In the style of Steely Dan? I think not

Blog entry
Authored by
11 June, 2023

I feel like I've seen lots of people claim that ChatGPT is good at mimicking the style of particular writers. (I seem to recall one writer who asked ChatGPT to write in his own style, and was really impressed by the results. I wonder if I can find that and link to it ... )

Well, the first "in the style of" experiment that occurred to me was this:

me:

Write a feminist song in the style of Steely Dan.

ChatGPT

Verse 1:
She's a woman, she's a queen
She's the one who's breaking the scene
She's a fighter, she's a lover
She's the one who's taking it over

Chorus:
Don't you mess with her, she's a Steely Dan girl
She's got power, she's got soul, she's got the world
She's a woman, she's a fighter
She's the one who's taking it higher

Verse 2:
She's a leader, she's a friend
She's the one who's making amends
She's a teacher, she's a guide
She's the one who's taking it in stride

Chorus:
Don't you mess with her, she's a Steely Dan girl
She's got power, she's got soul, she's got the world
She's a woman, she's a fighter
She's the one who's taking it higher

Bridge:
She's a force to be reckoned with
She's got the strength to make a shift
She's a beacon of light in the dark
She's got the power to make her mark

Chorus:
Don't you mess with her, she's a Steely Dan girl
She's got power, she's got soul, she's got the world
She's a woman, she's a fighter
She's the one who's taking it higher

Outro:
She's a woman, she's a queen
She's the one who's breaking the scene
She's a fighter, she's a lover
She's the one who's taking it over

That's just terrible.

Honestly, I could not have imagined anything that bad.

To be fair, it's a little hard for me to imagine a real feminist Steely Dan song, but still - I expected better.

My conclusion: "write in the style of" still has a long way to go for ChatGPT, especially for works like poems and song lyrics.

 

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