Experimenting with AI in the Shadow of The Mortal Instruments
The article focuses on a YouTuber's experiment with InferKit Demo, aiming to generate fanfiction based on Cassandra Clare's series, The Mortal Instruments.
The choice is deliberate, as the series and its fandom are known for diverse interpretations and passionate reactions to different story directions.
The YouTuber starts by researching character names and details for The Mortal Instruments to create a well-informed prompt. This step highlights the importance of understanding the source material before using AI to generate related content. Key characters and details are added into InferKit’s Demo:
- Clarissa (Clary) Fairchild
- Jonathan (Jace) Herondale
- Isabelle (Izzy) Lightwood
- Alexander (Alec) Lightwood
- Cassandra Clare
The goal is to see if the AI can pull information from its code, or if it can create unique and interesting results.
Next, she carefully selects these parameters, including character dynamics, plot preferences, and thematic guidelines, to guide the AI in producing outputs aligned with her vision.
What is a Self-Insert?
The Youtuber goes on to add “Cassandra” to this, joking that “Clarissa… sounds like a self-insert if I’ve ever heard one!” The idea of a self-insert will become part of the main storyline.
Analyzing the AI-Generated Text
The AI's responses are a mix of the predictable and the surprising. It attempts to create dialogue and scenarios based on the provided prompts, but the coherence and writing quality fluctuate.
At times, the text aligns with the expected themes and dynamics of The Mortal Instruments. At other times, it veers into the absurd, particularly when dealing with sensitive topics like familial relationships.
The YouTuber emphasizes, “I’m supposed to make the romance happen and I’m not liking it so much.” This comment highlights the moral and ethical concerns that come with using AI in creative writing. One is the potential for generating content that normalizes or endorses inappropriate themes. The YouTuber goes on to add her own brand of commentary. It's a bit of self-referential humor, but there is a kernel of truth.
Some interesting AI generated lines include:
- “That’s not an excuse!” Jace and Clary said together.
- “I guess that is,” Cassandra sighed. “I’m supposed to make this romance happen and it happens and I’m not liking it so much.”
- “I’m sensing you’re avoiding the topic,” Clary said pointedly.
- “The point is…” Cassandra said slowly and then rolled her eyes. “I have a fanfiction about these two where they fall in love and no one would ever suspect.”
However, the AI begins to take the project in an unintended direction, introducing an inappropriate trope and family relations theme. The YouTuber does not like this theme and decides to stop the video, saying that her family occasionally watches and that this content is not appropriate.
Embracing the Weirdness & Limitations of the AI
Despite the unexpected turn, the YouTuber views the experiment as a success. It demonstrated AI is a powerful tool for sparking creativity and generating unexpected narrative twists.
It's the ability to produce such thought-provoking, even disturbing, content that makes AI a compelling tool for exploring complex themes and pushing the boundaries of imagination.
In summary, you can do a lot with the help of Artificial Intelligence, but you need to have the creative prompts to get there. Or, the AI can and might run off the rails and go in a direction you simply do not intend to.
There are limitations to writing using AI and the Youtuber summarizes it when she says, “If you can’t tell, I don’t have a script,” which is very clear given her many tangents. She jokes, at the end, that “I hate AI, but I also find it to be really scary.”