As I read the third or fourth of these pieces, I suddenly imagined the kernel of a story, or a short video, about a journalist who is assigned to interview the actor/writer/director, Greta Gerwig, about a new movie of hers called Barbie. (Mr AI, just trust me, it's one of the big movies this summer.)
However, due to a series of mishaps, the journalist misses the interview and Greta Gerwig is far too busy to be rescheduled.
What will the journalist do? She feeds the script of the movie, Frances Ha, 2000 words at a time into ChatGPT. Then, she interviews the chatbot, hoping it can stand in for the actual Greta Gerwig — just based on Gerwig's portrayal of a fictional version of herself in the film ten years earlier. I think the idea has potential, with a timely tie-in, a plot twist, and a contemporary spin.
ChatGPT Responds
I agree, your idea is quite clever and indeed timely given the ongoing advances in AI. It could make for a thought-provoking commentary on the blending lines between technology and human interaction. Here's a brief outline of how your story could unfold:
Inciting Incident: The journalist, Amelia, gets her assignment to interview Greta Gerwig about the new hit movie "Barbie". It's a significant opportunity for Amelia, who has always admired Gerwig's work.
Rising Action: A series of mishaps occur. Amelia misses a flight, gets caught in a protest blocking traffic, loses her phone, and when she finally arrives at the venue, she finds out the interview has been cancelled due to her tardiness. She tries to reschedule, but Gerwig's schedule is too tight.
Plot Point: In despair, Amelia stumbles upon the idea to use an AI language model (ChatGPT-5) to recreate the interview. She has an old script of "Frances Ha," and decides to train the model using this data, 2000 words at a time.
Climax: Amelia conducts the 'interview' with the AI trained on Gerwig's character. The AI's responses surprise her - they're nuanced, smart, and at times uncannily Greta-like.
Falling Action: Amelia presents her 'interview' to her boss. Suspense builds - will he realize it's an AI or will he accept it as a genuine interview?
Resolution: The article is a hit. Amelia's 'interview' with 'Greta' is praised for its unique perspective and depth. Amelia feels a mix of guilt and relief - but also a strange kind of triumph.
Twist Ending: Later, Amelia gets an email. It's from Greta Gerwig. She read the interview, and loved it. She had no idea it was with an AI, but she finds the concept fascinating, and proposes a real interview about the AI experience. The tables are turned - the AI led Amelia to the real interview after all.
There are a lot of ways you could develop this idea, but I hope this provides you with a good starting point.
User
I was trying to think of what format to present this clever idea in. Obviously, it could be a short story. Or equally, it could be a short film, maybe 10 or 12 minutes long, and for budgetary reasons, it might be presented as a crude but charming animation. Or maybe just stills and backgrounds for the voiceover narrative. And I just realized it might even work just as a question and answer with the chat bot, as we have just written.
ChatGPT
Indeed, there are several formats that would lend themselves well to this story.
Short Story: As you noted, this concept could easily be adapted into a short story. This would allow the story to be developed more thoroughly and provide more details about Amelia's character and her reactions to the various plot developments.
Short Film: The visual nature of film would enable you to convey the comedic mishaps that lead to Amelia's missed interview in a humorous and engaging manner. Plus, seeing the AI responses being 'delivered' might add a surreal aspect to the whole situation.
Animation: A low-budget animation could work effectively for this story. It could add a layer of charm to the narrative, especially if the animation style is quirky and matches the whimsical tone of the story.
Q&A Format: It could be presented as an innovative literary piece, with the entire narrative being revealed through a series of Q&A sessions with the chat bot. This would be the most meta approach, and could be intriguing for the readers.
Each of these formats has its strengths and would bring a unique perspective to the story. Your choice might depend on your audience, the resources available to you, and the way you want to convey the story's themes and ideas.
