With my growing excitement about artificial intelligence and its capabilities, I wanted to see what it could do for me.
I decided to have my AI assistant, AL, write a story in the style of WF Strong. I didn't tell him I was writing a Texas story. I wanted him to send that creepy crawler out onto the vast web and figure it out for himself.
As for my style, I myself have not been able to define what it is. I guess it depends on whether I've been reading McCarthy, McMurtry, or Paulette Giles this week.
As another wrinkle in the experiment, I wondered if I could have AL make this story even more artificially personal to me. So I asked him to clone my voice. It took about an hour, but it turned out to be pretty nice. You can listen in the audio player above.
Well, here is the story AL wrote in response to my request.
In the heart of the Lone Star State, where the sun shines fiercely on the red earth, there lived a man named Jeb. Jeb was a strong cowboy who endured years of hard labor on a vast ranch that stretched as far as the eye could see.
One scorching summer day, Jeb was riding out to check on his cows when he noticed a strange glow in the distance. His curiosity piqued, he spurred his horse, and the dust kicked up in a swirling cloud behind the horse.
As he got closer, Jeb realized that the glow was coming from a small clear spring bubbling up from the ground. The water was cool and refreshing, a stark contrast to the intense heat of the day. Jeb dismounted and took a long drink, feeling the liquid revive him from the inside out.
But as Ebu knelt by the spring, she heard a soft voice on the wind. “You have found the Fountain of Truth, Cowboy,” the voice whispered. Jeb looked around in surprise, but saw no one.
Determined to solve the mystery, Jeb spent the next few days exploring the area around the spring. In the process, he discovers a hidden cave in a nearby rocky cliff. Inside the cave, he discovered ancient glyphs and symbols carved into the walls, telling stories of a lost civilization that revered springs as sources of wisdom and enlightenment.
Armed with his newfound knowledge, Jeb returns to the ranch with a sense of purpose. He shared the story of the Spring of Truth with his fellow cowboys, inspiring them to seek their truth and live with integrity and honor.
Since that day, the Spring of Truth has become a sacred place to the people of the Texas plains. They made pilgrimages to this spring, seeking guidance and wisdom in times of trouble, and always finding solace in its cool, clear waters.
And the legend of Jeb and the Well of Truth lives on, reminding all who heard it that the path to enlightenment can be found in the most unexpected places, even in the vast Texas wilderness. It reminded me.
not bad. With a little tweaking, AL can send in a clone for me, but I'll just let the direct deposit go to my bank.
Now, Al, please finish before I get something cold.