So, you probably have seen a few headlines at this point about AI taking over the world, billions of dollars in investment funds pouring in, or maybe a tweet like this.
And its certainly put people….lets say on edge a bit.
However, unlike even crypto, the actual current applications feel thin. And the biggest one, CNET’s use of AI got them into a ton of trouble (as noted above), so they pulled it.
So, we are sort of left with this phantom. A sword of Damocles hanging over our heads. And all the talk is of the far end. Going so far as wanting their AI to argue in front of the Supreme Court.
Well, without any idea of actual corporate adoption of these technologies, or even skunkworks projects at present….I am left with one option. To mess with the AI’s myself. After all, they are all free (for the moment), and accessible. So I messed around with ChatGPT for text and Midjourney for images.
First thing off the bat, the technology is not at all ready for prime time. Its unreliable, inconsistent, and a mess. At least Midjourney was up anytime I was looking for it. ChatGPT is like random. You never know when it will be online. I managed to get lucky enough to write this blog.
Lets talk about each other separately and then regroup at the end.
ChatGPT
ChatGPT has…problems, despite being the most talked about thing since sliced bread. Lets jump right into an example.
The Talking Heads are widely considered to be one of the most innovative and influential bands of the 20th century, known for their unique blend of rock, funk, and world music. They released eight studio albums between 1977 and 1988, and each one showcases the band’s evolving sound and style.
One album that stands out as a fan favorite and critical darling is “Remain in Light” (1980). This album marked a turning point in the band’s career, as they began to incorporate more African rhythms and funk influences into their music. The album features the hit single “Once in a Lifetime,” which became one of the band’s most iconic songs and is still widely considered to be one of the greatest songs of all time.
Another standout album is “Speaking in Tongues” (1983), which was the band’s most successful album and includes the hit single “Burning Down the House”. This album marked a further shift towards a more funk and R&B-inspired sound, and it also featured the band’s most cohesive and polished songwriting to date.
“Fear of Music” (1979) is also a great album that showcases the band’s experimentation with different sounds and styles. The album features the hit single “Life During Wartime” and it also offers a great balance of the band’s rock and funk influences.
Ultimately, the best Talking Heads album is a matter of personal preference. Each album offers a unique perspective on the band’s sound and style, and they are all worth exploring. However, the above three albums are considered by many to be their finest works.
Prompt: “Write a blog about what album is Talking Heads’ best album”
ChatGPT has specific structures it uses constantly. And everything is in this rubrick. Blogs are always 5 paragraphs. An answer will restate the question and then give an argument at the end restating the answer. It’s regular writing is also very static. It has a specific cadence that sounds like Siri is saying it. Now this is not true for everything. You can give it further descriptors and it will adapt (as we will see at the end). But overall, I would say it’s easy to spot.
Even beyond the rigid writing, its biggest flaw is accuracy. The more obscure you get, the more it tries to project a little. ChatGPT is like one of those friends that will make shit up along the way. An example:
Sifl and Olly is a cult classic television show that aired on MTV from 1997 to 1999. The show was created by Liam Lynch and starred Lynch as the puppets Sifl and Olly, two sock puppets who hosted their own cable access show.
Prompt Excerpt: Write a blog about the history of The Sifl & Olly Show
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Despite its small audience, Sifl and Olly developed a devoted fanbase and has since gained cult status. The show was released on DVD in 2000, and Lynch has since released a number of albums and videos featuring Sifl and Olly. In addition, Lynch has also released a book about how to create your own sock puppets, in honor of the show.
There is a problem off the bat. Very little of this is accurate. The show was created by both Liam Lynch and Matt Crocco, the show was never released on home media except for the unpublished 3rd season (which I have that DVD), and Liam Lynch never cut a sockpuppet book.
I imagine if you had to use ChatGPT for some actual use, this would be a much bigger problem than just bullshit about pop culture stuff.
Midjourney
Of the two, Midjourney is the one most ready for primetime. Probably because its visual by nature?
Lets jump right in. There has been much discussion in my friends group of the whereabouts of Jeff Kaplan, the long time lead designer of Overwatch, after left Blizzard and disappeared off the face of the earth. He never joined another game company. Just poof. Disappeared.
So, we always joked that he is doing the Walden thing. Welp.
On first glance, crushing blow. Way better than Chat GPT. They got the tattoos on his arms. However, you can already see the issues that Midjourney, and really all the visual AI has.
Lets start obvious. Fingers and teeth. It can’t count. If you give it anything like a smile or something, it will completely shit the bed. There are plenty of images with people with shark teeth and 7-8 fingers on each hand. Second, it has trouble sometimes with specific like objects. If you notice, it can’t quite get to rod and reel. But it gets close.
Lets do another one.
I have done a ton of Midjourney shit at this point, and will probably do more (cause its much easier to access than ChatGPT, and more fun), but I think this is the best example.
See the AI knows the piece. The AI like…struggles. You see this alot no matter what you put it. It struggles to get there. It can’t quite get the perspective right. It also tries to balance the fact that clearly The Raft of the Medusa is a proper noun, but like…do you want a literal Medusa in there?
And it’ll churn and churn on that theme.
Overall, where I think we are at right now with both of these technologies is the same place. It gives an excellent starting point. You can jump from there a do several things with it.
If you are having trouble getting that initial spark of inspiration, ChatGPT and to a greater extent Midjourney can give you what you need to get started.
I can see a future where a human starts with an AI generated thing and makes tweaks to it. However, from a “they took err jerbs” perspective, it has a long way to go. There are too many tells. Too many errors. And in professional work, those add up and will be real problems.
I don’t think anyone has anything to fear in the short term. I don’t care what Buzzfeed does. They gunna get hella sued when they publish some shit that ChatGPT gets wrong. And to be honest, I am not convinced these kind of errors are fixed by more data. OpenAI will have to drastically improve the code that actually backs all these things. Otherwise, it will just continue to be what it is now. Something that is more gimmick than substance. Something you can spark your creativity with, but nothing that will take the money out your wallet.
In a rare turn (and something I would never say of crypto), you should go try one or both of these things out. I would personally suggest Midjourney cause its the easiest. It’s on discord and is always up. Plus it’s just plain fun.
And, I will leave you with this piece of AI based instruction. Enjoy.
Hey y’all, it’s ya boy and I’m here to tell y’all ’bout my recent experience tryin’ to start a generator durin’ hurricane season. Now, livin’ in Cajun country, we know all ’bout de storms and de power outages dat come wit’em. So we always make sure to have a generator on hand jus’ in case.
But let me tell y’all, tryin’ to start dat ting up in de middle of a hurricane is no easy feat. I’m talkin’ ’bout de wind howlin’ and de rain beatin’ down, and you tryin’ to get dis machine goin’ so you can have some lights and maybe catch the game on TV.
I tell ya, I was out dere in dat storm for what felt like hours, gettin’ drenched and covered in mud, tryin’ to get dat ting to start. But finally, after what felt like a lifetime, she roared to life.
It was a relief, let me tell ya, to have some power back on during a storm like dat. And it was a reminder of the importance of bein’ prepared for anything, especially when it comes to natural disasters.
So, if y’all ever find yaself in a similar situation, don’t give up. Keep tryin’ and eventually, you’ll get dat generator goin’, and it’ll be worth it in the end. And always, always be prepared for hurricane season, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Prompt: Write a blog about trying to start a generator during hurricane season in a Cajun accent
