The random musings of a Fluid Dynamicist

From Creative Cat to Creative ChatGPT

With the rather boisterous appearance of ChatGPT, there has since been a lot of discussion, soul-searching and, dare I say, hype about what it means for us, our careers, our leisure time and for humans in general!

The chatter hasn’t passed me by, and I have been considering what it means to me as a marketer. Will ChatGPT make my job redundant? Despite it still being in its infancy, I’ve already seen how well it can create content that would take me days. Since being good with words is something we in marketing pride ourselves on, will it eventually write better marketing content than any trained marketer?

How clever is Chat GPT?

There have been many, many ChatGPT experiments. My favourite so far has been a comedic talk-show, who told the audience at the beginning of the show that Chat GPT wrote one of the jokes that would appear that evening. At the end of the show, the audience had to choose which joke that was. Amusingly, the audience got it wrong! So already, the tool is fooling us.

What do humans have over ChatGPT? I hope that humans have a creative edge over this type of AI. We are not always logical, which means that we walk a more colorful and creative path. I decided to test the creativity of Artificial Intelligence, so this is my ChatGPT experiment. It tests not only the technical knowledge of writing a crochet pattern, but also creating a 3D design through the patterns.

Test 1 – Heatsink

‘ChatGPT, create me a crochet pattern for a heatsink.’ At this point the engine warned me that it would not work as an actual heatsink as it was made of yarn. Having confirmed I was aware of the limitations of a yarn-based heatsink it went on to write a pattern.

Creating a crochet pattern for an optimized heatsink may be challenging as crochet is primarily used for creating fabric and decorative items. Heatsinks, on the other hand, are typically made from metal or other conductive materials to dissipate heat effectively. Crocheting may not provide the necessary thermal conductivity required for an efficient heatsink.

If you're looking for a decorative item inspired by a heatsink, such as a coaster or a trivet, I can help you with that. However, please note that it won't function as a real heatsink. Let me know if you'd like me to provide a crochet pattern for a heatsink-inspired decorative item.

I was touched to see it give me a warning after the pattern as well. it seemed genuinely concerned for my well-being:

Your heatsink-inspired coaster is now complete! It can be used to protect your surfaces while adding a touch of geeky style. Remember that this coaster is purely decorative and not intended for actual heat dissipation. Enjoy your crochet creation!

Having followed the instructions exactly including the specified silver coloured thread, paired with a ‘contrasting colour’, this result was slightly disappointing, I’ll probably give it to my baby niece to wear as a beret instead! Round 1: Humans 1 - ChatGPT 0.

I cannot conclude the experiment at one test, with plenty of yarn left I gave ChatGPT another chance since the pattern itself did make sense. To a seasoned crocheter, you could see that it didn’t quite know the ins and outs of crochet design, for example, the joins were not quite right. But only an experienced crocheter would notice these details.

Test 2 – EV of the future

As ChatGPT seemed so concerned about making sure I knew that heatsink would not be useable IRL (in-real-life), I made sure to ask him next, to create a pattern for a representation of what an electric vehicle (EV) of the future might look like.

Round 2: Humans 2 - ChatGPT 0.

I’m beginning to feel secure again about AI of the future and have another hat for my niece. Let's try something more challenging, maybe ChatGPT wants to stretch its virtual muscles.

Test 3 – Moon pool

Inspired by our story in this issue about moon pools, I decided to push ChatGPT with a pattern to represent (in case I try to sail it of course), a ship with a moon pool. I started following the instructions exactly as written and I got as far as creating a brown rectangle, before the pattern turned to gibberish. After trying to interpret it in different ways, and a lot of art-rage, I admitted defeat. My poor friend ChatGPT had failed me, and after just 3 rounds it is Humans 3 - ChatGPT 0, let’s give him one last shot.

Test 4 – A Simcenter Mascot

One last chance my friend. I wanted to see how creative he could get with a much more open brief. What character could he conjure up that would represent Simcenter?

Here is the result, I think we can conclude on: Humans 3 - ChatGPT 1