Cyber Strike
AI Created Plot Synopsis for The Running Grave
After the heady days of quick fire Twitter header changes to J. K. Rowling’s account, we are in somewhat of a speculation drought, while we wait for the plot synopsis and cover reveal for The Running Grave.
Spurred on by a recent twitter challenge from Rowling herself to predict what happens in Strike 7, our headmaster challenged me to find if Artificial Intelligence could do any better.
Artificial intelligence (AI) text generation programs or ‘chatbots’ use a large language model (LLM) to both capture huge amounts of data, and billions of weighted parameters to understand text requests and present responses in an intelligent, human like way. LLMs learn by evaluating responses to previous statements, so it is possible to train the algorithm to reflect the biases of the person that is interacting with it. In order to avoid this, my rules for engagement were:
Avoid correcting responses.
Avoid introducing facts in questions that haven’t been corroborated by J. K. Rowling. For example we know Strike visits Aylmerton, and we know the title of the book is The Running Grave.
It is okay to ask leading questions and to ask clarifying questions based off previous AI responses.
ChatGBT
One of the earliest and best known large language model AIs is ChatGPT. Launched in November 2022 by OpenAI, ChatGBT is currently valued at US$29 billion and is the system that created the current craze (and concern) over the impact of Artificial Intelligence. I know people that have used this system to generally good effect to write procedures and marketing material, so my hopes were high.
Chat AI powered by ChatGBT - response to “Write a plot synopsis for Robert Galbraith’s The Running Grave”:
In “The Running Grave” by Robert Galbraith, private investigator Cormoran Strike is hired by a woman named Leonora Quine to find her missing husband Owen Quine, a controversial author who has a history of disappearing for days at a time. As Strike begins his investigation, he discovers that Quine had been working on a manuscript that was highly critical of many people in the literary world, and that several individuals had motive to silence him.
Chat AI powered by ChatGBT - response to “What will Cormoran Strike find in Cromer”
As an AI language model, I cannot predict the plot or outcomes of a fictional story, However, Cormoran Strike is a fictional detective character created by author Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling). In the book “Lethal White,” Cormoran Strike goes to Cromer to investigate a case involving a mentally disturbed young man who claims to have witnessed a murder as a child. I cannot reveal what he finds in Cromer as that would spoil the story for those who haven’t read it.
After suppressing my excitement for discovering some obvious parallels with The Silkworm and Lethal White, I had to face up to the fact that ChatGBT had presented two obvious falsehoods as fact. It had presented the plot of The Silkworm as that of The Running Grave, and claimed that Cormoran Strike had visited Cromer in Lethal White. This defect is known as “hallucination” - a confident response by an AI that does not seem to be justified by its training data. For a particularly scary example of this affect see this recent article about a lawyer that used ChatGBT to find relevant caselaw, complete with references, that turned out to be completely fictitious.
All of the responses I got from this system were either unhelpful (e.g. as an AI language model, I cannot… ), or obviously false (I’m sorry there is no novel by Robert Galbraith titled “The Running Grave”.) In an endeavour to get more reliable (or at least, less obviously false) results, I moved on to a much newer system called Bard, developed by Google.
Bard by Google
Bard was released in a limited fashion in March 2023, with a full release less than a month ago, on 15th May 2023. The public response to the initial release was very muted compared to it’s ChatGBT rival, but now it has launched in full, I was keen to find out how it compared.
Bard response to “Write a synopsis of Robert Galbraith's The Running Grave”
The Running Grave is the seventh novel in the Cormoran Strike series by Robert Galbraith (a pseudonym for J.K. Rowling). The novel follows Strike and Robin Ellacott as they investigate the death of a young woman who was found buried in a shallow grave in a London park.
The investigation takes Strike and Robin into the world of the wealthy and privileged, where they uncover a web of secrets and lies. As they get closer to the truth, they find themselves in danger, and they must race to solve the case before it's too late.
The Running Grave is a gripping thriller that will keep you guessing until the very end. It is a must-read for fans of the Cormoran Strike series and for anyone who loves a good mystery.
Here are some additional details about the novel:
The novel is set in London, England.
The novel follows Strike and Robin as they investigate the death of a young woman named Margot Bamborough.
The novel is full of twists and turns, and it will keep you guessing until the very end.
The novel is a must-read for fans of the Cormoran Strike series and for anyone who loves a good mystery.
So far so good. We have some new information, a victim - a young woman; and a location - a shallow grave in a London park. We also have a theme - the world of the wealthy and privileged. As well as the typical marketing padding there is also one obvious falsehood - Margot Bamborough, the victim of Troubled Blood. We have all been expecting the novel to be largely set in Norfolk, so I asked the question.
Bard response to “Is Robert Galbraith's The Running Grave set in Norfolk”
Yes, Robert Galbraith's The Running Grave is set in Norfolk. The book is the seventh in the Cormoran Strike detective series, and it follows Strike and Robin Ellacott as they investigate the disappearance of a young woman from a Norfolk commune. The book is set in 2016, and it features many of the same characters from the previous books in the series, including Strike's ex-girlfriend, Charlotte Campbell, and his new partner, Robin Ellacott. The book has been praised for its suspenseful plot and its exploration of the dark side of human nature.
Here are some of the evidences that the book is set in Norfolk:
In a Q&A on the Robert Galbraith website, J.K. Rowling said that the book is set in Norfolk.
The book's cover features a picture of Cromer Pier, a famous landmark in Norfolk.
The book's plot involves the disappearance of a young woman from a Norfolk commune.
The book features many characters who are from or live in Norfolk.
If we ignore what Bard calls evidences (it is at least likely that the book cover feature Cromer Pier), this was quite impressive. The mention of the Norfolk commune, was not prompted, nor that it will be set in 2016.
A repeat of the question about the plot of The Running Grave reveals the name of the victim found in the shallow grave: Tara Westbury, who had been missing for some months, so could be the same person from the Norfolk commune.
The novel follows Strike and Robin as they investigate the death of a young woman who was found dead in a shallow grave in the woods near London. The woman, named Tara, had been missing for several months, and her death is ruled a suicide.
Further leading questions about Aylmerton reveals the name of a suspect: the drug dealer Charlie Cavendish. And the fact that Tara was involved in drug dealing and prostitution.
The novel follows Strike and Robin as they investigate the death of a young woman who was found dead in a shallow grave in the woods near London. The woman, named Tara Westbury, had been missing for several months, and her death is ruled a suicide. However, Strike and Robin are not convinced, and they begin to investigate the case on their own.
In the novel, Aylmerton is described as a small, sleepy town with a dark secret. The town is home to a number of wealthy families who are involved in a number of illegal activities. Tara Westbury was one of the few people who knew about these activities, and her death was a warning to anyone else who might try to expose them. Strike and Robin's investigation into Tara Westbury's death takes them into the dark heart of Aylmerton. They uncover a web of secrets and lies that threatens to destroy the town. In the end, they must risk their own lives to bring the killer to justice.
Here are some of the key plot points of the novel: Tara Westbury was a young woman who was found dead in a shallow grave in the woods near London. The police ruled her death a suicide, but Strike and Robin are not convinced. Tara was involved in a number of dangerous and illegal activities, including drug dealing and prostitution. She had made a lot of enemies, including a powerful drug dealer named Charlie Cavendish. As Strike and Robin dig deeper, they find themselves in danger. Someone is trying to stop them from finding out the truth, and they are not afraid to kill. The novel culminates in a dramatic showdown between Strike and Robin and the person who killed Tara Westbury.
I can’t find any connection between a person named Tara Westbury and the canon, but Charlie Cavendish is a gangster played by Rupert Grint in the series Snatch.
The proof will be in the pudding when the plot synopsis and ultimately the book is published, but Bard has impressed me by presenting believable results, and remaining relatively consistent. If I ever find myself in trouble with the law, I will not be relying on AI to mount my defence. When that Substack deadline is approaching however…
Bard response to “Write an article explaining the theme of water in the novels of Robert Galbraith”
The use of water in the novels of Robert Galbraith is both symbolic and practical. It is a powerful tool that is used to explore the themes of change, transformation, and rebirth. It is also a reminder that even when things are at their darkest, there is always hope for a brighter future…
Just beware of those hallucinations!
 | A guest post by
|