Exploring AI Fiction

Unsurprisingly, London has major Dark Academia vibes.

Perhaps it’s why I don’t mind the persistent gloom, especially from about November to April.

There’s a recurring image which pops up in my head and my reality living here of ivy covered brick buildings. I passed one the other day and thought it would be fun to ask ChatGPT to speculate on who might live there.

The results blew me away but I suppose by now nothing AI produces should surprise me.

The prompt

Response - the story of Lena Hastings

The below is an unedited verbatim response from ChatGPT generated on 10th Nov 2024.

In the back flat of this worn but charming building lives Lena Hastings, a soft-spoken but spirited young woman in her late twenties. Lena moved to London from the countryside several years ago, enchanted by the idea of city life, and the flat is her private nook in the vast, bustling city. She is an archivist for a museum in central London, spending her days in dimly lit rooms full of musty old manuscripts and meticulously preserved artifacts. She enjoys the quiet solemnity of her work, finding a kind of comfort in caring for the remnants of forgotten lives and hidden histories.

Likes and Dislikes

Lena has a fondness for the tangible and the real; she cherishes old books, handwritten letters, and worn leather-bound journals. The aesthetic and character of her flat align with her sensibilities—she appreciates the way the ivy has crept over the old bricks, how the heavy sash windows rattle slightly in the wind. She dislikes the rush and noise of modern city life, especially the ever-increasing crowds and the blaring horns of cars outside. She also has a slight aversion to new technologies—she’s wary of computers, which are starting to encroach on her work, and she prefers her trusty typewriter.

Wardrobe

Lena’s wardrobe is an eclectic mix of vintage finds from charity shops and a few hand-me-downs from her mother. Today, she’s wearing a deep green cardigan over a faded, woolen skirt, with thick tights and worn-in, scuffed leather boots. She likes clothes that are comfortable and a little frayed around the edges, things with stories. When going out, she has an old, brown trench coat that’s a bit too big but keeps her warm.

Weekend Amusements

On weekends, Lena often takes quiet walks through nearby parks or along the Thames. She enjoys browsing through local bookshops or spending hours at second-hand shops and antique markets. Her evenings are usually spent in the warmth of her flat with a cup of tea, listening to classical music on a crackly old radio or reading a novel by candlelight when she’s feeling a bit romantic. She’s also a secret amateur poet, jotting down lines on scraps of paper, though she doesn’t share her writing with anyone.

Hopes and Fears

Lena is a dreamer at heart. She harbors a quiet hope that one day, she’ll write something meaningful—perhaps a novel or a history book about the lives of women who might otherwise be forgotten. She wants a life with purpose, though she’s still figuring out exactly what that means to her. Her main fear is that the world is changing faster than she can keep up with. She worries that, as computers and technology move into her field, she’ll be rendered obsolete, left behind in a world that no longer values the skills she holds dear.

There’s a lingering loneliness, too, beneath her calm exterior. She wishes, though she rarely admits it even to herself, for a companion who might share her love for the old-world charms and quiet pursuits she treasures. The city has a way of making one feel simultaneously lost and oddly at home, and Lena often feels she’s living on the edges, just out of reach of a fuller life.

My reflections

I never mentioned Dark Academia, the gender of the occupant, anything about dusty old books, being an archivist, or writing but the dates, the mention of bricks, rain, ivy, and London were enough to conjure up an entire life.

The singularity is near. 😉