I've been working on a piece of fiction lately, centred on a female vampire who lives a normal life in the city. It's melancholic and explores her isolation in the midst of the city because of her hunger. For this assignment, I decided to see how AI would write the same story.
My Prompt for ChatGPT:
ChatGPT proceeded to build an outline based on my specifications:
I asked ChatGPT to then write the story. Here is the full text:
Here's the beginning of your story, "Veiled Hunger":
Chapter 1: Shadows in the City
Elena navigated the crowded streets of Edmonton, her heart pounding in sync with the pulse of the city. Tall buildings loomed overhead, their glass surfaces reflecting the vibrant life teeming below. She blended seamlessly into the urban tapestry, her attire carefully chosen to avoid drawing attention. Yet, beneath her ordinary exterior, a secret hunger clawed at her insides.
She worked at a local bookstore during the day, engaging in small talk with customers about the latest bestsellers and recommendations. Nights, however, were a different story. As the city slept, Elena's true nature awakened. A creature of the night, she battled an age-old curse that demanded the taste of blood.
Chapter 2: The Dance with Darkness
Elena's apartment served as a sanctuary where she grappled with her dual existence. She lined the windows with heavy curtains, shutting out the moonlight that could betray her. In the soft glow of lamplight, she researched alternative sources of sustenance, clinging to the hope of finding a way to suppress the relentless hunger.
On particularly challenging nights, Elena prowled the city's outskirts, seeking out stray animals to feed on. The scent of blood lingered in the air, tempting her to abandon her moral compass. The pull of darkness was a constant battle against her humanity.
Chapter 3: Witness in the Shadows
One fateful night, as Elena succumbed to her vampiric instincts, a lone figure caught a glimpse of her feeding. Panic surged through her as she realized the precariousness of her secret. The witness vanished into the night, leaving Elena to grapple with the fear of exposure.
Her world began to unravel. Paranoia clung to her like a shadow, and every stranger's gaze felt like an accusing finger pointing in her direction. The consequences of discovery loomed large, threatening to dismantle the carefully constructed life she had built.
Chapter 4: Bonds and Betrayals
Amidst the chaos, Elena found solace in an unexpected human connection. Alex, a co-worker at the bookstore, became more than just a friend. Their bond deepened, and Elena struggled with the revelation that her secret could jeopardize everything she held dear.
Haunted by the specter of the witness, Elena confided in Alex, who, surprisingly, chose to stand by her side. Together, they embarked on a perilous journey to uncover the identity of the person who threatened to expose Elena's true nature.
Chapter 5: Unveiling the Shadows
Their search led them into the underbelly of the supernatural world hidden within the city. Vampires, werewolves, and other mystical beings lived in secrecy, each with their own struggles and desires. As Elena delved deeper, she discovered that her fate was intertwined with a centuries-old conflict.
With the witness identified, a confrontation ensued. The revelation of Elena's existence sent shockwaves through the hidden community, sparking debates about whether vampires could peacefully coexist with humans.
Chapter 6: Embrace or Escape
As tensions reached a boiling point, Elena faced a pivotal choice. Would she reveal herself to the world, risking persecution for the sake of acceptance? Or would she abandon her life in Edmonton, severing ties with those she cared about to protect them from the danger she brought?
In the final chapters, Elena's decision would unfold, shaping not only her destiny but the future of the supernatural community in the city. The story would end with a sense of resolution, while leaving room for potential sequels and the exploration of the broader supernatural world.
I selected ChatGPT because it is a platform I am most familiar with and already have an account for. I used to manage the writing team for a marketing company, and we had to adapt to AI coming out last year, specifically ChatGPT, and start using it to write our blog posts to compete with cost and keep clients. I know that ChatGPT requires a lot of information to write something substantial, but I chose to keep it simple for this exercise to explore its baseline performance for this sort of request.
My general stance regarding AI writing stories is that getting a quality story out of AI takes so much effort, that you're writing it yourself (or might as well be). For simple text or formulaic storytelling, AI might be a good option to get writers started or build a template you can improve upon. I'm not against AI, but as a writer and aspiring publisher, I don't feel threatened by it. The nuance of human experience and skill is, I think, out of reach for AI software for the foreseeable future.
The first thing that caught my attention with this story is the choice of character name, Elena. Since the very popular show, The Vampire Diaries, has a main character with the same name, this choice by AI is a little on the nose. The rest of the text is brief, formulaic, and falls into common tropes. My prompt did not mention a romantic interest or a secret community the main character was unaware of, but AI thought it would make my story better, apparently!
Chubb et al. (2022) describe how if stories are "mobilised for good, key actors will be encouraged to focus on the missing narratives as opposed to those which reinforce existing tropes;" unfortunately, my narrative example demonstrates that AI may not be capable of creating missing narratives, especially since AI such as ChatGPT relies on pre-existing internet content (Keary, 2023). Benson (2022) describes how society has both hopes and fears for the future of AI potential; I cannot help but wonder how threatening it can be, given that AI relies on the past to generate content and interact with humans---past content, past conversations, etc.
Benson, D. C. (2022, June 3). Ai in fiction and the future of war. The Strategy Bridge. https://thestrategybridge.org/the-bridge/2022/6/3/ai-in-fiction-and-the-future-of-war
Chubb, J., Reed, D., & Cowling, P. (2022). Expert views about missing AI narratives: Is there an AI story crisis? AI & SOCIETY. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00146-022-01548-2
Keary, T. (2023, October 6). CHATGPT is now connected to the internet – but is it really any ... Techopedia. https://www.techopedia.com/chatgpt-is-now-connected-to-the-internet-but-is-it-any-smarter
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