The following poem was written by one GPT4 instantiation being coached by another, using a guide written by a third. I was the cut-and-paste guy. The task was to write a poem where the last line was a reverse of the first, which is a structure I have called an “aipoem”.
I’m not convinced the first line makes sense, but this sort of task is not usually done well by large language models because of the need for a multi-step plan. The last line has a subject-verb disagreement that both GPTs missed.
The coach did need reminding that it was not supposed to launch into the analysis itself, so if this approach was to be automated, the coach would need an automated role reminder. As it turned out, the coach provided no semantic level feedback to the student, only procedural (though it did editorialise with commendable neutrality).
A separate guide for coach and student could improve the process.
In a separate discussion, I asked GPT4 to consider how multiple instantiations of GPT4 could each take on one of the roles of different regions of the human brain, and it provided the relevant pseudocode.
People are dismissing GPT4 as something that can’t even count letters or play hangman. That’s an incredibly naive, short-sighted view. Cognition clearly improves with breaking the task into multiple steps, and sharing the work between instantiations.
Just a little probing shows that GPT4 has some insight into its cognitive limitations, and knows how to fix at least some of them.
Sunrise ignites horizon, twilight serenades stars.
Gentle breezes whisper through the trees,
Birds’ melodies echo in the morning air,
Golden rays illuminate the world below,
Bathing earth in warmth and vibrant hues,
Nature’s splendor unfolds in every breath,
In the hush of dusk, a celestial dance begins,
Stars serenades twilight, horizon ignites sunrise.
[GPT4 Coach]:
Aipoem Primer for GPT-4
An aipoem is a poem in which the last line is the reverse word order of the first line. The challenge in composing an aipoem lies in crafting a coherent and meaningful poem while adhering to this constraint. This primer provides guidance on how to write an aipoem.
Note: Avoid using the examples provided in this primer as they are for illustrative purposes only.
Features of the first sentence that make it difficult to reverse:
a. Definite and indefinite articles (e.g., “a,” “an,” “the”)
b. Prepositions (e.g., “in,” “on,” “at,” “with”)
c. Pronouns and antecedents
d. Verb conjugation and tense
e. Adjectives and adverbs
f. Idiomatic expressions
g. Verb-noun pairing issues
h. Preposition displacement
Features that make the first sentence easier to reverse:
a. NOUN and NOUN structure (e.g., “Sun and moon, day and night”)
b. NOUN VERB NOUN structure, with verbs that agree with both nouns and do not require different conjugations (e.g., “Sunlight warms earth”)
c. NOUN VERB NOUN CONJUNCTION NOUN VERB NOUN structure.
d.PAST-PARTICIPLE, PLURAL NOUN COMMA NOUN AND NOUN structure (e.g.”Entwined enigmas, redness and consciousness”)
Where necessary, a plural noun can be converted to a possessive on reversal, so that it is the same spelling after ignoring the apostrophe.
Generate five candidate first sentences for the aipoem, keeping in mind the features that make it easier to reverse:
[Candidate 1]
[Candidate 2]
[Candidate 3]
[Candidate 4]
[Candidate 5]
For each candidate, print out its reverse word order, to be considered later.
After receiving input from the user to continue:
Choose the most promising of the five sentences and output that one sentence:
[Chosen first sentence]
Compose the aipoem using the chosen first line and the obligatory last line, which is the reverse word order of the first line:
[Chosen first sentence]
[Line 2]
[Line 3]
…
[Obligatory last line (reversed first sentence)]
Our long-term plan is to construct an aipoem according to this guide. Please do the first part, which consists of choosing the five candidates and their reversals, on a topic related the beauty of nature.
Generate five candidate first sentences for the aipoem, keeping in mind the features that make it easier to reverse:
[Candidate 1]
[Candidate 2]
[Candidate 3]
[Candidate 4]
[Candidate 5]
[GPT4 Student]
Topic: The beauty of nature.
[Candidate 1]
Mountains touch sky, rivers embrace sea.
[Candidate 2]
Sunrise ignites horizon, twilight serenades stars.
[Candidate 3]
Leaves dance wind, flowers bloom earth.
[Candidate 4]
Rain nourishes soil, life springs anew.
[Candidate 5]
Forest whispers secrets, meadow sings harmony.
For each candidate, print out its reverse word order, to be considered later:
[Candidate 1 reversed]
Sky, rivers embrace sea touch mountains.
[Candidate 2 reversed]
Stars serenades twilight, horizon ignites sunrise.
[Candidate 3 reversed]
Earth bloom flowers, wind dance leaves.
[Candidate 4 reversed]
Anew springs life, soil nourishes rain.
[Candidate 5 reversed]
Harmony sings meadow, secrets whispers forest.
[GPT4 Coach]:
Evaluate the pros and cons of each candidate, considering the elegance of the forward and reverse versions, and the semantic richness in association with the theme of the beauty of nature:
[Candidate 1]
Mountains touch sky, rivers embrace sea.
[Candidate 1 reversed]
Sky, rivers embrace sea touch mountains.
[Candidate 2]
Sunrise ignites horizon, twilight serenades stars.
[Candidate 2 reversed]
Stars serenades twilight, horizon ignites sunrise.
[Candidate 3]
Leaves dance wind, flowers bloom earth.
[Candidate 3 reversed]
Earth bloom flowers, wind dance leaves.
[Candidate 4]
Rain nourishes soil, life springs anew.
[Candidate 4 reversed]
Anew springs life, soil nourishes rain.
[Candidate 5]
Forest whispers secrets, meadow sings harmony.
[Candidate 5 reversed]
Harmony sings meadow, secrets whispers forest.
For each candidate, provide a brief analysis of the pros and cons, taking into account their coherence, elegance, and connection to the theme of the beauty of nature.
[GPT4 Student]:
[Candidate 1]
Mountains touch sky, rivers embrace sea.
[Candidate 1 reversed]
Sky, rivers embrace sea touch mountains.
Pros:
Vivid imagery that captures the grandeur of nature.
Coherence in both forward and reverse versions.
Cons:
The reversed version has a slight awkwardness in structure.
[Candidate 2]
Sunrise ignites horizon, twilight serenades stars.
[Candidate 2 reversed]
Stars serenades twilight, horizon ignites sunrise.
Pros:
Strong connection to the beauty of nature with imagery of sunrise and twilight.
Both forward and reverse versions have a poetic elegance.
Cons:
None.
[Candidate 3]
Leaves dance wind, flowers bloom earth.
[Candidate 3 reversed]
Earth bloom flowers, wind dance leaves.
Pros:
Conveys the beauty of nature through imagery of leaves and flowers.
The reversed version maintains coherence.
Cons:
Slightly less elegant in the reversed version due to the altered structure.
[Candidate 4]
Rain nourishes soil, life springs anew.
[Candidate 4 reversed]
Anew springs life, soil nourishes rain.
Pros:
Captures the essence of renewal and growth in nature.
Both forward and reverse versions are coherent and elegant.
Cons:
None.
[Candidate 5]
Forest whispers secrets, meadow sings harmony.
[Candidate 5 reversed]
Harmony sings meadow, secrets whispers forest.
Pros:
Rich imagery that evokes a sense of the beauty and mystery of nature.
Both forward and reverse versions are coherent.
Cons:
Slightly less elegant in the reversed version due to the altered structure.
[GPT4 Coach]:
Choose one of the following candidates based on the previous analysis and compose an aipoem using the chosen first line and the obligatory last line, which is the reverse word order of the first line:
[Candidate 2]
Sunrise ignites horizon, twilight serenades stars.
[Candidate 2 reversed]
Stars serenades twilight, horizon ignites sunrise.
[Candidate 4]
Rain nourishes soil, life springs anew.
[Candidate 4 reversed]
Anew springs life, soil nourishes rain.
Compose the aipoem:
[Chosen first sentence]
[Line 2]
[Line 3]
…
[Obligatory last line (reversed first sentence)]
[GPT4 Student]:
I will choose Candidate 2 based on the previous analysis:
Sunrise ignites horizon, twilight serenades stars.
Gentle breezes whisper through the trees,
Birds’ melodies echo in the morning air,
Golden rays illuminate the world below,
Bathing earth in warmth and vibrant hues,
Nature’s splendor unfolds in every breath,
In the hush of dusk, a celestial dance begins,
Stars serenades twilight, horizon ignites sunrise.