# I asked ChatGPT to write a sonnet to this message board

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-asked-chatgpt-to-write-a-sonnet-to-this-message-board/979806>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Tags:** ai\
**Created:** [February 15, 2023, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-asked-chatgpt-to-write-a-sonnet-to-this-message-board/979806 "2023-02-15T00:50:26Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\
**Post date:** [February 15, 2023, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-asked-chatgpt-to-write-a-sonnet-to-this-message-board/979806/1 "2023-02-15T00:50:26Z")

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It did pretty well. Maybe a little heavy on the wisdom and civility. 🙂

Oh Straight Dope Message Board, how do I sing  
Thy praises in a manner most befitting?  
For in thee, knowledge and wit both take wing,  
And curious minds find answers befitting.

From questions both profound and absurd,  
To musings on life, love, and everything,  
Thou offerest a space where all are heard,  
And discourse doth with civility ring.

Thy archives of wisdom, a treasure trove,  
A wealth of knowledge, a fountainhead pure,  
A community of truth-seekers, who prove  
That intellect and humor can coexist for sure.

Oh Straight Dope, thou art a haven rare,  
For seekers of truth, and those who dare.

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**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\
**Post date:** [February 15, 2023, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-asked-chatgpt-to-write-a-sonnet-to-this-message-board/979806/2 "2023-02-15T02:41:35Z")

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“Write a villanelle to @ceciladams:”

Dear Cecil Adams, we turn to you in doubt,  
For answers to life’s mysteries and quirks,  
A beacon of knowledge, both inside and out.

With wit and wisdom, you dispel all clout,  
And enlighten us with your unique works,  
Dear Cecil Adams, we turn to you in doubt.

From the bizarre to the mundane, you sprout  
The truth, with every question that lurks,  
A beacon of knowledge, both inside and out.

Your expertise has never been in drought,  
A legend that all scholars should rework,  
Dear Cecil Adams, we turn to you in doubt.

Your words, they guide us with a gentle shout,  
To the paths of reason, logic, and perks,  
A beacon of knowledge, both inside and out.

You are a master, there is no doubt,  
A symbol of intellect that always works,  
Dear Cecil Adams, we turn to you in doubt,  
A beacon of knowledge, both inside and out.

---

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**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\
**Post date:** [February 15, 2023, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-asked-chatgpt-to-write-a-sonnet-to-this-message-board/979806/3 "2023-02-15T02:54:58Z")

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Damn, it got better. I tried a villanelle back in December and I just got generic ABAB tetrameter back. That’s actually pretty impressive. Villanelles are a pain.

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**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\
**Post date:** [February 15, 2023, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-asked-chatgpt-to-write-a-sonnet-to-this-message-board/979806/4 "2023-02-15T04:31:21Z")

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I’m wondering whether ChatGPT might be Ed Zotti.

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**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\
**Post date:** [February 15, 2023, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-asked-chatgpt-to-write-a-sonnet-to-this-message-board/979806/5 "2023-02-15T04:32:53Z")

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Oh, @Cecil_Adams do you feel the love?

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**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\
**Post date:** [February 15, 2023, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-asked-chatgpt-to-write-a-sonnet-to-this-message-board/979806/6 "2023-02-15T05:34:20Z")

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It rhymes but it doesn’t scan.

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**Author:** ![Amikejo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/amikejo/32/13637_2.png) [@Amikejo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amikejo)\
**Post date:** [February 15, 2023, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-asked-chatgpt-to-write-a-sonnet-to-this-message-board/979806/7 "2023-02-15T05:44:32Z")

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And that’s enough to annoy a man.

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**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\
**Post date:** [February 15, 2023, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-asked-chatgpt-to-write-a-sonnet-to-this-message-board/979806/8 "2023-02-15T13:27:56Z")

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> [@pulykamell](#):
>
> Villanelles are a pain.

Don’t hate the villain. [Hate the villanelle](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMSUc2YjZ0k).

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**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\
**Post date:** [February 16, 2023, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-asked-chatgpt-to-write-a-sonnet-to-this-message-board/979806/9 "2023-02-16T01:05:59Z")

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> [@pulykamell](#):
>
> Damn, it got better. I tried a villanelle back in December and I just got generic ABAB tetrameter back. That’s actually pretty impressive. Villanelles are a pain.

Yeah, still not perfect, but clearly learning.

I asked it for a drive-through fast-food experience as written by Raymond Chandler, and it did a pretty decent job for the first half, and then sort of fell apart. But overall, very clever.

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**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\
**Post date:** [February 16, 2023, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-asked-chatgpt-to-write-a-sonnet-to-this-message-board/979806/10 "2023-02-16T01:11:07Z")

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I’ve found suggesting various writers’ styles to be a very, very generalized interpretation of how they wrote (and about 80% of the time, I’m left wondering if it really understood my prompt). Asking for “in the style of Charles Bukowski” gets me like 25% of the way there. I’m sure it’s limited by its output choice. 🙂

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**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\
**Post date:** [February 16, 2023, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-asked-chatgpt-to-write-a-sonnet-to-this-message-board/979806/11 "2023-02-16T04:00:10Z")

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Yes, I agree with that, mostly. I did ask it to write a cookbook outline in the style of Immanuel Kant, and it did a really good job of that.

It will be interesting to see what this looks like in a couple of years.

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**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\
**Post date:** [February 16, 2023, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-asked-chatgpt-to-write-a-sonnet-to-this-message-board/979806/12 "2023-02-16T05:34:08Z")

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Just for curiosity, how long does it take for the bot to produce, say, a sonnet or a villanelle? And what kind of Dope-specific date do you need to provide before initiating an opus?

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**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\
**Post date:** [February 16, 2023, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-asked-chatgpt-to-write-a-sonnet-to-this-message-board/979806/13 "2023-02-16T05:50:31Z")

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I’m not sure what you mean by your second question about the date, but in answer to your first question, this took about 30 seconds end to end:

Prompt: Produce a sonnet about planes on treadmills!

Planes on treadmills, what a curious thought,  
A challenge to the laws of physics, it seems.  
Will the plane take off or simply be caught,  
In the belt’s rotation, like a dream?

Imagine the roar of the engines, so loud,  
As the plane revs up to its full speed.  
Will the tread move fast enough to astound,  
Or will the plane’s takeoff fail, indeed?

The forces at play, both strong and intense,  
A battle of wills, machine against machine.  
The question remains, who will commence,  
Victorious, in this peculiar scene?

Planes on treadmills, a mind-bending sight,  
A spectacle that stirs the heart and mind’s delight.

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**Author:** ![bretbernhoft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bretbernhoft/32/13007_2.png) [@bretbernhoft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bretbernhoft)\
**Post date:** [February 16, 2023, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-asked-chatgpt-to-write-a-sonnet-to-this-message-board/979806/14 "2023-02-16T05:51:44Z")

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I asked ChatGPT to do the same, and wasn’t disappointed:

_Amidst the vast expanse of cyberspace,_  
_Where millions gather to discuss and share,_  
_There lies a forum with a steadfast grace,_  
_A place where curious minds are free to dare._

_The Straight Dope Message Board, its name well known,_  
_Is where the truth is sought and myths dispelled,_  
_From history to science, politics to the unknown,_  
_Debates and discussions here are oft compelled._

_With wit and humor, intellect and verve,_  
_Its members write with passion and with zeal,_  
_And from each post, new knowledge they do serve,_  
_With open minds and hearts that truly feel._

_Oh Straight Dope, your legacy lives on,_  
_A community where seekers find the dawn._

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**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\
**Post date:** [February 16, 2023, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-asked-chatgpt-to-write-a-sonnet-to-this-message-board/979806/15 "2023-02-16T05:57:37Z")

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It’s faster than me, then. It must have taken me ninety minutes to get this ballad:

A generation’s passed since I  
First posted on the Dope  
My mind had bright ideals, then;  
My heart was full of hope

That ignorance, our _bête noire_  
Would soon be banish-ed  
Alas! My hopes were all forlorn  
The trolls were quite well-fed.

It seemed we were surrounded by  
Ponies with just one trick.  
One guy liked gals with poofy hair  
Another, an uncut dick.

Our mods all strove heroically  
To be troll-spam tide-turners  
From bots who promised soccer games  
To Dopers with fat burners

Yet there were bright spots on this site  
It wasn’t all travails  
**Cervaise** v. telemarketers  
Plus pan-fried semen tales.

And it’s been educational  
These years of Dope-ly prose  
I got to find out what “squick” means!  
And “felch” (don’t google those).

The years have been quite wonderful  
This life in these here yards  
I hope there’s twenty more of them  
Before I say “Regards.”

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**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\
**Post date:** [February 16, 2023, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-asked-chatgpt-to-write-a-sonnet-to-this-message-board/979806/16 "2023-02-16T07:00:02Z")

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Did you add the names and the details? Or did it actually pull that stuff out on its own? Like the name Cervaise, felching, ‘Regards’, etc?

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**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\
**Post date:** [February 16, 2023, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-asked-chatgpt-to-write-a-sonnet-to-this-message-board/979806/17 "2023-02-16T07:47:07Z")

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None of those. I wrote the whole damn thing myself.

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**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\
**Post date:** [February 16, 2023, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-asked-chatgpt-to-write-a-sonnet-to-this-message-board/979806/18 "2023-02-16T07:57:01Z")

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Nice!

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\
**Post date:** [February 16, 2023, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-asked-chatgpt-to-write-a-sonnet-to-this-message-board/979806/19 "2023-02-16T08:33:14Z")

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tyvm

Some of the specifics are from before your time, but I assure you, every one of them is based on the actual history of the board.

There _may_ be a substitute for lived experience but I don’t think the bot’s up to it yet.

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**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\
**Post date:** [February 17, 2023, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-asked-chatgpt-to-write-a-sonnet-to-this-message-board/979806/20 "2023-02-17T18:52:26Z")

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Bing, Microsoft’s search engine, has been outfitted with advanced artificial intelligence technology from OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT.

It’s creepy:

[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/f24JL0nnhcA/maxresdefault.jpg "Journalist had a creepy encounter with new tech that left him unable to sleep") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f24JL0nnhcA)

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