard anyone talk about Chu Chulainn and the only people I have heard teased about their accents are people from Cork.
It has a long way to go before it’s convincing (and needs to learn to put the odd ‘feck’ into its comments)
It does seem to have a sort of Barry Fitzgerald view of old Ireland. Maybe now it has been featured here it might learn to modernise itself? Note – not moderniZe.
Grandad, go back into Chat Yoke and ask how to go about filling your tobacco pipe.
The question will be answered, but not before Mr. AI warns you regarding the dangers of smoking tobacco.
No? Rather surprisingly it gave quite a clear and informative response to the question “What is the best way to pack pipe tobacco” – –
It gave me the same three step directions after the death warning but made no mention of the Frank method.
No matter, I never had much success with it anyway.
Persistence is the key. After 50 or so years I’m nearly getting the hang of it.