ChatCdB: The AI Muse Behind the Screens
Does a Digital Cyrano de Bergerac Help or Hinder our Creative Evolution?
Psst! Hey readers! On March 7th, 2024, I am hosting another instance of my popular workshop 7 Habits for Highly Successful Prompting. I am offering a discount to subscribers of this newsletter to fill out the few remaining seats. If you are interested in shifting your mindset and learning how to get the most out of conversational AIs, this workshop is for you. Use code MOREBETTERDIFFERENT100 at checkout for $100 off!
In Edmond Rostand's classic play, Cyrano de Bergerac, the titular character is a gallant poet-soldier with a sharp wit (and an even sharper nose). He is convinced his appearance makes him unworthy of love, so he channels his unspoken passion into ghostwriting exquisitely poetic letters for the handsome Christian—thus enabling a romance with Roxane, the woman Cyrano secretly adores. This tale of channelled talent and hidden truths strangely mirrors our increasing creative use of AI. (They may be funhouse mirrors, but they are mirrors all the same).
Much like Christian’s reliance on Cyrano’s wit, technology like ChatGPT and Midjourney allows us to express ourselves creatively without the pre-requisite talent or effort. We, too, can be the inarticulate hero that gets the girl, the job, the accolades. AI becomes our digital intermediary, offering a buffer that enables us to share our creations—our “letters”— while guarding against the fear of rejection.
The AI Vulnerability Buffer
Lately, I’ve been contemplating the intricate connection between vulnerability, creativity, and the human condition. AI enables us to take a step back as we simultaneously lean into our creative endeavours. We present our ideas to the world, shielded by a safety buffer—a proxy akin to our own Cyrano de Bergerac whispering sweet poetry into our ears so that we might recite it to a world we desperately long to impress.
This technological intermediary emboldens us to share images and blog posts and poems and thoughts because we are insulated from the sting of rejection. The AI armour protects us from the slings and arrows of harsh critique or dismissal. “I didn’t really make that,” we can remind ourselves, deflecting the potential hurt. Unless everyone loves it, of course, in which case we claim the brilliance as our own, basking in the accolades while our silent partner remains on pause.
Yesterday, I stumbled upon the ElevenLabs Text To Speech GPT (accessible only through a ChatGPT Plus paid account). This remarkable tool can transform brief segments of text into audio that gives the illusion of having hired Sam Elliott (or some other impressive talent) as a narrator.
So, of course, I asked myself, “What if I could hire Sam Elliot to read anything and send it to my friends and family?” I sat down to co-author a spontaneous note of gratitude with the following prompt:
Write a note thanking my parents for being so encouraging and supportive throughout my life and career. They are amazing friends, mentors, grandparents to my kids, and cheerleaders. They have been nothing short of incredible—sometimes playing the role of banker, inn keeper, psychologist, chef. Write this in a rhyme that would make Roald Dahl proud.
What ChatGPT produced was indeed touching, bespoke, and playful, yet admittedly trite and clichéd. Fake Sam’s subsequent delivery sometimes lacked luster, and the verse had its flaws, but it was undoubtedly more affective and compelling than any standard Hallmark™ card—or as I affectionately call them, "Hellmark cards."
And yet, despite all its flaws and awkwardness, the simulated voice of white-labelled Sam Elliott brought an unexpected depth to the goofy poem. (Naturally, the genuine Sam would infuse it with far greater warmth. And the authentic Roald Dahl (bless his soul) would never pen something so… ordinary.) Weirdly, all this artifice gave me the courage, the permission, to tell my parents what I appreciated about them in embarrassing detail.
I could not have realized this endeavour alone. ChatGPT captured an ephemeral sentiment and ElevenLabs preserved it like a message in a bottle. After sending it to my parents via text, they reacted with a simple ❤️—an appropriately effortless response. But then my mom continued:
Wow. I feel honoured, and the feelings are mutual. But your voice has changed…
My mother’s words spurred me to generate more of these auditory “Hellmark cards,” which I sent to a handful of friends. Every message was met with surprise and delight (and a slight undertone of confusion). I said a myriad of things I might not have said without the help of my whispering muse. It was a joyful and expressive evening.
The Double-Edged Sword of AI Creativity
Can we use AI as training wheels for resilient vulnerability, or is it simply a clever masquerade, a digital guise behind which we always hide our true selves? Reflecting on the tale of Cyrano de Bergerac—a story of hidden truths and channelled talents—it becomes clear that our journey with AI in the realm of creativity mirrors this classic narrative in more ways than one. Much like Cyrano's poetic letters, AI tools offer us the means to express our creativity in ways we might never have imagined, serving as a digital muse that whispers inspiration into our ears. Yet, the question remains: Does this ChatCdB help or hinder our creative evolution?
The answer, it seems, is as complex as the tapestry of human creativity itself. AI, in its inexhaustible forms, presents a double-edged sword. It offers a buffer against the vulnerability of creative exposure, allowing us to explore and express ourselves without fear. However, this same buffer can distance us from authenticity, our own essence, our unique human touch.
Even Christian began to regret leaning so heavily on Cyrano to woo Roxane. He wanted her to love him for who he was, and while he never got better at poetry, he did gain the confidence to ask her to choose between his true self and his borrowed words. There lies within us a desire for our creations to be a soulful reflection of ourselves, not just the capabilities of the tech toys at our disposal.
The Medium is Not Your Message
AI tools are not going away, and will only get more powerful and comprehensive. I encourage us all to embrace AI as a muse, a source of inspiration and expansion for our creative endeavours. But at the same time, let us also remember that the most profound beauty, love, and creativity springs from the truth and depth of our own human voice. In the end, use AI as a tool, not as a crutch. It’s not the medium that’s the message, it’s the authenticity and passion of our personal intent, our expression of the human condition.
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Psst! Hey readers! On March 7th, 2024, I am hosting another instance of my popular workshop 7 Habits for Highly Successful Prompting. I am offering a discount to subscribers of this newsletter to fill out the few remaining seats. If you are interested in shifting your mindset and learning how to get the most out of conversational AIs, this workshop is for you. Use code MOREBETTERDIFFERENT100 at checkout for $100 off!