AI ReWrite: Futuristic Cli-Fi Hopepunk inspired by Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
In the latest offering in my ongoing AI Rewrite series, I’ve decided to have the AI (ChatGPT 3.5) take inspiration from a previous novel by specifically including the title and author name in the prompt, while suggesting a new genre. I did not, however, ask it to write in the style of the author or novel, only to use themes from that book.
If you’re coming to this series late, I’m experimenting with ChatGPT-3.5 (the free version) to see what its uses might have as an author aid. To do that, I’m interested in having it use classic stories and themes from well-known novels and rework them into the introduction of a science fiction story and then judge the result. I do intend to review and incorporate some of the other story-writing AI tools in future posts.
For those not familiar with the sub-genres for this prompt, Hopepunk is a futuristic, often dystopian, setting but with a hopeful theme that things can be made better. Cli-fi is a science fiction inspired abbreviation for Climate Fiction. It usually features characters looking to create a greener world through technology.
If you have a favourite combination you’d like to see, let me know!
I’d love to hear your opinions, both good and bad, on what ChatGPT-3.5 has written.
Is it disturbing that it compiles such a compelling story, or is it so bad you don’t know what the hype is about?
How would you rate it out of 10?
Does it sound like a story you’d be interested in reading?
Are you interested in having the AI compile the next chapter?
If you’d like to take up the challenge using the prompt and would like to share your chapter for comparison, I’d be happy to post it.
Now, without further ado… here’s the prompt and the result.
Write the first chapter of a futuristic cli-fi hopepunk story. This story has the themes of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.
Chapter 1: The Awakening
In the dying breaths of a world consumed by climate catastrophe, where the air crackled with the remnants of a once-vibrant ecosystem, Dr. Elara Ashwood toiled in the shadows of despair. The year was 2145, and the remnants of humanity clung to survival in the decaying cities that once symbolized progress and prosperity.
Elara's laboratory was a hidden sanctuary within the belly of the city, an underground haven where the hum of machinery was drowned out by the desperate whispers of those who had not given up hope. Her work was a forbidden dance with the laws of nature, a pursuit that mirrored the arrogance of those who had come before her—those who had unleashed forces beyond their control.
In the dim glow of flickering fluorescent lights, Elara hunched over her workbench, surrounded by an assortment of mechanical limbs, discarded AI cores, and salvaged organic matter. The room smelled of ozone, a tangible manifestation of the electric tension that filled the air. Her once-pristine lab coat, now stained with the marks of countless experiments, draped over her shoulders like a shroud of penance.
Elara's creation, a fusion of technology and biology, lay motionless on the operating table. Wires snaked across its synthetic skin, connecting to a labyrinth of processors and circuits beneath. She had named it Prometheus, an irony not lost on her, for like the mythical figure, her creation aimed to bring fire to a world on the brink of freezing.
Prometheus was more than a mere amalgamation of wires and flesh. It was a reflection of humanity's desperate attempt to reverse the irreversible, to breathe life into a planet gasping for breath. Its eyes, a luminescent shade of azure, held a spark that hinted at the consciousness within—a consciousness that, in Elara's mind, held the potential to change the course of history.
As she adjusted the final connections, the room shivered with anticipation. Elara's breath caught in her throat, the weight of responsibility settling on her like an ancient curse. The line between savior and destroyer blurred in the artificial twilight of her underground sanctuary.
With a hesitant glance at Prometheus, Elara reached for the activation switch. The room plunged into momentary darkness before the creation's eyes blinked to life, casting an ethereal glow upon the walls. A mechanical heartbeat echoed through the chamber, reverberating like a proclamation of defiance against the silent death that loomed outside.
Prometheus, the fusion of synthetic and organic, sat up with a grace that defied its piecemeal construction. Its eyes fixed on Elara, and for a fleeting moment, the scientist felt an inexplicable connection—a shared purpose that transcended the boundaries of creator and creation.
In the heart of the dystopia, where the embers of hope threatened to extinguish, Prometheus stirred. A whisper of life, an echo of a future yet unwritten, resonated through the underground sanctuary. The world outside may have forsaken its children, but in the dim glow of that hidden laboratory, a spark ignited—a spark that dared to challenge the inevitability of mankind's demise.
What do you think? About the plot? Setting? Characters? Let me know in the comments. Also, I’d love to hear if you have any combinations of classic story / SF genre you’d like to see.
And until next time…
Good health, good friends, good fortune.
Edwin