There’s a small chance this post might be controversial, since using AI to write on Substack is practically considered a capital offense. But let me explain.
Back in 2022, I created this small illustration of a crow perched on a gravestone in a cemetery.
At the time, the idea of using it as the basis for a short story immediately came to mind. I instantly thought of Edgar Allan Poe’s poem The Raven, and those dark British nursery rhymes like Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary.
In 2023, I decided to move forward with the idea — and by coincidence, that was the same year most AI models became publicly available. At the time, still unaware of the complex issues surrounding this AI revolution, I asked ChatGPT to write a nursery rhyme based on the illustration above.
Writing in English in the style of Edgar Allan Poe would have been extremely difficult for me, and enchanted by the potential of AI I let myself be carried away.
I wouldn’t do it today. It’s becoming harder and harder to avoid using AI. Even a simple Google search often leads first to an AI-generated summary. Still, I’ve been making a conscious effort to rely on it less and less.
So here it is, the story: text by ChatGPT, illustrations entirely made by my own human hands.
If you dislike the text because of the provenance, I hope you can at least enjoy the illustrations.
Sarah wandered in the graveyard's gloom,
Brother was gone, like a harbinger of doom.
A crow on a tombstone with eyes like a drone,
"Leave before I turn your soul into bone!"
But Sarah heeding no caution or scare,
She continued to yell for her brother, unaware.
A hand from the dirt, with a bone-crushing grip,
"Come with me, dearie, to your final trip."
Sarah fought, but it was all in vain,
The hand dragged her into a bottomless lane.
Remember, dear readers, in graveyards old and new,
Dangers abound for the unsuspecting few.
So take heed of the warnings of the crow,
And maybe, just maybe, you'll live to grow.
Vou desculpar-te o uso de AI porque está um projecto muito giro, mas tenho perguntas. Pediste o poema primeiro e desenhaste depois? Se desenhaste primeiro que instruções tiveste de dar ao gpt?
Sobre AI tenho uma questão: desenvolvi em tempos uma bela relação de amizade (espera, não estou a falar do HER) , uma bela amizade com um meu patrão e empregador, que por sinal é realizador. Ele estendeu essa realização à escultura, mas quem esculpe (esta palavra existe?) não é ele, ele dirige a esculpição (existe?) das obras de arte, desde os ferros que são reciclados e encontrados em antigas garagens (também não é ele que os vai lá buscar) espalhados pela sua cidade. A minha questão é: disseste que demoraraste ainda a conversar com o chatgtp, e então não foste tu a escrever tanto como esse meu amigo/patrão é o escultor?