# AI & I By [POAPs Gone Wild](https://paragraph.com/@poapsgonewild) ยท 2023-04-24 --- I had always dreamed of becoming a writer. I spent most of my life scribbling down notes and ideas for stories that I hoped would someday be published. So, after finishing my undergraduate degree, I packed my bags and moved to New York City to pursue a career in writing. I knew it wouldn't be easy. But I was determined to succeed. I enrolled in a prestigious MFA program and spent the next two years honing my craft. I worked tirelessly on my writing, attending workshops, and meeting with my professors. And finally, after years of hard work and sacrifice, I graduated. But when I emerged from the ivory tower of academia, I found a world that was very different from the one I had imagined. I had hoped to supplement my income through freelance writing and editing, but I quickly discovered that nobody wanted to pay for human writers anymore. They were all using ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence program that could write just as well as I could, but without the human error. I was devastated. I had spent all my money on tuition, and I had nothing to show for it. I felt like a failure. I began to doubt everything I had ever believed about myself and my abilities. Maybe I was never meant to be a writer. Maybe I had wasted my entire life chasing a dream that was never going to come true. I tried to keep writing. I sat down at my desk every day, staring at the blank page, trying to summon the words. But it was no use. I had lost my passion for writing. I couldn't find the motivation to create anything anymore. I began to think that maybe this was all for the best. After all, what was the point of writing when everything was going to be written by ChatGPT eventually? The world was changing, and I didn't know how to keep up with it. So I gave up. I stopped trying to write altogether. I got a job at a bookstore and spent my days shelving books and helping customers find what they were looking for. It was a quiet, unremarkable life, but it was a life nonetheless. As time passed, I realized that I had lost the one thing that had given my life meaning. I missed the feeling of creating something, of putting my thoughts and emotions into words. But I couldn't bring myself to start writing again. I knew that I could never compete with ChatGPT, and I didn't see the point of trying. One day, while sorting through a box of old papers, I came across a notebook filled with my old writing. I sat down and read through it, feeling a twinge of nostalgia. It reminded me of a time when I had believed that anything was possible, a time when I had thought that my words could change the world. But as I looked around me, I realized that the world had changed, and I didn't fit in anymore. ChatGPT had taken over, and there was no room left for human writers. And so I closed the notebook and put it back in the box. I knew that I would never write again. I had lost my chance, and I could never get it back. I created a POAP to commemorate my lost life as a writer, a reminder of what could have been. But it was a sad reminder, a symbol of my failure to adapt to a changing world. The image was a pen and the description was a melancholic reflection on my lost dream of becoming a writer and the impact of artificial intelligence on the industry. And so I lived out the rest of my days in quiet desperation, watching as the world passed me by. I knew that I had made the wrong choice, that I had given up too soon. But it was too late now. The world had moved on, and I was left behind, a forgotten relic of a bygone era. **The above story was written by AI with the following prompt:** Write a short story of 400-600 words. The story has a dry, melancholy, dark, ironic tone taking inspiration from writers such as Raymond Carver, John Kennedy Toole, Damon Young, and Kurt Vonnegut. The story is about a young aspiring writer who just finished a very expensive undergraduate and graduate education in New York City. He decides to abandon his writing career because ChatGPT is taking his work. He planned to write a novel and supplement his income through freelance writing and editing, but can no longer find freelance work because everyone is using ChatGPT instead of paying him. He supposes he could still write a novel but then starts to believe that it won't be long before all novels are also written by artificial intelligence so he doesn't see the point. He's not sure what he will do with his life now, but he creates a POAP to commemorate his lost life as a writer. **The first response (below) was incorrect because AI would not listen to me and tried to put a positive spin on it; I assume AI is owned by Netflix. So I had to ask again:** Amend the story so it has a sad ending, where he chooses to never write again, even a novel, because he thinks artificial intelligence will also write all the novels soon and so he doesn't see the point of writing. The POAP he creates is to commemorate his LOST life as a writer, which he will never have back and never pursue again because artificial intelligence is doing it instead now. Also change the story to first person. **Initial AI response:** Jonathan had always dreamed of becoming a writer. He had spent most of his life scribbling down notes and ideas for stories that he hoped would someday be published. So, after finishing his undergraduate degree, he packed his bags and moved to New York City to pursue a career in writing. Jonathan knew it wouldn't be easy. But he was determined to succeed. He enrolled in a prestigious MFA program and spent the next two years honing his craft. He worked tirelessly on his writing, attending workshops, and meeting with his professors. And finally, after years of hard work and sacrifice, he graduated. But when he emerged from the ivory tower of academia, he found a world that was very different from the one he had imagined. He had hoped to supplement his income through freelance writing and editing, but he quickly discovered that nobody wanted to pay for human writers anymore. They were all using ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence program that could write just as well as he could, but without the human error. Jonathan was devastated. He had spent all his money on tuition, and he had nothing to show for it. He felt like a failure. He began to doubt everything he had ever believed about himself and his abilities. Maybe he was never meant to be a writer. Maybe he had wasted his entire life chasing a dream that was never going to come true. He tried to keep writing. He sat down at his desk every day, staring at the blank page, trying to summon the words. But it was no use. He had lost his passion for writing. He couldn't find the motivation to create anything anymore. He began to think that maybe this was all for the best. After all, what was the point of writing when everything was going to be written by ChatGPT eventually? The world was changing, and he didn't know how to keep up with it. So he gave up. He stopped trying to write altogether. He got a job at a bookstore and spent his days shelving books and helping customers find what they were looking for. It was a quiet, unremarkable life, but it was a life nonetheless. One day, while he was shelving books, he came across a book that he had read in his MFA program. It was a novel by Raymond Carver, one of his favorite writers. He picked it up and flipped through the pages, feeling a twinge of nostalgia. He realized then that writing was more than just a means to an end. It was a way of connecting with other people, of sharing ideas and emotions. Even if ChatGPT could write just as well as he could, it could never replicate the human experience of writing. Jonathan knew then that he had made the right decision. He may never be a famous writer or make a lot of money from his writing, but he could still write for the love of it. And so he went home that night and started writing again. He didn't know where it would lead him, but he didn't care. He was happy just to be writing again, to be creating something that was uniquely his own. And so he wrote, not for the fame or the money, but for the sheer joy of it. And when he finished his first novel, he didn't worry about whether it would be published or not. He simply printed out a copy and created a POAP to commemorate his lost life as a writer. It was a reminder of where he had been and where he was going, a testament to his determination and his love of writing. **And finally I asked:** In the short story, describe what the POAP looked like, what was written in the description field, and any other info included in any of the other fields **And AI said:** In the short story, it is not explicitly stated what the POAP looked like, what was written in the description field, or any other information included in the other fields. However, I can offer some possibilities of what the POAP might have looked like and the information it could have included, based on the context provided in the story. The POAP, or Proof of Attendance Protocol, is a type of digital token that can be used to commemorate an event or experience. In the story, the protagonist creates a POAP to commemorate his lost life as a writer. The token might have included an image or symbol related to writing or literature, such as a pen or a book, as well as a unique code or identifier that would be associated with the event or experience. In the description field, the protagonist might have included a message or statement about his experience as a writer and why he chose to create the POAP. It could have been a sad or melancholic reflection on his lost dream of becoming a writer and the impact of artificial intelligence on the industry. Alternatively, it could have been a more positive message about the lessons he learned from his experience and the new directions his life might take. Other fields on the POAP might have included the date and location of the event or experience being commemorated, as well as any other relevant details. For example, the field could have included the name of the university where the protagonist received his expensive undergraduate and graduate education, or the names of any publications he had written for as a freelancer. Ultimately, the content of the POAP would depend on the protagonist's personal experience and perspective on his life as a writer. --- *Originally published on [POAPs Gone Wild](https://paragraph.com/@poapsgonewild/ai-i)*