There are some great reads and explanations on ChatGPT but I feel most are missing the point of why the direction we are going down is much more interesting and possibly groundbreaking than it seems.
Instead of thinking of this as a conversational experience, think of it more as a temporary universe where you can with each prompt build out more universal principles such as characters, locations, relationships etc similar to how game developers and designs work in code with a game engine.
Then using prompts you can define narratives, simulate situations and see what your defined universe coupled with the underlying GTP model creates as an outcome.
For years I have made up bedtime stories for my children, they pick three words and we form a “once upon a time” story, over this time there have been some recurring characters, namely Paul the polar bear. A lovable bear who has become a staple to our storylines, over the last year we have travelled and other characters have entered our story universe. There is Carlos the Mexican bear brother of paul and there is Matthew the Italian sibling who now lives in Rome Zoo in Italy but explores the city at night in search of invisible pizzas and espresso.
I fed these characters and scenes into ChatGPT as prompts:
“I have a character called Paul the polar bear, he is a white adult polar bear that is kind hearted and has a family of other bears, Carlos, Matthew, Stuart and Claire though his siblings live around the world.”
“Matthew lives in Rome Zoo in Italy, he likes to explore the city of Rome at night when everyone at the Zoo is sleeping. He goes on search for invisible pizza's and to find the best espresso in Rome”
“Carlos is a brown bear who lives in Mexico, he is the youngest of the family and is the most passionate when talking about anything. He has a house in the Lacandon jungle”
And then asked ChatGPT
“Create a story about Paul and Carlos visiting Matthew“.
It created the following:
Paul and Carlos were excited to see Matthew and to explore Rome together. They packed their bags and set off for the airport, eager to begin their adventure.
When they arrived in Rome, they were amazed by the sights and sounds of the city. They had never been to Italy before, and they were fascinated by the ancient ruins and bustling streets. They made their way to the zoo where Matthew lived, and they were thrilled to see their brother again.
Matthew was happy to see Paul and Carlos, and he quickly led them on a tour of the city. They explored the Colosseum, the Pantheon, and the Trevi Fountain, marvelling at the beauty of the ancient ruins. They sampled the delicious food and drink of Rome, trying everything from authentic Italian pizza to rich, creamy gelato.
As the days went by, the three brothers continued to explore the city together, enjoying each other's company and the sights and sounds of Rome. They climbed to the top of the Spanish Steps and gazed out at the city below, feeling grateful to be together and to be experiencing such a beautiful place.
In the end, Paul, Carlos, and Matthew had a wonderful time in Rome. They were grateful to have each other as brothers, and they promised to visit again soon.
The above is not going to rival Shakespeare today but it is an impressive start and as I expand the characters and the scenes I am slowly building out a fuller universe that I can then create different narratives from or then link in the future to other tools.
In the future can I say
“create a 5-minute video episode about how Paul battled an ice cream monster and his siblings helped save the day”.
Or Use DALLE to create storybook art and upload it straight to the Kindle store for others to purchase.
I don’t know about you but this blows my mind, not from a technology point of view (though that is cool) but how we are moving to a world of simulation through prompts/language and away from code and numbers, thus making it much more accessible to the masses and the interesting and crazy ideas everyone has in their heads and soon will just need to describe.
Being able to build a temporary universe around anything is a true evolution in technology as we know it today. From story writing to medical discovery or financial transactions, being able to create a universe you can describe elements, components, people or situations and letting the brain which is the model of humanity provide an underpinning physical like a game-engine is going to create an interesting decade ahead.
Welcome to Web3.1
If you find the idea of a story universe you can explore with your children exciting, sign up for a product I am working on called “away” https://voiceok.com/product/away.