D&D General Can ChatGPT create a Campaign setting?

[Grendel_Khan]

I wasn't saying that's how ChatGPT worked. I was saying that people using ChatGPT to create a setting would not be served by randomly picking a setting from DriveThru, which was the claim you made. People want something specific. That's why they are using an AI to generate something instead of just googling for it.

That's valid—ChatGPT as a kind of active sounding board or brainstorming participant makes a lot of sense. To a point, I think, like as inspiration. I still think directly using what it actually produces is pretty embarrassing. Your writing partner is the machine learning equivalent of someone having a mental health crisis, spewing random word salad that you mistake as interesting or poignant. I'd prefer any human's output, just about.

 

[Clint_L]

If you asked me this a month ago, I would have said yes. Lately, Chat-GPT seems to be forgetting the thread of a conversation.

Another aspect to remember, if the plan is to publish this work, the work created by an AI can't be copyrighted, though that may change due to a comic book called Zarya Of The Dawn by Kris Kashtanova.

But what counts as work created by an AI? Lots of work that has been copyrighted already uses AI extensively. If I give it the prompt, is it still work created by an AI? What if I give it ten prompts, and ask it to incorporate specific details?

 

[Clint_L]

That's valid—ChatGPT as a kind of active sounding board or brainstorming participant makes a lot of sense. To a point, I think, like as inspiration. I still think directly using what it actually produces is pretty embarrassing. Your writing partner is the machine learning equivalent of someone having a mental health crisis, spewing random word salad that you mistake as interesting or poignant. I'd prefer any human's output, just about.

That’s one way of looking at it. Though the output is far from random.

Another way to look at it is to question whether what humans are doing is as special as we like to think it is.

 

[TheSword]

AI art can be beautiful and stunning. The text seems to really trite.

If someone had never played a fantasy game before then yes it would be a useful primer but it doesn’t really offer anything new or exciting. It’s telling us the place is dangerous and riddled with factions but can’t actually give us what makes it unique.

 

[Jer]

If you asked me this a month ago, I would have said yes. Lately, Chat-GPT seems to be forgetting the thread of a conversation.

This likely has to do with the resources being allocated to it. The algorithm can be tuned to "remember" more or less of the previous conversation as it generates output and of course the more of the previous conversation it is tuned to "remember" the more resources it uses.

When they first released ChatGPT they wanted it to look really impressive, so they were going to crank up those parameters. It's made its impact now and the amount of money it must be tearing through just to provide free services as a demo must be huge given how many people are hitting it, so dialing back the amount of free resources they're giving away at this point would make sense.

 

[Reynard]

That's valid—ChatGPT as a kind of active sounding board or brainstorming participant makes a lot of sense. To a point, I think, like as inspiration. I still think directly using what it actually produces is pretty embarrassing. Your writing partner is the machine learning equivalent of someone having a mental health crisis, spewing random word salad that you mistake as interesting or poignant. I'd prefer any human's output, just about.

Oh, sure, I don't think anyone should rely on it for publication, but it is a useful tool for filling out specific details.

 

[Cadence]

But what counts as work created by an AI? Lots of work that has been copyrighted already uses AI extensively. If I give it the prompt, is it still work created by an AI? What if I give it ten prompts, and ask it to incorporate specific details?

If the AI obviously uses some sentences or parts of pictures obviously taken from a copyrighted source... it feels like someone should be in trouble. (Does it obviously do that for some things it uses in picture making AI?).

 

[Reynard]

But then you get stuff like this...
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Describe the individual members of a fantasy pirate crew including what they do on the ship and what fantastical powers they have.

1. Captain Blackbeard: The fearless leader of the crew, Captain Blackbeard is known for his charisma and cunning tactics. He commands the ship with an iron fist, but also has a soft spot for his crew. He possesses the power of pyrokinesis, which allows him to control and manipulate fire.
2. First Mate Hook: The right-hand man of Captain Blackbeard, Hook is a master strategist and skilled fighter. He oversees the day-to-day operations of the ship and ensures that everything runs smoothly. He has the power of telekinesis, allowing him to move objects with his mind.
3. Quartermaster Flint: Flint is responsible for the ship's supplies and provisions. He is a master negotiator and always knows how to get the best deals for the crew. He has the power of geokinesis, which enables him to control and manipulate the earth.
4. Boatswain Smee: Smee is in charge of the ship's maintenance and repairs. He is a skilled carpenter and can fix just about anything. He possesses the power of hydromancy, which allows him to control and manipulate water.
5. Navigator Sparrow: Sparrow is the ship's navigator and is responsible for plotting their course. He is an expert in celestial navigation and always knows the way, even in the thickest of fog. He has the power of aeromancy, which enables him to control and manipulate the air.
6. Cook Scallywag: Scallywag is the ship's cook and is known for his delicious meals. He is always experimenting with new ingredients and recipes to keep the crew satisfied. He has the power of gastromancy, which allows him to control and manipulate food.
7. Surgeon Swashbuckler: Swashbuckler is the ship's surgeon and is responsible for the crew's health and well-being. He is skilled in medicine and is always ready to help a crewmate in need. He possesses the power of biomancy, which enables him to control and manipulate life energy.

 

[Cadence]

Me:
Create a D&D campaign with darker themes in an area where Greco- Roman, Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Mesoamerican and Polynesian influenced cultures meet. Create some unique deities and cults, as well as suggest some monsters to use in the campaign

What prompt would you give it to make some unique deities?

 

[Grendel_Khan]

That’s one way of looking at it. Though the output is far from random.

By any cognitive measure, yes, it's random. All LLMs do is chase correlations in language. They aren't worldbuilding with any sense of how various themes and elements might fit together, or how they're playing into or breaking genre tropes. They're literally just sticking words together.

You don't have to believe me, but I've been interviewing AI/ML professors about this stuff for the past few weeks. This is how people who make stuff explain it.

Another way to look at it is to question whether what humans are doing is as special as we like to think it is.

If ChatGPT's output is any measure, then yes, what humans are doing is very special. These things are incredibly impressive from a technical benchmark perspective, but the stuff they produce is verbal cardboard.

Just, like, write your own text.