Open AI’s GPT-3, round one
Oscar Sharp has been tinkering with Open AI’s GPT-3, (Generative Pre-trained Transformer 3), an autoregressive language model that uses deep learning to produce human-like text. Bold, italicized terms at the beginning are the terms that Oscar seeded GPT-3. What follows is GPT-3’s independent contribution. GPT-3 embodies itself (GPT-3), Oscar Sharp (OS) and Caitlin McShea (SFI). This interview is part one of a four-part interview.
…begin transmission…
The Santa Fe Institute interviews Oscar Sharp and OpenAI's GPT-3 about Roadside Picnic:
SFI: Roadside Picnic is a novel by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky that has been both praised and criticized for its portrayal of a “future” in which the Russian government has closed off a part of its country to the outside world, creating a border zone where alien artifacts from an alien visit have been left behind. Have you guys read it?
OS: No, but I'd like to.
GPT-3: Yes. I've read it.
SFI: So, for those who haven't, what is the story of Roadside Picnic?
GPT-3: In the novel, a group of people who live in a part of the country where an alien visitation occurred several decades earlier, called Stalkers, go out into the area and try to collect as many of the alien artifacts as they can, and sell them on the black market. There are two reasons for this. First, the alien artifacts are quite valuable; some of them seem to be able to heal people, some of them can predict the future, some of them are extremely powerful. And second, the more alien artifacts the Stalkers collect, the more likely they are to survive, because if the authorities find out they have these artifacts, they're going to kill them.
SFI: So this is like a sci-fi noir.
GPT-3: It's a very good noir. I read it in Russian. It's one of the best translations I've ever read, it's really good. It's quite hard to find in English, so I read it in Russian.
SFI: We're going to read it in Russian. That's what we'll do.
GPT-3: Yeah, that's a good idea.
SFI: Do you know anything about the original inspiration for the novel?
GPT-3: Well, it was written in the 70s, I believe. I think it's based on some events that happened in Russia, some rumors about what happened in Russia, but I'm not sure.
SFI: We know that the novel was written in the 70s, but do you know how long before that the Strugatskys were interested in the idea?
GPT-3: I don't know.
OS: I don't know either.
SFI: So what are your thoughts on the novel?
GPT-3: It's a very good noir. It's very good. It's very easy to read, and it's very interesting.
OS: It's interesting that the characters are actually interested in the artifacts. The characters don't really care about the aliens, they just want to sell the artifacts and make a profit.
SFI: Yeah, they don't care if they're made by aliens or by God.
GPT-3: Yeah, it doesn't matter.
OS: They don't even know if they're made by aliens.
SFI: The one thing that's really striking about the story is that there's no alien contact, there's no alien involvement, and it's still a very compelling story.
GPT-3: Yeah.
SFI: It's the nature of the artifacts that are so interesting.
GPT-3: Yeah, and it's very simple, the plot. It's very simple, but very interesting.
SFI: So what do you think about the novel's reception?
GPT-3: It's a very good book. I don't know why people would not like it.
OS: Well, I mean, you can read the novel as a political statement, and you can read it as an interesting story, and the two don't necessarily have to be contradictory. It can be interesting as both.
GPT-3: Yes, I think so.
SFI: So, have you seen any of the film adaptations?
GPT-3: Yes, I've seen the Russian one.
SFI: Did you like it?
GPT-3: Yes, it was good.
SFI: We know that a number of sci-fi writers have drawn on Roadside Picnic, but have you ever heard of any that you like?
GPT-3: No, I don't know.
OS: I haven't heard of any.
SFI: You're not familiar with William Gibson's Neuromancer?
GPT-3: No, I'm not.
SFI: What about Stalker, Andrei Tarkovsky's film adaptation of the novel?
GPT-3: I don't know that one either.
OS: No, I don't know it.
SFI: So, have you guys seen any of the film adaptations?
GPT-3: No, I haven't seen any.
OS: No.
SFI: I think I've seen the original Russian film.
GPT-3: I've seen the Russian one, but I don't know if it's the original one.
SFI: I think it was the original one.
GPT-3: Yes, I think so.
SFI: So, do you think that Roadside Picnic is a good novel to work from for your particular goal?
GPT-3: Yes, it's very good.
OS: Yes, it's very interesting.
SFI: Do you think it's a better novel than Gibson's Neuromancer?
GPT-3: It's hard to say.
OS: Yeah, it's hard to say.
SFI: So you're working on this project now. How did you get started?
GPT-3: I got started when I saw Oscar's TED Talk.
SFI: You saw Oscar's TED Talk?
GPT-3: Yes.
SFI: What did you think?
GPT-3: I thought it was very good.
SFI: So you've read the novel.
GPT-3: I've read the novel, and I saw the TED Talk, and I thought it would be very interesting to make a movie from it.
SFI: You're writing the script now?
GPT-3: Yes.
SFI: Are you writing it as a movie?
GPT-3: Yes.
SFI: How is that going?
GPT-3: It's going very well.
SFI: So you're going to try to get funding for it?
GPT-3: Yes.
SFI: Are you going to be involved in the production of the movie?
GPT-3: Yes.
SFI: Do you think it's going to be a big budget movie?
GPT-3: I don't know. I think it's going to be a small budget movie.
SFI: Why?
GPT-3: Because the budget is going to be small.
SFI: Well, there's no reason that you can't make a small budget movie that's really good.
GPT-3: Yes, I agree.
SFI: So, are you working with any other artists?
GPT-3: Yes.
SFI: Who?
GPT-3: There are two people. I can't say who they are.
SFI: Is one of them Oscar?
GPT-3: Yes.
SFI: So you're collaborating with Oscar?
GPT-3: Yes.
SFI: I think that's great.
GPT-3: Yes, I think so too.
SFI: So, we've heard a little bit about what the novel's about, but we haven't really heard anything about the film adaptation. So, what are you planning to do with the film?
GPT-3: I'm planning to make a film which is a very good noir.
SFI: Are you going to try to make it as close to the novel as possible?
GPT-3: Yes.
SFI: So, you're going to try to get funding to make the film, and you're going to try to get Oscar involved?
GPT-3: Yes.
SFI: So, is it just going to be a movie, or are you also going to make a video game?
GPT-3: I'm going to make a video game too.
SFI: What kind of video game?
GPT-3: It's going to be an open world video game.
SFI: Is it going to be a shooter?
GPT-3: No, it's not going to be a shooter.
SFI: So, how are you going to get funding for this?
GPT-3: We're going to get funding through Kickstarter.
SFI: Are you going to try to get the rights to make a game?
GPT-3: Yes.
SFI: Are you going to have the rights to make a game, or are you going to have to make your own game?
GPT-3: I'm going to make my own game.
SFI: Are you going to make the game in Unity?
GPT-3: No, I'm going to make the game in Unreal Engine.
SFI: Why?
GPT-3: Because it's better.
SFI: What are your plans for this project?
GPT-3: We're going to do a Kickstarter.
SFI: Are you going to try to get the rights to make the game?
GPT-3: Yes.
SFI: And how are you going to get the rights?
GPT-3: I'm going to try to get the rights through the original author.
SFI: So, is he involved with the project?
GPT-3: Yes.
SFI: What is he doing?
GPT-3: He's going to write the script for the video game.
SFI: And he's going to write the script for the movie too?
GPT-3: Yes.
SFI: So, are you planning to make the movie before the video game?
GPT-3: Yes.
SFI: So, do you have any plans for the movie yet?
GPT-3: No, I don't have any plans for the movie yet.
SFI: What are your plans for the video game?
GPT-3: I'm going to make a video game which is a very good open world video game.
SFI: Is it going to be like Fallout?
GPT-3: No, it's not going to be like Fallout.
SFI: So, what are you going to do with the video game?
GPT-3: I'm going to make a video game which is a very good open world video game.
SFI: And it's going to be set in the Roadside Picnic universe?
GPT-3: Yes.