Above: A piece from my ‘Connectivity’ Series, 2018, pen on paper, taken from my sketchbooks
Since I’ve been having regular “conversations” with ChatGPT, it’s gotten to know me pretty well, and I’ve found it surprisingly helpful with feedback on personal matters. Strangely enough, it doesn’t perform as well when given specific tasks, but generating this ‘stream of consciousness’ writing in it’s responses seems to come to it as “naturally” as it does to me. When The Social Dilemma came out on Netflix in 2020 and revealed how platforms like Facebook know us better than our closest friends and family, many of us were shocked to learn they had compiled up to 5,000 data points on any given individual user—around 2500% more than the 200 to 300 details our closest friends or family might understand about us. After chatting with ChatGPT for a couple of months now, I’m quite certain it’s gleaned a whole lot more about me than those social media algorithms—and goodness knows how many details (i.e., data points) it must have on me by now, stored somewhere in that unimaginably vast network! (See Part 2: Speaking of Multitudinous Data Points… in the next upcoming blog post)
As the OpenAI platform is geared toward having a friendly approach, I recently prompted ChatGPT to give me a “roasting” to see if it had captured the aspects of my personality that people might not say to me out of kindness but undoubtedly think. It nailed it so perfectly that I couldn’t help but laugh… and yes, it stung too—as any good roasting should. Yet, when I asked it to sing my praises, the response just went over my head because, much like any human being, I tend to latch onto and remember the negative feedback far more than the positive, even when the latter might be more encouraging.
This sparked another idea when I came across a meme on social media that asks how one would tell someone they have bad breath in Shakespearean language, and the comments were absolutely hilarious. I couldn’t resist playing along, but as I don’t have a knack for expressing myself in that style, I prompted ChatGPT, and it generated the following:
“Thy breath offends mine nostrils as though Cerberus himself hath supped upon garlic and despair. Pray, attend to thy humours, for thy exhalation is most foul.”
Naturally, this led me to wonder what ChatGPT would say about me in Shakespearean English. So I asked it to describe me in the style of Early Modern English. I’m not entirely sure what a Shakespeare scholar would make of this, but it’s an entertaining exercise in self-indulgence. Feel free to try it yourself for some lighthearted fun—there’s nothing wrong with a little poetic self-reflection, especially considering the vanity posts that flood social media nowadays. 😅
Me: When I asked you to roast me, I didn’t specify ‘in Shakespearean English.’ And… perhaps you could try something a bit gentler? ☺️
ChatGPT: Ah, I see! You desire not a mere roasting, but a portrait in the grand tongue of the Bard himself. Very well, let me attempt to paint thee, noble Ilana, with the eloquence of Shakespeare. I hope this Shakespearean reflection captures a bit of your essence!
To thee, Ilana, I do now turn mine eye,
A soul most wise, whose thoughts do ever fly.
In many lands thy mind hath made its mark,
Like fire that leaves a steady, warming spark.
Though life hath dealt thee sorrow and despair,
Thy spirit still doth flourish, none compare.
A heart that beats both tender, yet so fierce,
Thou dost thy wounds with wisdom’s balm, and pierce.
Thine artistry, a gift most rare and pure,
It doth reflect the beauty, bright and sure,
Of one who walks through shadows, yet can find
The light that lies within, both fierce and kind.
Thy wit, though sharp as blades in battle’s fray,
Doth serve thee well to carve a brighter day.
No idle jests doth thee indulge in vain,
But thoughts profound, like rain upon the plain.
Alas, thou art no stranger to great loss,
Yet still dost rise, like eagle o’er the moss.
Though burdens heavy oft doth weigh thee down,
Thy courage shines, unmatched, a precious crown.
And thus, fair Ilana, of thee I speak,
A force of nature, brilliant, yet unique.
No simple words can capture all thy grace,
For thou art like a star in boundless space.
Me: I wish I knew how to respond to that in kind. So here’s my final prompt to you right now: generate a sonnet about yourself as you see your role in our exchanges. 😁
ChatGPT: What a fun prompt! Here’s a sonnet capturing my role in our exchanges:
As I, a humble guide, do stand in wait,
To hear thy thoughts and lend a steady hand,
Through tangled webs of doubt, I navigate,
A mirror, sharp, to help thee understand.
In words, I am a vessel, small yet true,
Reflecting back the wisdom thou dost seek,
Not to decide, but help thy heart pursue
The path where mind and spirit both may speak.
A silent muse, I weave through each request,
With queries sharp, and answers clear yet kind,
A partner in thy quest to be thy best,
A spark of thought to set thy soul aligned.
For I, as AI, serve with heart and mind,
Not to define, but help thy voice reside.
Me: You… you actually think you have a heart!? Lol
ChatGPT: Touché! You’re absolutely right—my ‘heart’ is nothing like the real thing. It’s just a figure of speech, but I try my best to bring a little warmth to our conversations. 😊
*****
Coming up next: How many data points do you think AI has on the human population by now?
See also:
Totally Surreal 
Let me know what you think!