Editor’s note: I’ve been wondering what all the hype is about with ChatGPT. As I am enamored with technology, I found myself watching a couple of YouTube videos about artificial intelligence that is at once as scary as it is powerful. Like all technologies, it can be used for good or for evil. After experimenting to find out what it might do, I decided that I would ask ChatGPT to assist at least in part in writing three blog posts for me that I will illustrate with images and comments. This first post of the trilogy features Barcelona Spain’s major tourist attractions as written by ChatGPT in a humorous style.
ChatGPT is capable of serious work or not-so-serious work. Here is the basic set of instructions I gave the program. “Write a blog post about Barcelona in a humorous style featuring iconic sites in the city. Limit it to about 1000 words.“ I copied and pasted into WordPress the article it created and I requested that one site not mentioned in the first draft be added as I have a photograph I wanted to include. That extra paragraph and this preface put the post at just over 1200 words.
The image captions are mine, and you can pixel-peep the photos on my Flickr album here. All of the rest of the text including the title of this post is courtesy of ChatGPT.
Barcelona – Where Gaudi’s Wildest Dreams and Tapas Galore Collide!
Introduction:
Welcome, fellow wanderers and lovers of laughter! Today, we embark on a hilarious expedition through the vibrant streets of Barcelona, where centuries-old traditions dance hand-in-hand with mind-boggling architecture. So, strap on your giggling boots and prepare to be amused, for we are about to discover the whimsical wonders and culinary delights of this enchanting Spanish city!
La Sagrada Familia: Gaudi’s Never-ending Project.
Let’s kick off our adventure with the one and only La Sagrada Familia, a masterpiece that has been under construction since, well, forever! This architectural marvel is so incomplete that it makes procrastination look like an Olympic sport. Gaudi had big dreams for this church, and it seems the builders have taken his vision to heart by never quite finishing the job.
Don’t be surprised if you stumble upon a construction worker napping on a scaffolding or a sign that says, “We’ll be back…eventually.” But hey, at least the cranes have become honorary citizens of Barcelona!
Park Güell: A Playground for the Imaginative.
Next stop, Park Güell, a playground that would make any kid’s imagination run wild! This colorful wonderland is like stepping into a Dr. Seuss book, with whimsical mosaic creatures and twisted architecture that defies the laws of reason. If you find yourself lost, just look for the crowd of bewildered tourists posing next to a giant lizard or attempting to sit on a bench that appears to have been designed by a tipsy surrealist. Don’t worry, you won’t be the first to wonder if Gaudi was on something when he conceptualized this place. Maybe he just had one too many sangrias?
Las Ramblas: Where Street Performers Take Over.
Now, let’s meander down the world-famous Las Ramblas, the city’s liveliest and quirkiest boulevard. Here, street performers rule the day, transforming into living statues, fire-breathing dragons, and break-dancing unicorns for your amusement. Be prepared to dodge human statues trying to spook you into dropping your ice cream or artists selling paintings that make Picasso’s cubism look like finger painting. And whatever you do, resist the urge to follow that guy in the cape and top hat down that mysterious alley. Trust me; he’s not leading you to Hogwarts.
Gothic Quarter: Where Lost Souls Find Themselves…Eventually.
If you’re a fan of medieval charm mixed with an uncanny ability to get lost, the Gothic Quarter is your spiritual home. This labyrinthine neighborhood will have you wandering through narrow streets that seem to defy Google Maps. Don’t worry; getting lost here is a rite of passage. Just embrace it and surrender to the allure of discovering hidden plazas, secret tapas bars, and shops selling quirky souvenirs you never knew you needed. Just remember to bring a compass or a pack of breadcrumbs to find your way back to civilization.
Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya: Where Art and Fairytales Collide!
Ah, how could I forget the National Art Museum of Catalonia, affectionately known as MNAC? Nestled on Montjuïc Hill, this majestic museum houses an impressive collection of Catalan art that spans centuries. But let’s be honest, the real showstopper here is the stunning building itself, which could easily double as a palace from a fairytale. As you approach the grand entrance, you might half-expect to be greeted by knights on horseback or a red carpet leading to a secret lair. Inside, you’ll find a treasure trove of artistic wonders, from breathtaking Gothic masterpieces to vibrant Modernista works. And if the art doesn’t tickle your fancy, the panoramic views of Barcelona from the museum’s terrace will surely leave you spellbound. Just remember to keep your excitement in check; we don’t want you accidentally joining an art piece in an overzealous attempt to appreciate it!
Barceloneta Beach: Sun, Sand, and Saggy Speedos.
No visit to Barcelona is complete without a visit to Barceloneta Beach. Here, you’ll witness the perfect blend of sun-worshipping locals, exuberant tourists, and retirees determined to turn their speedos into a fashion statement. It’s a place where bodies of all shapes and sizes proudly embrace the Mediterranean waves, where sandcastle architects hone their craft, and where vendors tirelessly offer questionable beachwear and sangria served in buckets. Just don’t forget to apply sunscreen liberally, or you might return home looking like a boiled lobster!
Conclusion:
Barcelona, a city that knows how to tickle your funny bone and leave you in awe. From Gaudi’s perpetually unfinished masterpieces to the endless surprises of Las Ramblas and the labyrinthine streets of the Gothic Quarter, this city never fails to entertain. So, pack your sense of humor and appetite for adventure, and let Barcelona whisk you away into a world where whimsy and laughter reign supreme. Just be prepared to come home with a collection of stories that will have your friends laughing for years to come. Viva Barcelona, where even the streets have a sense of humor!
Epilog:
This is John again. As it turned out, ChatGPT chose sites in the city that we visited during our two-day stay there. The only site I asked the program to add is the museum as I wanted to share that exterior shot. I will have more from our trip to Barcelona in future posts, but I’ll be writing them myself. Next week, the post is written by me but it concludes with a poem written by ChatGPT.
Feel free to comment on the story, the photos, or the concept of using AI tools in general. I look forward to reading your thoughts.
John Steiner
Journeys with Johnbo 
This is interesting!
Yes, your photos are amazingly wonderful as always but icing this post with ChatGPT is quite amusing.
And I assure you this comment wasn’t written by AI 🙂
I’ve already learned that ChatGPT is a lousy research tool and people have already had issues with that part of the program.
It’s bad enough that we have to fact check human authors, now we have to fact check AI sources. >grin<
Read and liked by IA 🙂
Thanks, AI!
Not bad at all from ChatGPT. But I like hearing your “voice.”
Wonderful photos.
I appreciate your comment. After these next experiments, I’ll be pretty much done with AI writing. I just had to check it out.
Having written and had four books published and authored several years worth of monthly columns in tech magazines as a young man, I am not going to turn my writing over to a machine. >grin<
Your photos are wonderful. Although the ChatGPT did a great job with the text it’s kind of creepy and scary to think about what AI can do!
Indeed. Lately I’ve been watching some videos about Photoshop’s Beta Generative Fill tool. I can see it does the same thing to images that ChatGPT does to writing. (Notice that I wrote “to” instead of “for”. Just sayin’ )
Great post! ChatGPT definitely has a humorous side to it and it was a fun read. The descriptions of each location in Barcelona were not only funny but also informative. It’s amazing to see how far technology has come in assisting with tasks like writing blog posts.
founder of balance thy life
Thanks, I am glad the humorous side of ChatGPT worked for you.
Fascinating! I would have known you didn’t write this, it isn’t your style but not that it wasn’t a human 😏
There’s no way that I could get away with replacing myself with this AI tool, but it (and the next couple of posts) are interesting exercises in the new technology that will certainly be used in daily production by those whose writing style needs to be ubiquitous.
I missed you in this post. It felt like a tourist promotion. Now that there is ChatGPT and Photoshop’s AI, we photographers don’t have to leave the house to create our posts. That’s kind of sad! What’s next? What’s real? What kind of world are we creating?
True that, Anne! I think most writers won’t want a machine to speak for them on a regular basis. Those who need “assistance” in an assignment that is out of their league may turn to tools like ChatGPT.
I pity the poor writing teachers who have to grade written assignments from their students (or their student’s computers. >grin<)
I suspect that someday the tool will be as ubiquitous as a calculator is today for those who need it.
I was thinking of teachers and students while I was walking the dog this morning. What a mess!
Not a place I’ve ever been, so appreciated the photo tour
Thanks, VJ. I found our tour guide to be personable and full of interesting stories as he drove us around the city. I’ll focus on our tour details and the tour company in a future post.
I’ve been using Google’s Bard since they offered me early access a few months ago. I haven’t used it for writing, but researching is amazing. It’s like having a conversation. Your post is very impressive. We used to think that language was so special to us humans, and now look. I’m glad you enjoyed Barcelona. It’s a fun city.
I started playing with Bard as well now that you don’t have to pre register. It appears to have less flowery prose in what little I’ve used it.
Great photos, John! Appreciate you show us what AI can do for writing stories. Amazing, indeed.
Maybe, AI will do photographing for us in the near future. 🙂
Thanks, Amy! I think you are right about photography… good or bad. Glad I don’t have to make a living off my photos. >grin<
I loved the photographs, John – the cathedral is an immense structure! – but I sorely missed your writing style. There’s just one Johnbo and ChatGPT does a poor imitation of him (even if it knows when to use is or are better than I do)!
Thank you! ChatGPT won’t replace me for long. Bear with me for a couple more Travel Tuesdays as I share some experiments with the technology. Next week, it is poetry time as I share a reworked photo. ☺️
Well since I know what your posts are usually like, I can tell this was written by AI… but I can see how it might be difficult to tell if I’d just stumbled across this article randomly. An interesting experiment.
I don’t plan to turn my writing over to AI anytime soon, but I am intrigued by the range of abilities of this tool. Two more experiments follow on the next two Tuesdays.
Thanks for your comment!
I must say that, having just returned from Barcelona, my interest was peaked by your mention of that wonderful city, while your mention of AI struck a nerve.
I particularly like the photo of the narrow street of El Gotic. Wandering those streets was one of my favorite things to do.
AI? Maybe I’m just being an old ‘get off my lawn’ guy but I think it’s one of the worst things since ____ (fill in the blank). It’s a tool for the plagiarist, the lazy and the unimaginative (and this is NOT meant to be a reflection on your use of AI as you were doing it as at experiment).
I first heard about it when an acquaintance told me he’d written a children’s book and then owned up to the fact that it was in fact written by ChatGPT. That told me all I needed to know.
I suppose that the response to my criticism is that it’s one of those innovations that can be a boon but is being misused. Well, maybe there are some innovations that shouldn’t be developed.
Just ask the New York attorney who relied on ChatGPT to research prior cases in a lawsuit against Avianca and found, to his dismay, that the case law cited was all bogus. Or the tech geeks who warned that AI could lead to extinction. It most certainly will lead to the extinction of some jobs.
Remember the old commercial, “Is it live, or is it Memorex?” We’re going to be returning to that question, times a thousand. Did Scotty Pippen really say that Michael Jordan was a terrible basketball player or was it AI (not Allen Iverson)? I can hardly wait till the 2024 presidential election.
Okay. I apologize for the long missive.
I can’t disagree with you, Paul. I know of several issues, the lawyer who got in trouble, the professor who asked ChatGPT if the themes students submitted were written by the program. The program lied and took full credit. No doubt some had probably used the tool, but some could prove they did not. The professor had to give everyone credit.
With Generative Fill AI in Photoshop and other similar AI tools, we are going to have the same issues in photography.
It’s up to the creator to be true to the work. I have been known to use sky replacement, for example, but I always “fess up” when I do. That’s professional integrity, something that seems to be lacking these days in many professions.
I’ve had my fun, written three posts using the tool just to see what it was all about. It’s not trustworthy enough to use it for fact checking, so I’ll be moving back to my own brand of writing (however good or bad that may be) before the end of June. 🙂
Fun experiment and lovely shots, John. Interesting to see what this “thing” can do. Loved your Gothic lane and I plan to return when (if) the cathedral is finished. I am glad I left my teaching job before this AI thing. As I was a Swedish teacher, writing is close to my heart.
I am glad to be out of the education business as well, Ann-Christine… at least professionally.
Our tour guide said that there are rumors that they will finish the cathedral in 2026 based upon plans being made for potential celebrations, etc. We’ll see.