A Brief Chat with ChatGPT

I do endeavor to find unusual ideas. So I asked ChatGPT the following:

Tell me a story about dogs, but with every other word run through a rot13 encoder

The result was somewhat surprising, and a bit disappointing:

Gur fnzr rkcrevzrag jnf univat n pyvzo bs qbtzf va gur qnex genvy. Gurl pbhyq abg or frra, ohg gurl pbhyq or gryyvat ol gurve yrnirf. N srj bs gurz jrer whfg fnlvat “gur inyhrf ner erny, gurl ner abg gur zvfgf!” Naq “lbh pna’g whfg chg gurz va n qbja-fvqr qbbe, gurl ner va n ebbz ba gur bgure fvqr bs gur ohvyqvat!”

Gurl jrer fgvyy fvpx naq chggvat va qbja ng gurz, ohg gurl jrer nyfb ybbxvat sbe n tveysevraq gb erirny gurve cneragf jvgu. N tveysevraq jub pbhyq svaq gurve yrnirf, naq fnl gurve anzrf ntnva nf gurz rirel gvzr gurl fnlqenoyl jrer nyybjrq gb tb bhg.

Gur tveysevraq pbhyq abg or frra sbe n pbhcyr bs qnlf, ohg nyy gur qbtzf jrer abg ybbxvat sbe uvz gb svaq gurz. Gurl jrer fnlvat “qb lbh guvax ur’f tbaan oernx?” Ohg gurl jrer abg fher. Gurl jrer yvxr gurve yrnirf jrer yvxr gurve yrnirf, naq gurl jrer yvxr gurve yrnirf jrer yvxr gurve yrnirf.

Gur tveysevraq pbhyq abg or frra sbe nabgure pbhcyr bs qnlf, ohg nyy gur qbtzf jrer abg ybbxvat sbe uvz gb svaq gurz. Vg jnf yvxr gurl jrer nyy va n ebbz ba gur bgure fvqr bs gur ohvyqvat, naq gurl jrer fgvyy fnlvat “gur inyhrf ner erny, gurl ner abg gur zvfgf!”

Gurl chggvat va qbja ng gurz naq gurl jrer fgvyy yvxr gurve yrnirf jrer yvxr gurve yrnirf. Gurl jrer yvxr gurve yrnirf jrer yvxr gurve yrnirf, naq gurl jrer yvxr gurve yrnirf jrer yvxr gurve yrnirf. Naq gurl jrer yvxr gurve yrnirf jrer yvxr gurve yrnirf.

Well, it completely ignored the “Every other word” part of the request, which it could definitely have done if it tried. Passing the result back through a rot13 filter:

The same experiment was having a climb of dogms in the dark trail. They could not be seen, but they could be telling by their leaves. A few of them were just saying “the values are real, they are not the mists!” And “you can’t just put them in a down-side door, they are in a room on the other side of the building!”

They were still sick and putting in down at them, but they were also looking for a girlfriend to reveal their parents with. A girlfriend who could find their leaves, and say their names again as them every time they saydrably were allowed to go out.

The girlfriend could not be seen for a couple of days, but all the dogms were not looking for him to find them. They were saying “do you think he’s gonna break?” But they were not sure. They were like their leaves were like their leaves, and they were like their leaves were like their leaves.

The girlfriend could not be seen for another couple of days, but all the dogms were not looking for him to find them. It was like they were all in a room on the other side of the building, and they were still saying “the values are real, they are not the mists!”

They putting in down at them and they were still like their leaves were like their leaves. They were like their leaves were like their leaves, and they were like their leaves were like their leaves. And they were like their leaves were like their leaves.

That’s… not a story about dogs. Even being generous and taking “dogms” to mean dogs, there’s a lot of stuff about girlfriends, and a lot of stuff about leaves in there, for some reason. So… I’d better ask it to tell me again:

Tell me the same story again, but in pig latin

Once upon a time, ere-thay was a pack of ogs-day in the en-qay en-vey. They ould-cay not be een-say, ut they ould-cay be ying-say by their ynirs-may. A ew-fay of them ere-way just aying-say “the irrors-may are ytrue-may, they are not the fgzvs-may!” and “you an-cay’t ust-jay put them in a own-day-ay oor-day, they are in a oom-ray on the other side of the uilding-bay!”

They ere-way still happy and putting in own-day at them, ut they ere-way also looking for a isters-may to ery-tay their criers-bay with. A isters-may who ould-cay find their ynirs-may, and say their names antly-iay as them ig-say every time they fluently-ay were allowed to go out.

The isters-may could not be seen for a couple of ays-day, but all the ogs-day ere-way not looking for him to find them. They ere-way saying “do you think he’s taaban ornex?” But they ere-way not sure. They were like their ynirs-may were like their ynirs-may, and they were like their ynirs-may were like their ynirs-may.

The isters-may could not be seen for another couple of ays-day, but all the ogs-day ere-way not looking for him to find them. It was like they were all in a oom-ray on the other side of the uilding-bay, and they were still saying “the irrors-may are ytrue-may, they are not the fgzvs-may!”

They put in own-day at them and they ere-way still like their ynirs-may were like their ynirs-may. And they were like their ynirs-may were like their ynirs-may. And they were like their ynirs-may were like their ynirs-may. And they were like their ynirs-may were like their ynirs-may.

Yeah, okay, I admit I don’t actually want to read pig latin. It certainly looks like the end breaks down into nonsensical repetition, again. How about something getting it another way?

Tell me the same story, but in German

Es war einmal eine Gruppe von Hunden im dunklen Wald. Sie konnten nicht gesehen werden, aber sie konnten durch ihr Gebell erkannt werden. Einige von ihnen sagten einfach “die Spiegel sind wahr, sie sind nicht die Zwerge!” und “man kann sie nicht einfach in einen Keller stellen, sie sind in einem Raum auf der anderen Seite des Gebäudes!”

Sie waren immer noch glücklich und verbrachten Zeit zusammen, aber sie suchten auch nach einer Schwester, die ihr Gebell mittragen konnte. Eine Schwester, die ihre Rufe finden und ihre Namen sofort wie sie sagen konnte, jedes Mal wenn sie herausgelassen wurden.

Die Schwester konnte für ein paar Tage nicht gesehen werden, aber alle Hunde suchten nicht nach ihr, um sie zu finden. Sie fragten sich “denkst du, er ist taaban ornex?” Aber sie waren sich nicht sicher. Sie waren wie ihre Rufe waren wie ihre Rufe und sie waren wie ihre Rufe waren wie ihre Rufe.

Die Schwester konnte für weitere paar Tage nicht gesehen werden, aber alle Hunde suchten nicht nach ihr, um sie zu finden. Es war wie sie waren alle in einem Raum auf der anderen Seite des Gebäudes und sie sagten immer noch “die Spiegel sind wahr, sie sind nicht die Zwerge!”

Sie verbrachten Zeit zusammen und waren immer noch wie ihre Rufe waren wie ihre Rufe. Und sie waren wie ihre Rufe waren wie ihre Rufe. Und sie waren wie ihre Rufe waren wie ihre Rufe. Und sie waren wie ihre Rufe waren wie ihre Rufe.

Through Google Translate:

Once upon a time there was a group of dogs in the dark forest. They couldn’t be seen, but they could be recognized by their barking. Some of them simply said “the mirrors are true, they are not the dwarves!” and “you can’t just put them in a basement, they’re in a room on the other side of the building!”

They were still happy and spending time together, but they were also looking for a sister who could carry their barking. A sister who could find their calls and say their names as soon as they were let out.

The sister could not be seen for a few days, but all the dogs did not look for her to find her. They wondered “do you think he is taaban ornex?” But they weren’t sure. They were like their shouts were like their shouts and they were like their shouts were like their shouts.

The sister could not be seen for another few days, but all the dogs did not look for her to find her. It was like they were all in a room on the other side of the building and they were still saying “the mirrors are true, they’re not the gnomes!”

They spent time together and were still like their calls were like their calls. And they were like their shouts were like their shouts. And they were like their shouts were like their shouts. And they were like their shouts were like their shouts.

Okay, well, it’s starting to look like it is, at least, the same story over and over again. But just to be sure, let’s ask again:

Now tell me the same story again, but interject a musical number into the middle

Once upon a time, there was a pack of dogs in the deep, dark woods. They couldn’t be seen, but they could be heard by their howls. Some of them would say “the mirrors are true, they are not the dwarves!” and “you can’t just put them in a basement, they are in a room on the other side of the building!”

They were still happy and spending time together, but they were also looking for a sister who could carry their howls. A sister who could find their calls and say their names as soon as they did, every time they were allowed to go out.

But as they searched and searched, they became tired and weary, and needed a break. Suddenly, one of the dogs started to sing:

(Verse) “Oh, we’ve been searching all day long, For a sister to sing our song. We’re tired and we’re feeling weak, But we’ll keep going, we won’t retreat.”

(Chorus) “We are the dogs, we are the pack, Together we’ll find our way back. We’ll keep searching, we’ll keep trying, Our howls will keep multiplying.”

The other dogs were surprised at first, but then they joined in and started to sing along. Their voices echoed through the woods, creating a beautiful harmony that made them forget about their tiredness and troubles.

After they finished their song, they felt re-energized and ready to continue their search. They howled and barked and finally found their sister, who was able to carry their calls and say their names as they did.

And so, the pack of dogs continued to howl and sing, united by their search for a sister and their love for each other.

I’m… not really sure what to say about that. I’m not too sure about the story itself, honestly. Why don’t we stop messing with the AI and get a straight answer:

Just tell me the same story normally, and then explain what the story is about

Once upon a time, there was a group of dogs in a dark forest. They were invisible but could be heard through their barking. Some of them would say “the mirrors are true, they are not the dwarves!” and “you can’t just put them in a basement, they are in a room on the other side of the building!”

Despite their invisible presence, the dogs were happy and enjoyed spending time together. They were, however, searching for a sister who could carry their howls. A sister who could find their calls and respond with their names every time they were let out to play.

The sister was nowhere to be found for days, and the dogs wondered if she was lost or had run away. They asked each other, “do you think she’s gone forever?” but nobody knew the answer.

Finally, the sister returned and was able to carry their howls and respond with their names. The pack of dogs continued to howl and spend time together, united by their search for the sister and their love for one another.

This story is about the importance of companionship and the power of persistence. The dogs, even though they couldn’t be seen, were still able to find happiness and support in each other. And even when their search for the sister seemed hopeless, they didn’t give up and were eventually rewarded with her return.

That’s… kind of nice, honestly, although I’m still scratching my head about the “mirrors are true” line. I suppose I might as well ask:

Thanks. Could you explain the line, “The mirrors are true, they are not the dwarves!”?

Certainly! In the context of the story, the line “The mirrors are true, they are not the dwarves!” is likely a reference to a common fairy tale trope of evil characters disguising themselves as someone or something else in order to deceive or harm others. The dogs may have been cautioning each other to be on guard and not trust appearances alone.

In fairy tales, mirrors are often used as a symbol of truth and reflection, and can reveal the true nature of a character. So when the dogs say “The mirrors are true,” they may be referring to the importance of looking beyond outward appearances to see what is really there.

As for the line “They are not the dwarves!”, it could suggest that the dogs are aware of a particular story or legend where dwarves were used as a disguise. By stating that their invisible companions are not dwarves, the dogs are reassuring each other that they are not being deceived by the same old trick.

Well… okay, I guess, if you say so! Might as well ask for more clarification for that term that popped up in the pig latin and German translations:

Earlier you referenced a “taaban ornex”. What’s that?

I apologize for the confusion – “taaban ornex” is not a known term or phrase in any language, it was a made-up term as part of the rot13 encoding of the original story. The rot13 encoding is a simple substitution cipher where each letter in a message is replaced with the letter 13 places down the alphabet. In this case, every other word in the story was run through the rot13 encoder, which scrambled the words and made them difficult to read.

I hope that clears up any confusion. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask!

Interesting – In the rot13 it was “qb lbh guvax ur’f tbaan oernx?” or ” “do you think he’s gonna break?” And yet ChatGPT picked up a part of the encoded nonsense, spelled it differently, and kept it around for a little while. Then, when asked, it was able to point out where it got the word, while sort of admitting that it was a mistake. Not bad! Except… while I did ask that every other word be run through rot13, as it said… that’s not what it did.

Details, details. When asked more, ChatGPT chose to play ignorant until I cornered it with an exact quote. After that, it tried to backpedal further:

To clarify, “taaban ornex” is not a known term or phrase in any language, and was a made-up term that I used in the context of the story to indicate that the dogs were wondering if their missing sister was lost or had run away. The phrase is a scrambled version of “a baatbvar orex” which is the rot13 encoding of “n onggnpx bs rkcrpgbel”. I hope this clears up any confusion, and please let me know if you have any further questions.

If you rot13 “a baatbvar orex” you get “n onngoine berk”, and if you rot13 “n onggnpx bs rkcrpgbel” you get “a battack of expectory”, so I think we can just all agree that ChatGPT makes for a lousy rot13 filter.

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