ENTERTAINMENT : CREATING NARRATIVES : AN EXPERIMENT WITH ChatGPT

(PART TWO)

BY RUKMINI SARKAR

MEDIA EXECUTIVE

KOLKATA, 22 JUNE 2023:

In my earlier story, I mentioned there’s a lot of talk about ChatGPT, but not many know what this tool can do.

At Robeen’s Media Shop, we were toying with the idea of a web series on crime detection and decided to experiment with ChatGPT to create models of narrative.

Just to recapitulate, this is how we went about it.

First, we created the characters.

Second, we envisaged a location.

Third, we devised a simple plot structure.

Fourth, we deployed the ChatGPT to create the narratives.

Background & Characters:

Mr P .K. Bose, aged 72, Retired Tea Garden Manager wants to know who killed his dog.

Mr Sen, aged 65, is an advocate, and wants to solve the mystery.

Mrs Sikha Bose, aged 66, wife of Mr Pk Bose. She is Diabetic, and suffers from Dementia.

Mr Protul Sinha, aged 69 is a retired Professor of Psychology. Obsessed with psycho analysing each and every person.

Pepsi, age 17, servant to the family, hyper-energetic, ready to serve. Loved his master’s dog.

Starting Line: It was almost dark when the taxi arrived at the gate of the resort. Mr Sen ,the high court lawyer, embarked from the taxi and walked towards the reception room of the resort, The Sundowner.

We provided ChatGPT with the character sketches and starting line that I have cited above, and instructed it to create the narratives.

Here are the results!

Narrative 2

It was almost dark when the taxi arrived at the gate of the resort. Mr Sen ,the high court lawyer, embarked from the taxi and walked towards the reception room of the resort, The Sundowner. He was here to meet his old friend, Mr P K Bose, who had called him in a state of panic. Mr Bose had told him that his beloved dog, Bruno, had been murdered and he wanted Mr Sen to find out who did it. Mr Sen was intrigued by the case and agreed to help his friend.

As he entered the reception room, he saw a familiar face sitting on a sofa. It was Mr Protul Sinha, a retired professor of psychology and another friend of Mr Bose. Mr Sinha greeted him warmly and said that he was also here to help with the mystery. He said that he had been staying at the resort for a few days and had been observing the other guests and staff. He claimed that he had some insights into their personalities and motives.

Mr Sen smiled politely and followed Mr Sinha to the bungalow where Mr Bose was staying with his wife, Mrs Sikha Bose. Mrs Bose was a diabetic and suffered from dementia. She often forgot things and people and sometimes became agitated or confused. Mr Sinha said that she was a prime suspect in his opinion, as she might have killed Bruno in a fit of rage or delusion.

Mr Sen was not convinced by this theory. He thought that Mrs Bose loved Bruno as much as her husband did and would never harm him. He also wondered how she could have overpowered the large German shepherd. He wanted to talk to Mr Bose and hear his version of events.

They reached the bungalow and knocked on the door. A young man opened it and greeted them with a smile. He introduced himself as Pepsi, the servant of the family. He said that he had been working for them for two years and that he was very loyal and devoted to them. He said that he loved Bruno too and was heartbroken by his death.

Mr Sen noticed that Pepsi was wearing a bandage on his right hand. He asked him what had happened. Pepsi said that he had cut himself while chopping vegetables in the kitchen. He said that it was nothing serious and that he had cleaned and dressed the wound himself.

Mr Sen nodded and entered the bungalow. He saw Mr Bose sitting on an armchair in the living room. He looked pale and distraught. He got up and hugged Mr Sen, thanking him for coming. He said that he needed his help to find out who killed his dog.

Mr Sen asked him to tell him everything that had happened. Mr Bose said that he had gone for a walk with Bruno in the morning, as he did every day.

He said that Bruno was a friendly and obedient dog who never ran away or caused trouble. He said that they had returned to the bungalow around 10 am and that he had given Bruno some water and biscuits.

He said that he then went to check on his wife, who was resting in her bedroom. He said that she seemed fine and that she recognized him and Bruno. He said that he kissed her goodbye and told her that he was going to meet Mr Sinha for lunch at the resort’s restaurant.

He said that he left Bruno in the living room with Pepsi, who was cleaning the floor. He said that Pepsi loved Bruno too and often played with him. He said that he trusted Pepsi completely and never suspected him of any wrongdoing.

He said that he left the bungalow around 11 am and took a taxi to the restaurant. He said that he met Mr Sinha there and they had a pleasant lunch together. They talked about old times and current affairs.

He said that he returned to the bungalow around 1 pm and found Pepsi waiting for him at the door. He said that Pepsi looked terrified and told him that something terrible had happened.

He said that he followed Pepsi into the living room and saw Bruno lying on the floor in a pool of blood. He said that he ran to him and checked his pulse, but it was too late. Bruno was dead.

He said that he broke down in tears and asked Pepsi what had happened.

Pepsi said that he didn’t know. He said that he had gone to the kitchen to make some tea for Mrs Bose after finishing his cleaning work.

He said that he heard a loud bark followed by a thud from the living room. He said that he rushed back to see what was going on and found Bruno dead on the floor.

He said that he didn’t see anyone else in the room or outside the window. He said that he checked on Mrs Bose in her bedroom and found her sleeping peacefully.

He said that he didn’t know who killed Bruno or why they did it. He said that he was sorry and that he wished he could have done something to save him.

Mr Bose said that he didn’t believe Pepsi’s story. He said that he thought that Pepsi was lying and that he had killed Bruno himself. He said that he had noticed some scratches on Bruno’s neck and some bite marks on his leg.

He said that he thought that Pepsi had attacked Bruno with a knife and then tried to cover up his crime by bandaging his own hand. He said that he had confronted Pepsi and accused him of being a murderer.

He said that Pepsi had denied everything and begged him to believe him. He said that he had slapped Pepsi and told him to get out of his sight. He said that he had called Mr Sen and asked him to come as soon as possible.

He said that he wanted Mr Sen to investigate the case and prove that Pepsi was guilty. He said that he wanted justice for Bruno and punishment for Pepsi.

Mr Sen listened to Mr Bose’s story with a serious expression. He asked him if he had any proof or motive for Pepsi’s alleged crime. Mr Bose said that he didn’t have any proof, but he had a strong feeling that Pepsi was the culprit.

He said that he didn’t know why Pepsi would kill Bruno, but he suspected that he was jealous of him or hated him for some reason. He said that maybe Pepsi wanted to hurt him or his wife by killing their dog.

Mr Sen said that he understood his pain and anger, but he needed more than a feeling to accuse someone of murder. He said that he would look into the matter and try to find out the truth.

He asked Mr Bose if he could examine the crime scene and talk to the other witnesses. Mr Bose agreed and gave him permission to do so.

Mr Sen thanked him and went to the living room. He saw Bruno’s body lying on the floor, covered with a blanket. He lifted the blanket and examined the dog’s wounds.

He saw some scratches on his neck and some bite marks on his leg, as Mr Bose had said. He also saw some blood stains on the floor and on a nearby sofa.

He took out his phone and took some pictures of the evidence. He then went to the kitchen and saw a knife on the counter. He picked it up and saw some blood on the blade.

He took another picture of the knife and put it back on the counter. He then went to the bedroom where Mrs Bose was sleeping. He knocked on the door gently and entered.

He saw Mrs Bose lying on the bed, snoring softly. She looked peaceful and unaware of what had happened. He approached her carefully and tried to wake her up.

He called her name softly and shook her shoulder gently. She opened her eyes slowly and looked at him with a blank expression.

She asked him who he was and what he wanted. He introduced himself as Mr Sen, a friend of her husband. He asked her if she remembered him or anything that had happened today.

She frowned and shook her head. She said that she didn’t remember anything or anyone. She asked him where her husband was and why he was in her room.

He told her that her husband was in the living room and that he had come to talk to her about something important. He asked her if she knew about Bruno, their dog.

She smiled and nodded. She said that she loved Bruno very much and that he was a good dog. She asked him where Bruno was and if she could see him.

He hesitated for a moment, not sure how to break the news to her. He decided to be honest and told her that Bruno was dead.

She gasped and looked at him with disbelief. She asked him what he meant by dead and how it happened.

He told her that someone had killed Bruno in the living room while she was sleeping in her bedroom. He asked her if she heard or saw anything unusual before or after she fell asleep.

She shook her head again and started crying. She said that she didn’t hear or see anything and that she couldn’t believe that someone would kill Bruno.

She asked him who did it and why they did it. He told her that he didn’t know yet, but he was trying to find out.

He asked her if she could think of anyone who might have a reason to harm Bruno or their family. She wiped her tears and thought for a while.

She said that she couldn’t think of anyone who would do such a thing. She said that everyone loved Bruno, especially Pepsi, their servant.

She said that Pepsi was a good boy who worked hard and cared for them.

She said that Pepsi often played with Bruno and fed him treats.

She asked him if Pepsi was okay and if he knew what happened to Bruno. He told her that Pepsi was fine, but he claimed that he didn’t know who killed Bruno either.

He asked her if she trusted Pepsi completely or if she ever noticed anything strange about him. She nodded emphatically and said that she trusted Pepsi with her life.

She said that Pepsi never did anything .