Elon Musk is right about one thing: OpenAI’s new chatbot prototype is “scary good.” How good is that? Consider this short excerpt from “Robots and Revolution,” a song I asked ChatGPT to create:

Some socialists say that AI could be a threat

To workers’ livelihoods, and the profits that they get

They argue that the profits from AI should be shared

And that the government should help those who are impaired

 

But others say that AI could be a force for good

It could reduce the need for labor, like it should

It could create a society where we’re free from wage labor

Where we can pursue our passions, without any favor

No, it’s not a work of particular genius. I’d grade “Robots and Revolution” a C-, with low marks for the clunky lyrical flow and lack of humor. On the other hand, this three-verse, one-chorus ditty was spat out in about thirty seconds and did a reasonable job summarizing arguments about AI in basic rhyme form. Plus, this just scratches the surface of the capabilities of the browser-based word genie. Since OpenAI released ChatGPT to the public in November, people have used it to write college-level essays, punch up their scripts’ dialogue, craft recipes for dinner, and write software code.