Hit the road... er... Gary?

The following story is AI generated. It was generated using an input string aimed at replicating the thoughts I had in mind when I wrote a wetware-generated story: Hit the Road Jack. By this I mean that I wrote Hit the Road Jack, and then wondered whether I could be bested by an AI. What do you think? Here is the story, 100% AI, and I make no comment here. Please feel free to draw your own conclusions, which I would be pleased to read in comments. If you would like to, please comment on whether you liked the AI story and, if you have the time, compare it with my own story. I would be interested to know which one you prefer and why. This is all part of my ongoing personal investigation into the uses of generative AI and any pros and cons. I am grateful to D.K. Shepard for their thoughtful article that inspired me to try out this little experiment.

Help Wanted: AI Vigilante Task Force

AI-generated article starts here

“So,” Brenda began, fiddling with the stem of her wine glass, “I think we need to talk about…us.”

“Us?” Gary echoed, momentarily distracted from the football scores flashing across the TV screen. “Yeah, I thought ‘us’ was doing pretty well. I mean, I finally figured out how to load the dishwasher without the detergent exploding everywhere. That’s relationship progress, right?”

Brenda sighed. “Gary, that’s…hygiene progress. I’m talking about our emotional compatibility, or lack thereof. For instance, the other day, when I was telling you about my promotion, you said…?”

Gary racked his brain. “Did I say congratulations? I’m pretty sure I said congratulations. Was there a follow-up required? Like a jazz hands version of congratulations?”

“You said, ‘That’s nice, can we order pizza?’ While I was still talking about the increased responsibilities and leadership opportunities!”

Gary blinked. “But…pizza was the logical next step. Celebrations require sustenance. Plus, I was starving. Did you want me to lead a team to the fridge? I could have delegated the toppings.”

Brenda took a deep breath. “And then there was the weekend getaway. I envisioned romantic walks on the beach, hand-in-hand, discussing our hopes and dreams.”

“And we did!” Gary protested. “We walked on the beach. I held your hand. I even pointed out that weird seagull with the limp. What’s wrong with that?”

“You spent the entire ‘hand-in-hand’ portion of the walk trying to teach me how to skip stones. And the seagull? You named him ‘Lefty’ and speculated on his tragic backstory for a solid hour.”

Gary grinned. “Lefty clearly had a past. I mean, the limp, the thousand-yard stare…he’s seen things, Brenda. And skipping stones is fun! You got, like, three skips that one time. That’s practically professional.”

Brenda rubbed her temples. “Gary, this is exactly what I mean. We’re on completely different wavelengths. I want deep, meaningful conversations, and you want…seagull CSI and competitive rock-skipping.”

Gary frowned. “So, what you’re saying is…you want to break up?”

Brenda nodded sadly.

Gary paused, thinking hard. “Okay. Fair enough. But…can we at least finish this pizza first? I ordered extra pepperoni.”

Brenda stared at him. Then, a small smile crept onto her face. “You know what? Fine. But after this, I’m keeping the Netflix account.”

“Deal,” Gary said, grabbing a slice. “But I’m taking Lefty.”

Brenda raised an eyebrow.

“Not the actual seagull,” Gary clarified, “The idea of Lefty. He’s my emotional support animal now.”

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AI article ends here

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Thank you for reading the AI-generated article above. It was produced by Google Gemini using the following input string which was written by me, without any help from anyone else or anything else, such as a generative chatbot:

Generate a fictional story about a woman and man breaking up their relationship. The story must be funny and consist of several humorous misunderstandings written in the form of an interchange of dialogue between the two people

The above description is pretty much the brief I gave myself when I wrote my story: Hit the Road Jack

If you haven't already done so why not compare this AI composition with my own efforts?

This article was written in order to investigate the compositional capabilities of a generative software product, Google's Gemini. I hope you find it interesting joining me in finding a greater understanding of generative AI.

Thanks for reading.

Ray