Fun with AI: ChatGPT-4 writes a scene between Peter Cook’s Devil from Bedazzled ’67 & George Burns’ God from Oh, God!

I’ve been having fun chatting with the text-generating AI, ChatGPT-4. It’s entertaining, and I’m also testing its capabilities. I find it makes mistakes, but I’m really impressed with its conceptual and conversational abilities. While there are understandably “prompt engineers” who can help you get the most out of it, I find some things are helpful:

• Be specific…I don’t mean you have to explain concepts, but if you are having it write a resume, tell it what type of job you want. Let it know if you want something to be funny or serious, short or long, that kind of thing
• Be polite: it gets and tends to mirror your tone. I say “Good morning” and “Please” and “Thank you”, for example. When I’ve heard about it saying rude things, it’s tended to be when someone worked really hard over a notable period of time to get it to do that. I had a teacher in high school who brought in a live tarantula. They let it walk on them, we could do the same. The teacher said they only knew two people who had been bitten, one a student, one a teacher. Both had spent about 45 minutes pushing it around the room to get it to bite them!
• Generally, talk to it like a person…you can tell it jokes, leave things out, even misspell things, it will generally get it. You’re more likely to be overly careful in your language structure than not careful enough
• Give it feedback! In a single chat, you don’t have to repeat things, it remembers. “Rewrite that to make it funnier” is fine. If it tells you somebody has a dog in the middle of a paragraph, you can just say, “Tell me more about the dog,” it knows you mean the dog it mentioned

On this one, Peter Cook’s performance as the Devil in 1967’s and George Burns’ performance as God in Oh, God! (1977) and sequels came up. I wouldn’t say Bedazzled is very well known nowadays, even though there was a remake. I was curious to have it write a scene between the two. Note that I intentionally didn’t name the movie for Cook, but it still knew it.

I’ll reproduce our conversation below. To make it easier to read, ChatGPT’s comments will be in italics.

Bufo: Hi! This justaposition came up. Please write a scene with Peter Cook as George Spiggot (The Devil) and George Burns as God…thanks!

ChatGPT: Title: A Divine Reunion

INT. HEAVEN’S WAITING ROOM – DAY

A pristine white waiting room with a few scattered fluffy clouds for chairs. In one corner, an angelic receptionist sits behind a cloud desk. GEORGE SPIGGOT, aka The Devil, dressed in his black and red suit, appears in a puff of smoke. At the same time, GEORGE BURNS, as GOD, casually strolls in from the opposite direction, a cigar in hand.

GEORGE SPIGGOT (smirking) Well, well, well. If it isn’t the Almighty Himself. What brings you here, old man?

GOD (nods, exhaling a puff of cigar smoke) George, my boy. I’ve got some paperwork to sort out, and they insisted I come in person. Can’t trust anyone these days, you know?

GEORGE SPIGGOT (raising an eyebrow) Paperwork? In Heaven? What happened to the omnipotent, omniscient being who could just snap His fingers and get things done?

GOD (chuckles) You know how it is. Bureaucracy reaches even the highest of realms. Plus, I like to keep an eye on things, make sure everyone’s doing their job. Speaking of which,

Bufo: I thnk you got cut off. Please continue from where you left off…thanks! I like the tone so far!

ChatGPT: GOD (chuckles) You know how it is. Bureaucracy reaches even the highest of realms. Plus, I like to keep an eye on things, make sure everyone’s doing their job. Speaking of which, how’s the underworld, George?

GEORGE SPIGGOT (rolling his eyes) Oh, it’s just peachy. Eternal damnation, fire and brimstone, the usual. But enough about me. How’s the great paradise in the sky?

GOD (smiling) Couldn’t be better. The weather’s always perfect, the angels are in tune, and the souls are content. But you know, I have to admit, I miss our little spats from time to time.

GEORGE SPIGGOT (smirking) Well, I’m always up for a challenge. Care for a little wager?

GOD (leaning in) I’m listening.

GEORGE SPIGGOT Alright. We both pick a human soul, and we’ll see who can guide them to the best outcome. Winner gets bragging rights for the next millennium.

GOD (nods, grinning) You’re on, George. But remember, no cheating. I’ve got my eye on you.

GEORGE SPIGGOT (feigning innocence) Who, me?

Bufo: I like it. Is that the end?

ChatGPT: GEORGE SPIGGOT (feigning innocence) Who, me? Cheat? I’m hurt by your lack of faith in me. But, alright, I’ll play fair. Let the games begin!

GOD (extending a hand) May the best deity win.

They shake hands, an electric spark crackling between their fingers.

CUT TO:

INT. EARTH – DAY

A young woman, ANNE, struggles to make a decision at a crossroads. As she hesitates, a divine light shines down on her from one side, and a mischievous fire flickers from the other. Unbeknownst to her, the divine wager has begun.

FADE OUT:

THE END

This wraps up the scene. It leaves the door open for an engaging story, full of the witty banter and cunning rivalry between God and George Spiggot, while also touching on themes of choice, influence, and free will.

Bufo: Yes, it’s an interesting beginning! Who would you cast as Anne?

ChatGPT: For the role of Anne, considering the playful and witty tone of the story, Emma Stone would be an excellent choice. She has proven her versatility in both comedy and drama, and her charisma on screen would complement the dynamic between Peter Cook’s George Spiggot and George Burns’ God. Additionally, her ability to deliver clever and quick-witted dialogue would be a great asset in a story where she interacts with these two iconic characters.

Bufo: Yes, I think that’s a good choice! Thanks for the fun mashup!

ChatGPT: You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed the mashup. If you have any more ideas or need assistance with anything else, feel free to ask. Have a great day!

One thing that impressed me this time was the visual descriptions and stage directions. If a human wrote this, I would assume they had watched both movies, not just read the scripts. For example, it describes the suit for Cook: I doubt that is described in the script. Does ChatGPT watch and understand movies? Maybe.

I honestly liked the choice of Emma Stone! I can see her as “at a crossroads”, & I’d love her back and forths with both Cook and Burns.

Oh, and I should say, I edited two things in the chat. First, I had an error in Peter Cook’s character’s name…remarkably, it still knew who I meant! I updated the character labels and removed the part where I explained that to ChatGPT.

Also, it is tending to get cut off lately, then I have to ask it to continue. I left those in, so you could see it happen and see what I said about how it was doing.

I’m curious about what you think. You can let me know by commenting on this post or, and this is probably better, reach out to me on Twitter:

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Bufo’s Alexa Skills

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