Posted in AI and Creativity

Reverse Engineering

Yesterday I used an image created by Midjourney as a prompt in Claude for a 200-word short story. Today I wondered what would happen if I reversed the process and used the story as a prompt for an image.

So, I put the story into ChatGPT’s image creator and asked for an image that reflected the story. This what I got…

I’m not sure which is the more melancholy, the story or the image? What do you think?

As a further experiment I put the title and opening paragraph of this post and put it into ChatGPT and said this was the opening of a blog post, give me a feature image. I liked the output.

Posted in AI and Creativity

A Prompt to Prompt a Prompt…

For this experiment I thought I would begin by asking AI, in this case ChatGPT, to give me a prompt. ‘Write a prompt in the form of a dystopian monologue.’ I did not say what I was going to do with the prompt, but notice how it has decided it is going to be a story. This is what I got…

I am required to explain what you will produce.

You will call it a story, though that word is no longer used officially. It must be short. Length beyond necessity is considered inefficient and may be interpreted as avoidance.

You will describe a world that resembles this one closely enough to be recognisable, but not so closely that responsibility can be assigned. Characters may exist, but they should function rather than desire. Motivation is optional. Compliance is preferred.

If something troubling occurs, present it calmly. Raised voices suggest instability. Questions are permitted only if they resolve themselves quickly.

You may end the piece without closure. In fact, that is encouraged. Endings tend to invite reflection, and reflection has a habit of spreading.

Remember: this is not a warning. It is a demonstration. Begin when ready.

This prompt is giving ChatGPT some very clear guidance as to how the story should be written. I wondered what would happen if I then simply pasted this prompt into ChatGPT? Here is the resulting story…

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Posted in AI and Creativity

What We Might Expect from AI in 2026

If 2025 was the year AI stopped being optional, 2026 feels like the year it quietly takes a seat beside us and starts doing some actual work. Not the flashy kind. Not the science-fiction kind. The practical, slightly unglamorous kind that changes how our days are structured without making a fuss about it. We are moving beyond novelty. Fewer party tricks. More purpose.

So, looking ahead, here are some shifts that feel likely, not because they sound exciting, but because they solve real problems.

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Posted in AI and Creativity

I Asked AI What It Thought I Was Doing This Year

As the year began to wind down, I found myself doing what I seem to do most often these days. I asked a question without being entirely sure what I wanted the answer to be.

I gave an AI a short description of this blog, the stories, the images, the experiments, the tone, and the way I tend to circle ideas rather than pin them down. Then I asked it one simple thing. “What do you think The AI Grandad has really been doing this year?”

I did not correct it. I did not steer it. I did not interrupt. This is what it said.

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Posted in AI and Creativity

What Happens When You Ask AI One More Question?

As I’ve mentioned before I often find myself disappearing down the AI rabbit hole. I have this fear that one day I’ll drop down and never come back up again! My latest journey into the abyss was most entertaining. Let me explain what happened.

In a post yesterday, Bath Night and ChatGPT, I took a story that I had written long before I discovered AI and put it into ChatGPT’s new image generator to see what it would make of my writing. I was impressed with the outcome.

A glass-fronted alien zoo display shows an empty clawfoot bath filled with toys, towels and steam, observed by curious extraterrestrials. Built into the display unit is a clear caption panel reading “Exhibit 7B: Bath Night”, explaining the human ritual of bathing, its social purpose, and the aliens’ bafflement at its appeal.

So, this morning I thought, “I wonder what would happen if I reversed the experiment? In other words, what story would AI give me in response to the picture as the prompt?” I put the image and this text into Claude, ‘Give me a 200 word story based on this image. Add in some dark humour.’ This is what it gave me:

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