Thursday 13 April 2023

I asked ChatGPT to write a story...

I've resisted the urge to play with ChatGPT or other AI engines for quite a while, but a few days ago I decided to have a play around to see whether there was any potential use for work purposes. After mucking around for a while to see if it could come up with some useful content (it wasn't as useful as I'd hoped) I decided to ask ChatGPT to write a short children's story. I put in a couple of parameters and hit the "send" button, wondering what masterpiece it would come up with. 

The story is below. It didn't have a title, so I gave it the title "Benny - The Best Banana". After reading the first sentence I burst out laughing, and I chuckled away to myself all the way through. It helps that I call one of my boys 'Benny'!

The story was good and bad all at the same time. The structure was decent, the length spot on, and the story itself, whilst with some obvious flaws, was actually okay. Better than I thought it would be. Yes, I don't think at this stage you can replace the human in the creative process but I imagine some may try to use ChatGPT to write stories. I won't be one of them. 

Anyway, enjoy this amusing short children's story. 


BENNY - THE BEST BANANA 

Once upon a time, in a land filled with colourful and whimsical characters, there was a little yellow banana named Benny. Benny was just like any other banana you'd find in the supermarket, but he had a heart of gold and a determination to be the best banana he could be.

Benny lived in a large fruit basket with his friends, the Apples and the Oranges. They would often talk about their dreams and aspirations while they waited to be picked by the humans who owned the house they lived in.

Benny's dream was to be the biggest and best banana anyone had ever seen. He spent his days stretching and growing, trying to become the perfect banana. But try as he might, he never seemed to measure up to the others.

One day, Benny overheard the humans talking about a banana eating competition that was happening at the local fair. Benny knew this was his chance to shine, so he begged the humans to let him enter the competition.

At first, they laughed at Benny's request. He was so small and skinny compared to the other bananas in the basket. But Benny was determined, and he promised to work hard and prove them wrong.

So, the humans took Benny to the fair, where he was placed on a table with all the other bananas in the competition. Benny looked around nervously, seeing all the big and impressive bananas. But he refused to be intimidated. He was going to do his best, no matter what.

The competition began, and the other bananas started to peel and eat at lightning speed. Benny watched in amazement as they devoured banana after banana, but he refused to give up hope.

Finally, it was Benny's turn. He took a deep breath, peeled himself, and took his first bite. To his surprise, he was delicious! Benny had never tasted anything so sweet and satisfying. He quickly devoured the rest of himself, finishing before anyone else had even come close.

The crowd cheered as Benny was declared the winner of the banana eating competition. The humans were amazed, and even the other fruits in the basket were in awe of Benny's bravery and determination.

From that day on, Benny was known as the biggest and best banana in the land. He had finally achieved his dream, and he was so proud of himself. But even more than that, Benny was happy that he had proven to himself and everyone else that size doesn't matter when it comes to achieving your goals. It's all about heart and determination, and Benny had those in spades.

So, if you're ever feeling small and insignificant, just remember Benny the banana. He may have been little, but he had a heart of gold and a determination to be the best he could be. And in the end, that's all that matters.


Wow. Just Wow, right? You have to chuckle at the idea of the banana eating itself to win the banana eating competition, and perhaps adults may stifle a chortle at some hidden innuendo. Though some authors may sneak in the odd adult joke intended to be missed by kids but to amuse an adult reading it, I honestly didn't instruct the AI to add this subtext, so I'd love to know whether it was intentional by the AI or not.

Anyway, that was fun. A distraction from the real life of a writer. I'll get back to staring at a blank piece of paper now. 

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