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There’s been a lot of talk lately about artificial intelligence — what it can do and what its limitations are. And if you’ve been keeping tabs on it at all, there’s no doubt that it seems to be getting better — and fast.
Texas Standard commentator WF Strong wanted to find out for himself just how good its become. So he did a little experiment.
The full transcript of this episode of Stories from Texas is available on the KUT & KUTX Studio website. The transcript is also available as subtitles or captions on some podcast apps.
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With all the excitement over
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artificial intelligence
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and what it is capable of.
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I thought I would see what it could
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do for me.
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I decided I would ask Al,
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my AI assistant, to
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write a story in the style
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of WF Strong.
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I didn’t tell him that I write Texas
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stories. I wanted him to send
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his creepy crawlers out
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onto the vast web and
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figure that out for himself.
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And as for my style, I
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couldn’t define that for you.
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I think it depends on whether I’ve
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been reading McCarthy or McMurtry
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or Paulette Jiles this week.
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Well, anyway, here is
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the beginning of the story that Al
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wrote in response to my request.
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In the heart of the Lone Star State,
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where the sun’s rays beat down
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fiercely on the red Earth.
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There lived a man named Jeb.
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Jeb was a rugged cowboy,
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weathered by years of hard
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work on the sprawling ranches
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that stretched as far
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as the eye could see.
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One scorching summer day,
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as Jeb rode out to check on the
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cattle, he noticed a strange
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shimmer in the distance.
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Curiosity piqued, he spurred his
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horse onward, the dust
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kicking up behind him in
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a swirling cloud.
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As he drew closer, Jeb realized
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the shimmer was coming from a small,
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crystal clear spring
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bubbling up from the ground.
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The water was cool and refreshing,
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a stark contrast to the blistering
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heat of the day.
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Jeb dismounted and took a long
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drink.
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Feeling the liquid revive him
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from the inside out.
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But as he knelt by the spring, Jeb
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heard a voice carried on the
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wind.
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You have found the spring of truth,
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cowboy.
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Startled, Jeb looked around
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and saw no one.
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Let me stop the story right here to
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add another wrinkle to this
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experiment.
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I wondered if I could ask
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Al to make this story
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even more artificially.
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Me?
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So I asked him to create
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a clone of my voice.
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It took about an hour, but he came
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up with a pretty good likeness.
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I’ll let the clone take over the
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narration of the story.
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Now remember, we left
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Jeb at the Spring of Truth.
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Determined to uncover the mystery,
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Jeb spent the next few days
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exploring the area around the
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spring.
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In the process, he discovered
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a hidden cave nestled
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in the rocky cliffs nearby.
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Inside the cave, he found ancient
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pictographs and symbols
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etched into the walls, telling
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the story of a lost civilization
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that revered the spring as a
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source of wisdom and enlightenment.
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Armed with this newfound knowledge,
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Jeb returned to the ranch with a
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sense of purpose.
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He shared the tale of the Spring of
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Truth with his fellow cowboys,
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inspiring them to seek out their
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own truths and live
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with integrity and honor.
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From that day on, the spring
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of truth became a sacred place
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for the people of the Texas Plains.
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They would make pilgrimages to the
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spring, seeking guidance
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and wisdom in times of need
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and always finding solace
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in its cool, clear waters.
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And so the legend of Jeb and the
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Spring of Truth lived on a
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reminder to all who heard it
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that the path to enlightenment can
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be found in the most unexpected
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of places, even in the vast
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expanse of the Texas wilderness.
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Not bad.
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A little bit of tweaking, and al can
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send in the clone to take
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my place, but I’ll go ahead and keep
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the direct deposit coming to my
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bank.
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I even had him create the artwork to
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go with this story, which you
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can see if you go online shortly to
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Texas standard.org.
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Okay, Al, you finish
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up while I pop a cold one.
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I’m WF strong.
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These are stories from Texas.
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Some of them are true.
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Stories from Texas is a listener
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supported production of Texas
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Standard, distributed through
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KUT and KUTX
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Studios in Austin, Texas.
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You can support it at support this
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podcast.org.
This transcript was transcribed by AI, and lightly edited by a human. Accuracy may vary. This text may be revised in the future.
