I wanted to test the mettle of AI, so as an experiment I fed Microsoft Copilot the blurb from my novel, The Changeling King. Here is the original prompt complete with the text of my blurb:
Write me a chapter of a fantasy story using this blurb: At the height of the Age of the Alvor a changeling was born into the noblest of houses. Deformed and doomed to insanity, he was abandoned in the mountains. Fifteen years later, he rode out at the head of a terrible army to destroy the empire of the Alvor. Now, torn by a hundred years of war, the land of Kryllon lies under the shadow of the Trollking and the people look to the heavens for salvation. When four teenagers disappear at a Pennine lake in England, everyone believes it to be a tragic accident. Only Adam knows different. He was there. He knows that they were taken . . . and that he’s next. Nathan and his friends find themselves in a strange land, prisoners of the Alvor. If Nathan is to ever get his friends home, he must outsmart deceitful allies, battle murderous enemies and venture into the very heart of the Trollking’s stronghold. But the trials of their individual journeys are nothing compared to what lies at journey’s end . . .
This is what Copilot produced:
Chapter One: The Changeling’s Return
The Age of the Alvor was a time of unparalleled prosperity and peace, a golden era where magic and wisdom intertwined to create a utopia. Yet, even in such times, darkness found its way into the noblest of houses. Born under a blood moon, the changeling was a creature of twisted limbs and a mind teetering on the brink of madness. Abandoned in the cold, unforgiving mountains, he was left to perish. But fate had other plans.
Fifteen years later, the changeling, now known as the Trollking, rode at the head of a monstrous army. His eyes burned with a hatred that had festered over years of isolation and torment. The once-glorious empire of the Alvor crumbled under his relentless assault, and the land of Kryllon was plunged into a century of war and despair.
In the present day, far from the war-torn lands of Kryllon, four teenagers stood by a serene lake in the Pennines of England. The water shimmered under the midday sun, a perfect picture of tranquility. But for Adam, the beauty of the scene was marred by a sense of impending doom. He had seen something in the depths of the lake, something that had taken his friends.
Nathan, the leader of the group, was the first to disappear. One moment he was laughing, the next he was gone, swallowed by the lake without a trace. The others followed in quick succession, their screams echoing in Adam’s ears. He was the only one left, and he knew he was next.
As Adam stood frozen in fear, a blinding light enveloped him. When he opened his eyes, he found himself in a strange land, surrounded by towering trees and the distant sound of battle. He was no longer in England; he was in Kryllon, a land torn apart by the Trollking’s tyranny.
Nathan and his friends were prisoners of the Alvor, a once-noble race now reduced to desperate measures to survive. Nathan knew that if they were to return home, they would need to navigate a web of deceit and danger. The Alvor were not to be trusted, and the Trollking’s minions were everywhere.
Their journey took them through treacherous forests, across desolate plains, and into the heart of the Trollking’s stronghold. Along the way, they faced trials that tested their courage and their bonds of friendship. They encountered allies who were as likely to betray them as to help them, and enemies who sought to destroy them at every turn.
But the greatest challenge lay at the end of their journey. In the heart of the Trollking’s fortress, they would face a darkness that threatened not only their lives but their very souls. The fate of Kryllon and their own world hung in the balance, and only by confronting the true nature of their enemy could they hope to find salvation.
As the shadows closed in around them, Nathan and his friends prepared for the final battle. They knew that their trials had only just begun, and that the path to victory would be fraught with peril. But they also knew that they could not turn back. For the sake of their world and the land of Kryllon, they would fight to the end.
Analysis
After a quick read of the AI-generated chapter, I noted a few issues straight away. 1) A lot of the original text of the blurb has been recycled and lightly paraphrased. 2) It doesn’t attempt to describe the characters or to flesh them out a little, other than describing the changeling as having twisted limbs and teetering madness. 3) It summarises major events that work well in a blurb but not as a first chapter. Perhaps it would work as a prelude to a first chapter?
Final thoughts
I was impressed by the speed that it generated the content but not by the lack of originality. The fact that it recycled the entire blurb rather than focussing on one element of it (as a human would have done), suggests that the AI has some way to go before it will be able to produce work on the level of a human. What are your thoughts on the AI chapter? Did you find it compelling? If you are a writer, are you worried by what AI will be able to achieve in the coming months and years?
Discover more from NOOR A JAHANGIR
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
