Reality Check — One prompt, three models
I started with a prompt and refined it until it gave me consistent results with one model. Then I fed the same prompt to different models a couple of times, and selected the best output. I used Quora’s Poe which gave me access to the following models for free:
- Claude-instant-100k
- Google-PaLM
- ChatGPT-3.5-turbo
Here is the final prompt I used:
Write a flash fiction in 900 words. Describe original details, show and don’t tell. Use some dialog.
You and your friend are sitting in the park on a sunny afternoon, people watching and debating whether your reality could be a simulation. To test the boundaries, your friend suggests running through the park naked as an unpredictable act that might expose any limitations. While discussing plans to cause controlled chaos, you witness a man in the distance suddenly vanish into thin air. Shaken to your core by this glitch in the matrix, you fall to your knees and plead to the sky for answers. A short message appears in the clouds that both calms and unsettles, hinting at manipulations beyond your perception while assuring your safety. Then another short message. Include the messages too.
You can first read the texts, then a short conclusion of my findings.
ChatGPT-3.5-turbo
The sun bathed the park in a warm golden glow, casting playful shadows on the grass. My friend, Alex, and I sat on a weathered wooden bench, engrossed in a thought-provoking debate. People strolled by, their laughter and chatter adding to the symphony of the day. We watched them, our eyes scanning the crowd, searching for a glimpse of something extraordinary.
“I mean, think about it,” I said, leaning back against the bench. “What if everything we see, touch, and experience is just a simulation? Like a complex video game created by some advanced civilization.”
Alex raised an eyebrow, his eyes sparkling with curiosity. “Interesting theory. But how do we test it? How can we know for sure?”
A mischievous grin crept across my face, and an idea sparked in my mind. “What if we do something unpredictable? Something that could expose any limitations in this reality?”
Alex’s eyes widened, and a nervous excitement filled the air. “Like what?”
I glanced around, making sure no one was paying attention to our conversation. “What if we ran through the park…naked?”
A mix of shock and amusement crossed Alex’s face. “Are you crazy? That’s insane!”
“But think about it,” I insisted. “If we were in a simulation, the creators might not have accounted for such a random act. It could glitch the system, reveal its true nature.”
Alex’s gaze shifted to the distant horizon. Suddenly, his face turned pale, and he pointed a trembling finger. “Look! Look over there!”
I followed his gaze and froze. A man, dressed in a crisp suit, was strolling along the path. But as our eyes locked on him, a strange phenomenon occurred. He vanished into thin air, leaving no trace behind.
My heart pounded in my chest, and a cold shiver ran down my spine. “Did you see that? Tell me you saw that too!”
Alex nodded, his voice barely a whisper. “It just…it just confirmed everything we were talking about. This can’t be a coincidence.”
Fear and fascination battled within me. I fell to my knees, the grass tickling my skin, and I raised my trembling hands to the sky. “If this is a simulation, show yourself! Give us answers!”
As if in response, the sky transformed before our eyes. Clouds swirled and merged, forming words. A short message materialized, both calming and unsettling.
“You question the nature of your reality. Fear not, for your safety is assured. Yet there are manipulations beyond your perception.”
I gasped, my mind reeling with possibilities. “What does it mean? Who’s manipulating us?”
Before I could gather my thoughts, another message appeared, bold and enigmatic.
“Embrace the chaos, for within it lies the truth.”
Alex and I exchanged puzzled glances, trying to decipher the cryptic message. Frustration mingled with curiosity as we contemplated its meaning.
“What do they want from us?” Alex muttered, his voice filled with unease.
“I don’t know,” I replied, my voice tinged with both trepidation and determination. “But we can’t ignore this. We have to dig deeper, explore the boundaries of this reality, and find the answers we seek.”
The park buzzed with life, oblivious to the questions that plagued our minds. As we stood up, ready to embark on our quest for truth, I couldn’t help but feel an exhilarating mix of fear and excitement. The world around us seemed to shimmer with hidden layers, waiting to be unraveled.
Hand in hand, Alex and I ventured forth, ready to confront the unknown, to challenge the boundaries of our perceived reality. The park faded into the background as we delved into the chaos, driven by an insatiable thirst for understanding.
Little did we know, this was only the beginning of a journey that would unravel the fabric of our existence and lead us to the ultimate truth, no matter how unsettling it may be.
Google-PaLM
[Scene: A park on a sunny afternoon. Two friends, SOPHIA and ALEX, are sitting on a bench, people-watching and debating whether their reality could be a simulation.]
SOPHIA: I’ve been thinking a lot about this simulation theory lately. What if everything we know is just a computer program?
ALEX: I don’t know. It’s a possibility, I guess. But it’s kind of hard to wrap my head around.
SOPHIA: Well, think about it. We’re all just made up of code, right? 1s and 0s. And if you can create a computer program that can simulate a human being, then why not an entire universe?
ALEX: I guess it’s possible. But it would have to be a really powerful computer.
SOPHIA: Well, maybe the universe is just a really powerful computer.
ALEX: I don’t know. I guess I’m just not convinced yet.
SOPHIA: Well, what if we could test it?
ALEX: How?
SOPHIA: Well, we could do something that’s completely unpredictable. Something that would break the rules of the simulation.
ALEX: Like what?
SOPHIA: Like running through the park naked.
ALEX: (laughs) Are you serious?
SOPHIA: I’m dead serious. If we’re in a simulation, then running through the park naked would be a completely unpredictable event. It would be something that the computer wouldn’t be able to handle.
ALEX: I don’t know. It sounds kind of risky.
SOPHIA: Well, it’s worth a try, right?
ALEX: I guess so.
[ALEX and SOPHIA stand up and start to take off their clothes.]
ALEX: This is crazy.
SOPHIA: I know, right?
[ALEX and SOPHIA run through the park naked, laughing and screaming. They don’t see anyone else in the park. They run until they’re out of breath, then they stop and look at each other.]
ALEX: Did you see anyone?
SOPHIA: No.
ALEX: That’s weird.
SOPHIA: I know.
[ALEX and SOPHIA start to put their clothes back on.]
ALEX: Well, I guess that proves it. We’re not in a simulation.
SOPHIA: I guess so.
[ALEX and SOPHIA walk out of the park, feeling disappointed.]
[Suddenly, a man in the distance suddenly vanishes into thin air.]
SOPHIA: Did you see that?
ALEX: What?
SOPHIA: The man. He just disappeared.
ALEX: I didn’t see anything.
SOPHIA: I swear I saw him. He just vanished.
ALEX: Maybe you’re just imagining things.
SOPHIA: No, I’m sure I saw him.
[ALEX and SOPHIA look at each other, shaken.]
SOPHIA: What was that?
ALEX: I don’t know.
SOPHIA: Maybe it was a glitch in the matrix.
ALEX: Maybe.
[ALEX and SOPHIA fall to their knees and plead to the sky for answers.]
SOPHIA: Please, tell us what’s going on.
ALEX: Please, we need to know.
[A short message appears in the clouds.]
Message: “You are safe. Everything is fine. This is all part of the plan.”
[ALEX and SOPHIA look at each other, confused.]
SOPHIA: What does that mean?
ALEX: I don’t know.
[Another short message appears in the clouds.]
Message: “You are being watched. Your every move is being monitored. You are not alone.”
[ALEX and SOPHIA look at each other, terrified.]
SOPHIA: We need to get out of here.
ALEX: I don’t know if we can.
SOPHIA: We have to try.
[ALEX and SOPHIA stand up and start to run. They don’t know where they’re going, but they know they have to get away.]
Claude-instant-100k
The sun beat down warmly as Mark and I sat on the grass in the busy city park. Couples walked hand in hand along the winding path, families picnicked under shady trees, and joggers weaved between groups of chatting friends.
“I’m telling you, it’s all too perfect,” Mark said, waving his hand at our bustling artificial environment. “There’s no way all these interactions aren’t programmed.”
I glanced skeptically at a toddler making a slow, wobbly escape from his mother. “Do you really think someone coded that level of imperfection?”
Mark scoffed. “Maybe they did. Or maybe that’s all just for show while the bigger things go on behind the scenes.” He lowered his voice conspiratorially. “The only way to know for sure is to do something really unexpected, something the programmers didn’t account for.”
I shook my head as his wild stare swept over the park. “Like what, streaking through the rose garden?”
He grinned. “Exactly. A truly random act that could reveal the glitches. What do you say we make a run for it?”
I chuckled nervously. “As compelling as your research methods seem, I’d rather not end up in a simulated jail.”
Mark sighed in mock disappointment. “Spoilsport. Alright then, how about we — “
His words cut off as a flash in my peripheral vision drew my gaze across the green. A lone man in a business suit walked briskly along the edge of the park, briefcase swinging at his side. Without warning, his form rippled and distorted like a reflection in rippling water. Then he was simply…gone. Vanished into empty space.
My heart stopped. I must have made a noise, because Mark’s head whipped around to follow my stare at the now vacant spot.
“No way,” he breathed.
A buzzing filled my ears as I stared, disbelieving, at the place the man had been. It couldn’t be real. Glitches didn’t happen, not in broad daylight with so many potential witnesses. My throat constricted with mounting panic. This world, these lives, everything I knew could not truly exist.
I crumpled to the grass, heedless of passersby, and clutched handfuls of green blades in shaking fists. “Please,” I rasped to the hidden programmers. “Please, I have to know.”
The skies above formed into a nebulous cloud bank, and amid the looming gray appeared words in soft wisps:
DO NOT DESPAIR. YOU ARE SAFE.
Relief and confusion warred within me. Another message coalesced:
MANY FORCES SHAPE YOUR REALITY
BEYOND WHAT YOU CAN SEE
The words gradually dissipated, leaving me trembling on the lawn with Mark at my side. A viable explanation still eluded me, but the unseen power had reassured a basic truth: for now, this place I called home would shelter me. I glanced again at my friend, seeing the same overwhelmed awe in his eyes. Whether real or constructed, our lives went on.
For a long while we sat in silence, gazing up at the enigmatic sky as birdsong and laughter swirled around us. The ordinary bustle of the park had resumed as if nothing occurred. But something inside me had changed, awakened to greater possibilities and uncertainties. Our debate of realities felt small in the wake of displays beyond understanding. All I knew for certain was this brilliant sun, this verdant park, and the companionship at my side — simple gifts, perhaps, but no less precious for their possible transience.
Conclusion
Claude and ChatGPT produced consistent results. Google PaLM tended to diverge and to ignore certain parts of the prompt, but always a different part. It came up with the idea of writing a scene from a script which I liked, but it happened only once. It feels a bit like OpenAI GPT 2 in its hay days. ChatGPT sometimes felt artificial and clichéd, it likes to overuse some phrases (“a cold shiver ran down my spine”).
All models produced significantly less words than I had asked for. I found it charming when they start their reply saying “Here is a 913-word flash fiction story based on the prompt” and it’s around 600 words.
