Digital Zombies to Modern Wit: Crafting a Tale with AI

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So, I have been trying to keep up with and use some of these AI tools that have been rolling out in recent months. Tools like ChatGPT and ideogram.ai are pretty amazing and have a ton of use cases. To disclose upfront I used both tools mentioned to help with this post. Mostly for fun and curiosity of how these tools work.

Yesterday, in the U.S. Fema and the FCC ran a test on the Emergency Alert system. Everyone got a sweet loud buzz on their phones with an emergency test message, around the same time. Mine came through in Spanish though; still trying to figure that out.

Anyways, this re-sparked some chat across communication lines I participate in about the silly theories that 5G technology is somehow linked to the spread of COVID-19, or that yesterdays Emergency Alert would cause a zombie outbreak, among other things.

From the conversations I had about this I felt like writing a short story bringing humor to the conversation. Unfortunately my creative juices in this area do not flow well. This is where ChatGPT comes in! I had a rough idea of what the story should be about, and prompted ChatGPT-4 accordingly. Spending about 20 minutes total with the tool, going back and forth with it on a few details, getting revisions, and then ultimately asking for a title, a summarized description, and a prompt to use for generating an image.

Ideogram.AI comes into play; this image generation tool is really nice. One thing it does really well is putting words into images. It still makes some mistakes, but this model is much better at it than what I have seen from Dalle or other image generation models.

Here is the initial prompt I used with ChatGPT:

Write me a short story about a man realizing he’s becoming a zombie and cannot tame his insatiable hunger. Near the end pivot to a plot twist where it’s actually a Snickers commercial and a famous celebrity of your choosing is telling him to eat a Snickers bar.

And the prompt it provided me to use with Idaogram.ai for an image:

A digital workspace, illuminated by the soft glow of a computer screen, where a blogger crafts a narrative. Textual snippets related to zombies, 5G, and COVID-19 vaccines float ethereally in the background, interspersed with recognizable icons like a Snickers bar and a stylized depiction of Ryan Reynolds. Overlaying this scene, a translucent layer of AI circuitry symbolizes the guiding hand of advanced technology in the creation process.

That is it, here is a short story from ChatGPT bringing a little humor to our world.

In the dimly lit corridors of the city’s subway station, Charles staggered along, memories of once-dismissed internet theories about the COVID-19 vaccine and 5G turning people into zombies flooding back. The weight of confusion was heavy as memories of laughter, love, and vibrant life clashed with this emerging darkness.

His fingers, once nimble, now felt cold and rigid. His phone, continuously illuminated by 5G, buzzed with missed calls and messages. But it was a reflection in a puddle that truly startled him. Eyes devoid of life, skin a ghastly shade, he felt an insatiable hunger growing with each heartbeat.

Drawn to the muffled sounds of terrified subway passengers, Charles prepared to succumb to the darkness within when a familiar voice halted him. “You know, Charles,” Ryan Reynolds remarked with a smirk, “You’re not you when you’re hungry.” Holding out a Snickers bar, he added, “Forget 5G or whatever G you’re on about. Just eat this.”

Taking a bite, the familiar taste of caramel and nuts grounded Charles. The world brightened, and the haze lifted. With a chuckle, Reynolds clapped him on the back, “Always good to be prepared for… side effects.”