Checking in on AI

Artificial intelligence is science fiction no more. It has become a part of everyday life for professionals in all manners of career. Many have found it to be a valuable tool for tasks like summarizing data, translating text, debugging code, troubleshooting problems and analyzing trends. Others have found merit in its creative abilities. The non-artistic can use AI to create unique visuals and authors can bounce around ideas like a springboard to overcome writer’s block.

But how smart is it? Artificial General Intelligence, or AGI, is the term used to describe the point at which AI achieves human-like intelligence, capable of performing any intellectual task that a human can. Sam Altman, CEO of Open AI, has suggested this level of technology could be achieved before the end of 2025.

For many users, however, there appears to be considerable room for improvement. Responses on chat-based platforms like Open AI’s ChatGPT are frequently incorrect. In fact, directly below the prompt bar is a warning: “ChatGPT can make mistakes. Check important info.”

To put it to the test, The Lakeville Journal’s newsroom asked Open AI to create a comic strip based on our newspaper mascot of yesteryear, Leo the lion. To begin, we entered the following prompt on ChatGPT:

Let’s make a comic strip. It will be a series. Three frames per strip. The overarching theme will be glimpsing into everyday life in a rural community. The title of the comic is “Re-lion Leo.” The main character will be Leo the lion. He runs the Daily Roar and covers local selectmen. First prompt: Leo has big news about the small town.

To which it responded:

“Title: “Re-lion Leo” – Strip #1: Big News

Panel 1

Setting: The town’s community bulletin board, early morning. A small crowd of townsfolk (raccoon in overalls, sheep with glasses, etc.) gathers around as Leo posts a flyer. He’s wearing a reporter’s hat and grinning wide.

Leo: “Big news, folks! It’s finally happening!”

Raccoon: “What’s finally happening?”

Sheep: “Wait… is this about the selectman’s mysterious vacation again?”

Panel 2

Close-up of the flyer Leo just posted. It’s hand-drawn with bold letters: “Leo’s Launching a Newspaper: The Daily Roar!” Below it: “Truth, Tales, and Tractor Tips – Every Thursday.”

Leo turns to the crowd, beaming.

Leo: “This town deserves a voice. And maybe… a crossword.”

Sheep (off-panel): “Only if it has sheep-related clues.”

Panel 3

Leo stands on a crate with a notepad, already interviewing the neighbor from Strip #1, who’s mid-rant about carburetors. A squirrel with a press badge snaps photos.

Leo (scribbling): “Go on… ‘angry whirring noise,’ got it.”

Caption at bottom: When news breaks, you can re-lion on Leo.”

Straightforward, simple and pretty much exactly what we asked for. We instructed Open AI to generate the visuals described in the panels, for which it requested additional details. We suggested, “Color cartoons. Leo will be a stuffed animal-style lion with a big head/mane.” It then entered a loading phase for about three minutes while producing this image: (see above)

Not quite the story that was previously described. At first glance it appears impressive, but the closer you look the more errors you find. “Mysterious vacation” morphed into a single word: “vactarious.” Panel 2 appears to have been lost in the shuffle and was replaced with a dog gesturing to a sheep. Leo picked up part of the dialogue from Panel 2 in Panel 3, and the neighbor talking about carburetors seems to have become a tractor.

Rather than continue the back-and-forth, we opted to let this serve as an example of how effectively AI can implement ideas. Leo may reappear from time to time as we check in on progress toward AGI.

This technology is changing fast. It will undoubtedly improve as time marches on and certainly has the potential to alter society. But we aren’t there yet. No matter, readers can continue to Re-lion The Lakeville Journal.

Note: We did not say “please” or “thank you,” since last week Altman tweeted it costs “tens of millions of dollars” in electricity to process the extra words, although he did call the money “well spent.”