Prompt Engineering: A New Genre of Writing
I was intrigued to read shortly after ChatGPT’s introduction in November 2022, that authors were writing novels with it. Ron Roth, my colleague on AI and Faith’s Editorial Team, was equally intrigued and so we brought to Large Language Models (LLMs) the challenge of writing Darwin’s Edge, which explores the integration of AI and human. The nature of the narrative seemed well-suited to experimentation in AI and so, for more than a year, we’ve been exploring the relative strengths of an expanding array of AI assistants that are now available to writers. Gemini, ChatGPT, and Midjourney are the tools we’ve found to be best suited to our purpose.
In darwin’s edge, we tell the story of thinkpal, the first neural auxiliary to change our understanding of what it means to be human.
We’ve also been studying the art of prompt engineering. Ron especially has made a science of it. He details his approach here.
We’re doing the same thing that most who are writing fiction with AI are now doing: We’re loading our LLMs with character profiles and backstories, plots, settings, relationships – everything that goes into crafting the story we’re intent on telling.
From this grit, our LLMs have plenty of material on which to chew when we submit prompts, enabling them to predict with considerable accuracy the kind of narrative we have in mind as we’re scripting our narrative. Along the way, we can illustrate our content, too.
Our LLMs produce reasonably good prose in response to virtually any prompt we give it. Of course, “reasonably good” is beneath our standard and so we devote a considerable time to giving our AI-augmented narratives a good human polish, working in Basecamp, which keeps us organized and is best for brainstorming early drafts, and Google Docs, which works better for precision editing.
And here’s draft introduction to Darwin’s Edge, which both ChatGPT and Gemini are substantially contributing in collaboration with humans.
Ron Roth is having a lot of success with what he calls his ‘screen weaver template” with AI. He demos it here. HE DEMOS HIS APPROACH HERE.
We’re pleased to welcome Elias Kruger to our writing team. Elias is the prime content driver on AI and Faith’s website and of its monthly newsletter, the deadline for which I at at this moment now rushing to make. Elias has been spearheading the AI Theology 2045 writing competition, the results of which we can look forward to reading in a volume to be published this summer. We’re looking forward to syncing our effort with that.
As an “Expert Contributor,” Elias is advising us on the optimal scripting of AI and Faith into our story. That means we’re asking him to imagine the organization, environment and mission in 2043. We’re inviting him especially to step into the shoes of Derek Barnes, the newly named CEO we imagine joining AIF in seven years. What’s his back story? What drives him?
In producing Darwin’s Edge, we aim to do for AI and Faith what Cast Away did for FedEx and what Barbie has done for Mattel. That’s what we’ve told Elias.
To amplify and illuminate themes we’re exploring in Darwin’s Edge, we’re engaging Unitarian Universalist congregations in relevant conversations and worship services. Among sermons we’ve been pleased to publish on AI and the Human are Rev. Joseph Cleveland’s Machined Soul and Rev. Nica Eaton’s AI and Being Human.
In March, UU Boca Raton gave Darwin’s Edge with its stage performance with Augmented Humanity. More UU worship services synced with Darwin’s Edge are in development.
The goal of the Smartacus Creative Group is to bring the power of storytelling into pulpits and sanctuaries. That’s where it’s most empowered to touch souls and create understanding and meaning.
