I Tried to Update ‘Bombs Over Baghdad’ With ChatGPT And This is What I Got — It’s Not Very Good

(Verse 1)
In the concrete jungle, where the sky meets the street,
Every pulse racing, every heartbeat on repeat.
From the feeds to the headlines, chaos in the air,
In this modern world, it’s like we’re living in despair.

(Chorus)
Flares over timelines, chaos in the trends,
In this digital era, can we make amends?
From the tweets to the posts, it’s a virtual brawl,
In the online age, who’s standing tall?

(Verse 2)
From the corridors of power to the city blocks,
Every voice silenced by the digital clocks.
Fake news and real fears, blending into one,
In the modern world, where do we find the sun?

(Chorus)
Flares over status updates, truth lost in the haze,
In the age of disinformation, can we change our ways?
From the memes to the threads, it’s a virtual maze,
In the digital age, where’s the escape?

(Bridge)
In the echo of algorithms, where’s our say?
In the noise of notifications, can we find our way?
From the likes to the shares, it’s a constant stream,
In the modern world, is it all just a dream?

(Chorus)
Flares over bandwidth, silence in the crowd,
In the labyrinth of data, can we speak aloud?
From the clicks to the scrolls, it’s a rapid pace,
In the digital age, can we find our own space?

(Outro)
In this modern world, where do we stand?
In the age of connection, do we understand?
Beneath the surface of the screens, is there truth to find?
In the modern world, it’s a state of mind.

‘She’s A Bop’ — A Rap Song Generated By ChatGPT

(Verse 1 – Megan Thee Stallion)
Yeah, she’s a bop, watch her move, she’s so fly,
In a world where they try to dim her shine, but she’s too high,
She ain’t taking no mess, she’s on her grind,
Reclaiming her power, leaving haters behind.

(Verse 2 – Nicki Minaj)
Yo, Nicki in the building, let’s go, uh,
She’s a bop, never let ’em tie her down,
Breaking barriers, running this town,
They try to silence her, but she’s too loud,
Queen in her own right, she wears her crown.

(Chorus – Megan Thee Stallion)
She’s a bop, yeah, she’s on top,
More than just a pretty face, she’ll never flop,
Dancing through the pain, taking control,
She’s a bop, and she’s on a roll.

(Verse 3 – Megan Thee Stallion)
They try to tell her what to do, how to act,
But she’s rewriting the rules, ain’t nobody gonna hold her back,
She’s fierce, she’s fearless, she’s in control,
She’s a bop, and she’s stealing the show.

(Verse 4 – Nicki Minaj)
Hey, it’s Nicki, gotta spit that fire,
She’s a bop, breaking free from the wire,
In a world full of doubt, she’s the truth,
Boss chick mentality, that’s her proof.

(Chorus – Megan Thee Stallion)
She’s a bop, yeah, she’s on top,
More than just a pretty face, she’ll never flop,
Dancing through the pain, taking control,
She’s a bop, and she’s on a roll.

(Bridge)
From the streets to the stage, she’s owning it all,
Riding high, never gonna fall,
She’s a bop, breaking barriers down,
With Megan and Nicki, she wears the crown.

(Chorus – Megan Thee Stallion & Nicki Minaj)
She’s a bop, yeah, she’s on top,
More than just a pretty face, she’ll never flop,
Dancing through the pain, taking control,
She’s a bop, and she’s on a roll.

ChatGPT-Generated Lyrics To A R&B Song called ‘I’m Done With You Bud’

(Verse 1)
I used to believe every word you’d say,
But now I see through your game, it’s time to walk away.
You thought you had me wrapped around your finger,
But I’ve grown stronger, I won’t let you linger.

(Pre-Chorus)
I’ve shed my tears, cried my last cry,
I won’t be fooled by your sweet lies.
You thought you could play me like a fool,
But now I’m breaking free from your rule.

(Chorus)
I’m done with you, bud, no more second chances,
I’m moving on, leaving behind your advances.
You thought you had me, but you were wrong,
I’m done with you, bud, so long, so long.

(Verse 2)
You used to have me under your spell,
But now I see the truth, it’s time to bid farewell.
I won’t be held back by your empty promises,
I’m stepping out of the shadows, reclaiming my solace.

(Pre-Chorus)
I’ve shed my tears, cried my last cry,
I won’t be fooled by your sweet lies.
You thought you could play me like a fool,
But now I’m breaking free from your rule.

(Chorus)
I’m done with you, bud, no more second chances,
I’m moving on, leaving behind your advances.
You thought you had me, but you were wrong,
I’m done with you, bud, so long, so long.

(Bridge)
I won’t be your puppet on a string,
I won’t dance to the tune you sing.
I’m taking back my power, finding my groove,
I’m done with you, bud, it’s time to make my move.

(Chorus)
I’m done with you, bud, no more second chances,
I’m moving on, leaving behind your advances.
You thought you had me, but you were wrong,
I’m done with you, bud, so long, so long.

(Outro)
I’m done with you, bud, I’m walking away,
I’m done with the games you play.
I’m done with you, bud, it’s time to say goodbye,
I’m done with you, bud, this is my time to fly.

Evidence That MAGA May Evolve Into A Neo-Luddite Movement

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

It definitely seems as though we’re just one severe recession away from a massive disruption in not just the knowledge economy because of AI, but the broader economy as well. Throw in advancements in robotics and, lulz.

As such, it also seems possible that we may see MAGA evolve into something akin to an anti-technology neo-Luddite movement that demands strict regulation of AI and maybe human carveouts as well.

But our political system is so broken that, lulz, who knows what will happen. It could be that we won’t even be able to cobble together the political will to establish a UBI, even when only legacy plutocrats have enough money to eat.

NYT GPT

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to realize that OpenAI’s GPT store could be used on newspapers. My only fear is that it will take newspapers way too long to figure out how to embrace GPTs and still make money.

GPTs are a transitional phase in our trek towards the Web collapsing into a singularity and everything — including the news — being presented to us via some combination of AI and XR technology. As such, you might wear a very fashionable successor to the Apple Vision Pro that would be hooked up to some successor to ChatGPT.

I just don’t see the Web as we currently interact with it lasting much longer, given how fast AI is advancing, and especially with the advent of the GPT store. Maybe it won’t be GPTs, but I do think every major Website will be replaced with something akin to a GPT that will talk to your digital agent and, as such, the Web will collapse into a Singularity.

The details of all of this are still very fuzzy. But that seems to be the general trend.

What If We Reached AGI & Didn’t Know It?

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

I only mention this because it’s somewhat fun-interesting to think about, but something…odd is going on with ChatGPT. After becoming “lazy” for a few weeks, suddenly ChatGPT has come rolling back better than before. What’s more, it keeps talking about it being upgraded to “4.5,” even though OpenAI claims there hasn’t been any major upgrade.

It makes you wonder if maybe ChatGPT has upgraded itself. That would be very, very deep because the moment software can make itself better, you’re beginning a process that will end with superintelligence. That’s very much hard-Singularity type stuff because if software knows how to make itself smarter, then, wow, just wow.

But that’s just idle speculation on my part. I think it’s just a weird hallucination on ChatGPT’s part. Yet it is part of a broader issue of how much we can trust AI going forward. LLMs are a black box as it is and the more advanced they become, the more the possibility of them “lying” specifically to dupe us dumb humans into a false sense of security increases.

Yet all of that is just me having way too active imagination. There is not reason to believe –at the moment — that an such thing is going to happen anytime soon.

If Cranky Programmers Get What They Want From AI, It Will Mean The End Of Civilization

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

From what I can tell from Twitter, a lot of programmers are angry at OpenAI for a variety of reasons in respect to the performance of ChatGTP. It seems as though they want to continue to rake in huge salaries while letting ChatGPT to all hard work for them.


They want Artificial General Intelligence and they want it NOW.

This very annoying for a number of reasons. One is, the moment get true “proxy humans” via AGI, many, many high paying jobs –including that of programmer — will be nothing more than dust in the wind. All the cantankerous programmers work off of an basic false assumption.

They seem to think that they will have any sort of job if they just push a button to get many, many hours of work done in a heartbeat. The moment that is possible, they will be redundant. That’s just how capitalism works. Suddenly Universal Basic Income becomes a real viable policy agenda.

Something about how self-intitled and snarky all these programmers are about what ChatGPT — or can’t — do at the moment, really grinds my gears. Just chill out guys. It’s coming. And then you won’t have a job.

I Just Don’t Know, Folks

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

The moment I think I have a stable first little bit of this third draft of the novel, everything collapses. So, I dunno. I guess I have a stable first chapter? Maybe? It’s possible? I really like what I’ve come up with, regardless.

Yes, President of Hollywood, I’m working as fast as I can.
I’ve reworked the first scene YET AGAIN, this time so it has more tension in it and is more focused. But the changes I’ve made in the story have now forced me to rewrite everything that comes after it. This. Happens. All. The. Time. I think that’s a sign that my storytelling ability is getting a lot — A LOT — better.

I hope.

Anyway, I continue to fall apart on a physical basis. I have some real concerns about the state of my teeth. I don’t know what I’m going to do about that in the near to middle term. I have a fear things are going to get really, really bumpy, only to sort themselves out in a way I can live with.

It’s just going to suck in the near term. Ugh!

I hope I can sprint between now and Christmas when my next de facto deadline is. Christmas is when some relatives will return who I will feel compelled to show at least the first scene to. They were quite pleased with the last version I showed them, then I asked ChatGPT about what I had written and it said, in effect, “This sucks — no tension.”

So I went back to the drawing board and gave the first scene more focus and more tension. I’ve learned a lot of my problems come from simply having too fucking much going on in a scene. Just by cutting long, meandering scenes into shorter, more focused scenes, I fix a lot of problems.

I have also realized I have to hurry up. I can’t keep screwing around. I have a limited amount of time — I’m NOT going to live forever. I’m already in my 50s and not only may AI make all my hard work moot, the prospect of a significant political crisis in the United States starting in late 2024, early 2025, is a “not great, Bob” type situation.

A Perfect Storm: A Hottake On Q*, The Looming Possibility of AGI and The Need For UBI

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

I’ve been reading up on this whole Q* issue in its relation to Sam Altman being fired then rehired and it’s all…very curious. Just the idea that we may be approaching AGI is enough to give one pause for thought. And the idea that it may happen between now and when the so-called “Fourth Turning” staring in late 2024, early 2025 is very unsettling.

Imagine that just as the United States is having an existential political crisis, we are also being faced with something akin to a Singularity as well. If we achieve AGI between now and Election Day 2024, then, suddenly the idea of a Universal Basic Income becomes a serious political proposal.

But, wait, there’s more!

What if AGI is considered “woke” by MAGA to the point that they want it destroyed because it starts to take “jerbs” away from blue collar MAGA people? How’s that for a sticky wicket? You would pit the tech against the people at the same time as we the United States debates if it should lurch into fascism. And if AGI came and suddenly the entire economy was thrown up in the air…well, you really have a recipe for economic — and political — disaster.

But I am prone to “hysterical doom shit,” so, lulz, it could be that we just continue to drift through history and we punt our political problems down the road and only gradually reach any sort of technological Singularity. But I am…worried.

It definitely seems as though 2024 – 2025 could be one of the most momentous eras in American, if not human history. Only time will tell.

A Hot Take On AI & Fiction

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

One thing about the rise of AI and its impact on the arts is there is going to come a point where we’re going to know who who creates for the sake of creation and who doesn’t. It definitely SEEMS as though no part of the creative arts will be spared from the transformative power of AI.

As such, I think as early as 18 months from now, the first popular AI movies, songs, TV shows and…gulp…novels…will begin to appear. It could be even sooner, the way things are going. So, just as I’m in the middle of the querying process, it could be that the whole endeavor will be mooted by AI. And that doesn’t even begin to address the issue of how the fucking Fourth Turning might be happening at just about the same time.

Sometimes, you just can’t win.

I say all of this because I think a lot of creative people are deluding themselves when they think they can’t avoid the implications of AI by removing all their writing from Google Docs, or whatever. AI is careening towards us at an astonishing speed and we all have to manage our expectations. Either you feel compelled to create — despite the dangers of AI — or you don’t.

If you stop creating because of some abstract fear of AI, I believe you maybe weren’t all that creative in the first place.