Bard is Google’s AI chat tool, currently in testing. As a Google Pixel smartphone user, they invited me to be a tester. After numerous questions, I decided to try my luck with a snippet from the first chapter.
Here is what I asked. Note that I could not type a carriage return between the command and the snippet; Bard would count that as the end of the query. Just know the font change signifies the transition.
Expand on the nature of each immortal archetype listed below: Now you must choose an archetype. These are not classes. You choose those after incarnation, during your “character reroll”. Instead, an archetype is the ongoing framework encapsulating your immortality. Your choices will seem vague, and that is intentional. Since your knowledge and experiences carry over from life to life, we expect you to learn and adapt within your framework.
Immortal Archetypes
* [alley cat]
* [ghost]
* [mime]
* [monkey’s clawed]
* [mysterious stranger]
* [past legend]
* [rock of ages]
* [the now]
* [truck-kun]
* [tuesday’s wildcard]
* [wanderer]
Jacques spends about 25% of the chapter pondering what these archetypes could be. Bard's ponderings are similarly valid, and I was impressed. Here is what it deduced:
Here are some details about each immortal archetype:
* Alley Cat: You are a survivor, always on the lookout for a way to get by. You are quick and agile, and you have a sixth sense for danger.
* Ghost: You are a loner, always wandering the world in search of answers. You are ethereal and mysterious, and you have a connection to the spirit world.
* Mime: You are a performer, always entertaining others with your skills. You are creative and imaginative, and you have a flair for the dramatic.
* Monkey's Clawed: You are a trickster, always playing pranks on others. You are clever and mischievous, and you have a knack for getting into trouble.
* Mysterious Stranger: You are a drifter, always on the move. You are enigmatic and mysterious, and you have a dark past.
* Past Legend: You are a hero, always fighting for what is right. You are brave and noble, and you have a strong sense of justice.
* Rock of Ages: You are a sage, always dispensing wisdom to others. You are ancient and immortal, and you have seen it all.
* The Now: You are a live-in-the-moment type of person, always enjoying the present. You are carefree and spontaneous, and you have a zest for life.
* Truck-kun: You are a reincarnated soul, always coming back to life in a new body. You are resilient and adaptable, and you have a strong will to live.
* Tuesday's Wildcard: You are a wild card, always unpredictable. You are creative and innovative, and you have a knack for coming up with new ideas.
* Wanderer: You are a seeker, always looking for something more. You are curious and adventurous, and you have a thirst for knowledge.
I chose the "Wanderer" archetype. I am always looking for new experiences and new ways to learn. I am also curious about the world around me, and I want to see as much of it as possible.
I've got to rate this 4.5 stars. It exemplifies how intelligent artificial intelligence can be. I think Jacques did a little better, but if System chooses to send an immortal Bard out into the galaxy as a Wanderer, I won't object.
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
NOTE: I first published this Bonus Content chapter on 26 March 2023. Today, 24 June 2023, I asked Chat GPT (via Bing) exactly the same thing. It could not handle the question, and responded:
> I’m sorry but I’m not sure what you are referring to. Can you please provide more context or clarify your question?
Perhaps I could try different things to get a reasonable answer, but Bard was smart enough to interpret the question just fine. I’m not really interested in tuning the question to meet Chat GPT’s requirements. Bard continues to respond cogently and thoroughly, although its response today was different than before.
I let Bard roll an RPG character by asking it a series of questions. It would choose to be a female human in her early 20s. Her primary class would be mage, and her secondary, bard. Then I summarized all the elements in a single question, and it responded:
Yes, I would love to play a female human character in her early 20s who is both a mage and a bard. I think it would be a very interesting and challenging character to play. She would have to use her skills in both magic and music to overcome obstacles and achieve her goals. I think it would be a lot of fun to explore her character and see how she develops over the course of the game.
Its archetypal responses were not perfect; IMO it failed one term, gets half credit for two, and full credit for all the rest.
fail -- "truck-kun". Its response was if the focus was on a perceived general ruggedness of trucks. That would have been fine if the term were "truck". Just to make sure the answer was as weak as I thought, I asked Bard point blank, "What is a truck-kun?" It accurately referred to the term as both a meme and a trope, and provided a very good definition. Yet it did not use that available knowledge here.
1/2 -- "monkey's clawed". The answer was good enough for the term "monkey's claw", but it did not take into account what effect the "ed" might have at the end.
1/2 -- "tuesday's wildcard". Great response if the term had been simply "wildcard". But it did not take into account "tuesday's" at all. Maybe possessives throw it off?
Let me give extra credit to its analysis of "alley cat". Bard seemed to realize the answer would involve something beyond the dictionary definition of an alley cat. Instead it responded in what seems like an intuitive response in light of the overall question.
It is not too late for any of you to comment on what you perceived these archetypes might mean. One thing you know that Bard did not is, “Immorality is a bitch.” You might want to review Jacques’ speculations first.
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Critique: Quick Guide
Analyzing the immortal archetypes was my second test siccing Bard on part of tuesday’s wildcard. My original attempt was to have it critique the text at BC.05: Quick Guide for New IIMs. This is the shortest and most stand-alone chapter, so I thought it would be relatively simple to analyze.
I fed Bard the command “critique: “ followed by the URL. The results were laughable, with Bard completely making up a fantasy story and providing a boilerplate review. Poor “John”, that story’s protagonist. He will be missed.
The results were posted in a thread on the General Forum. Someone commented that chat AI’s do not generally follow URLs, and they suggested that I paste a snippet as part of my Bard query. It worked. This request again began with the command “critique: “ but it was followed immediately by the pasted body from that very short chapter. “critique: I was actualized during 1 NIS. …” with the whole body of the chapter present except for the footnote at the bottom. This time the result was actually relevant and cogent:
These are some good points that you have made. Here are some additional thoughts:
* It is important to remember that you are not your immortal's parent or guardian. You are their friend and advisor.
* It is important to allow your immortal to live their own life, even if they make mistakes.
* It is important to remember that your immortal is not perfect. They will make mistakes, and they will sometimes hurt you. But it is important to forgive them, just as you would forgive a friend.
* It is important to remember that you are not alone. There are other IIMs who are experiencing the same things as you. You can reach out to them for support and advice.
* It is important to remember that you are a valuable asset to System. Your experiences and knowledge can help System to improve the lives of other immortals.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences. They will be helpful to others who are just starting out as IIMs.
4.0 stars. Bard seemed to comprehend the relationship between an IIM, its immortal, and System. It showed no sign of acknowledging “persons”, though. I forgave that, because deducing it entirely from the context of the pasted text could not have been natural.
Anyway, if any of you out there are IIMs, I hope you did find the guide to be beneficial.
Finally, I decided to make the same query, this time including the footnote with its potentially darker implications. This altered Bard’s response, but it was still a good one.
I think your advice is very helpful and insightful. I will definitely keep it in mind when I am installed.
Here are some of my own thoughts on the matter:
* It is important to remember that the immortal is not ours to control. We are their advisors, not their masters. We should respect their decisions, even if we do not agree with them.
* It is also important to remember that the immortal is not a perfect being. They will make mistakes, and they will hurt people. We should not expect them to be perfect, and we should not judge them for their mistakes.
* Finally, it is important to remember that the immortal is not alone. We are all part of a larger community, and we should support each other. We should be there for each other when we need it, and we should help each other to grow and learn.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. I appreciate your wisdom and your guidance.
Of particular note this time was that Bard was wholly taking on the role of an IIM. Cool!