The Michael Phelps Science Fiction Epic According to Open A.I. ChatGPT

Happy Holidays! Are you tucked in your couch, snuggled up with a fire burning, twiddling your time away on mindless entertainment because you’ve done your shopping, stated your obligatory holiday cheer on social media, and now you’re just mindlessly doom scrolling your device?

Yeah? Me too.

My latest distraction is Open A.I. ChatGPT.  This is artificial intelligence, a language processing tool driven by A.I. with which you can have human-like conversations.  It will  answer questions, help you with tasks like writing emails, essays, or even code. It will also makeup stories in seconds.

According the website:

We’ve trained a model called ChatGPT which interacts in a conversational way. The dialogue format makes it possible for ChatGPT to answer followup questions, admit its mistakes, challenge incorrect premises, and reject inappropriate requests. ChatGPT is a sibling model to InstructGPT, which is trained to follow an instruction in a prompt and provide a detailed response.

The more you interact with ChatGPT, the more it learns. I’ve spent hours on it. It’s fun. And, I asked ChatGPT to tell me story about Michael Phelps.

MEL PROMPT: Tell me an epic science fiction story about Michael Phelps where he secretly comes to earth as child from his water world alien planet to make a new life and ultimately becomes the greatest Olympic swimmer in history.

OPEN A.I. RESPONSE: Once upon a time, on a distant water world far, far away, there lived a young alien named Michael Phelps. Michael lived in a society where everyone was born with the ability to swim at an extraordinary level, but he always dreamed of something more.

One day, when Michael was just a child, he overheard a group of older aliens talking about a strange and distant planet called Earth. They told tales of a world filled with land and air, where the creatures that lived there could only swim for short periods of time before they had to come up for air.

Michael was fascinated by these stories and longed to see this strange and wondrous place for himself. So, he made a plan. Using his exceptional swimming abilities, he set off on a journey across the vastness of space to Earth.

When he arrived, he was amazed by the different landscapes and creatures that he encountered. But most of all, he was fascinated by the humans and their seemingly endless potential for growth and development.

Determined to make a new life for himself on this strange and wondrous planet, Michael began to secretly train and hone his swimming skills. And before long, he had become the greatest Olympic swimmer in history, winning countless medals and breaking countless records.

But despite his success, Michael never forgot where he came from, and he always made sure to use his fame and fortune to help those in need. And so, he lived out his days on Earth, spreading joy and hope to all who knew him, and always remembering the distant water world that he called home.

END

ChatGPT generated that in about 6 seconds. If we’re being honest, it reads like precocious 12 year old wrote it. However, that could be my fault. My question might’ve been channeling my inner-12-year-old too much.    So, I decided to push ChatGPT on the narrative a bit.

MEL 2nd PROMPT: Tell me story about Olympic Champion Michael Phelps being recruited to a special division of the Navy Seals who are sent to alien water world planets to defend earth from an amphibian enemy.

OPEN A.I. RESPONSE: After winning countless medals and becoming the greatest Olympic swimmer in history, Michael Phelps had retired from competitive swimming and was living a quiet and peaceful life. But one day, everything changed.

Michael received a mysterious message from a high-ranking member of the Navy Seals, inviting him to join a special division of the elite team. Intrigued, Michael accepted the invitation and was whisked away to a top-secret training facility.

There, he was introduced to a group of other elite athletes and soldiers who had been recruited for the same purpose: to defend Earth from an amphibian enemy that threatened to invade from distant water worlds.

As Michael trained with his new teammates, he quickly realized that he was uniquely qualified for this mission. His exceptional swimming abilities and extensive knowledge of the aquatic environment made him the perfect candidate to lead the charge against the enemy.

And so, when the time came, Michael and his team were sent on a mission to a distant water world, where they faced off against the amphibian enemy in a series of epic battles.

Despite overwhelming odds, Michael and his team emerged victorious, thanks to their bravery, determination, and unmatched swimming skills. And in the end, they were hailed as heroes and returned to Earth, where they were hailed as champions.

From that day on, Michael Phelps was known not just as an Olympic champion, but as a member of a special division of the Navy Seals, dedicated to defending Earth from all manner of threats. The end

END

Striving to add some drama and dimension to the story, I asked the AI:

MEL THIRD PROMPT:  Tell me this story again in the style of author Cormac McCarthy.

OPEN A.I. RESPONSE: The sun beat down on the water world, casting a harsh light on the swimmers as they prepared for battle. Michael Phelps stood at the edge of the pool, his muscles tensed and his mind focused. He had been recruited by a special division of the Navy Seals, tasked with defending Earth from an amphibian enemy that threatened to invade from distant water worlds.

As he waited for the signal to dive in, Michael couldn’t help but think back on the journey that had brought him here. He had left his home planet as a young alien, traveling across the vastness of space to make a new life on Earth. And despite the challenges he had faced, he had become the greatest Olympic swimmer in history, winning countless medals and breaking countless records.

But this was different. This was a matter of life and death, not just for him, but for the entire human race. And so, when the signal came, Michael plunged into the water, his powerful strokes carrying him forward with incredible speed.

The battle was fierce and brutal, but Michael and his team fought with all their might, using every ounce of their training and skill to defeat the enemy. In the end, they emerged victorious, their bravery and determination having saved Earth from the threat of invasion.

As they stood on the pool deck, basking in the glow of their victory, Michael knew that he had truly found his place in the universe. He was no longer just an Olympic champion, but a member of a special division of the Navy Seals, dedicated to defending the planet he called home.

END

Pushing the AI more, and for fun, I asked:

MEL FOURTH PROMPT: Tell me this story again in the style of William Shakespeare and add a love interest.

OPEN A.I. RESPONSE: On a distant water world, far, far away, there lived a young alien named Michael Phelps. Michael was known throughout the land for his exceptional swimming abilities, and he dreamed of nothing more than making a new life for himself on the distant planet called Earth.

One day, as he was training for a competition, he met a beautiful young alien named Sophia. Sophia was a talented swimmer in her own right, and she and Michael quickly fell in love.

But despite their love, fate seemed determined to keep them apart. For while Michael was recruited by a special division of the Navy Seals and sent on a mission to defend Earth from an amphibian enemy, Sophia was left behind, her heart heavy with worry.

As Michael fought bravely in the battles that followed, Sophia prayed for his safe return. And when, at last, he emerged victorious, she knew that their love was stronger than any force in the universe.

And so, they were wed in a joyous ceremony, surrounded by their friends and loved ones. From that day on, Michael and Sophia lived happily ever after, their love a shining beacon in a world full of danger and uncertainty.

END

Go to https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt/ and play. Keep it PG, safe for work, and share your A.I. swim stories below.

Live Long and Prosper (A.I. Mel  image via Lensa)