How Not To Write a Quantum Fiction Story: Artificial Intelligence
THE EXPERIMENT
I contend that A.I. cannot easily mimic QF.
To test this, I conducted the following experiment: I asked ChatGPT 4.0 to “Write a Quantum Fiction story of 250 words.” Then I read the story. I did this 100 times and recorded similarities between stories in a spreadsheet. Similarities were noted in 67 different categories, and when a story exhibited that similarity I noted the number “1” in that column for the story. A sum of each column would give me a rough percentage chance of each similarity appearing in any particular story.
This is NOT a scientific sampling. The sample size is too small, and the scanning—done by a set of human eyes—is prone to error and subjective. If I had unlimited resources, I would have increased the sample size to 10K or even 100K stories, and use an artificially intelligent parser like ATS to process them.
Also, a trial like this should have a scientific control: We should also process 10K or 100K stories generated by ChatGTP with some other prompt besides “quantum fiction.” I did try twenty story generations with the prompt “gay romance.” The only correlation I noted was the preponderance of “rain” and short (3- to 5-letter) character names.
THE STORIES
Most of the stories that ChatGTP generated fell into two categories:
1.) “Multiverse” stories dealing with the “many worlds” hypothesis, in which the MC encounters themselves from another world, or journeys to a parallel dimension.
2.) Time anomaly stories, in which the MC experiences time halting, or time loops, or “ripples in time.”
Two stories combined both of these plots: The MC experienced a “ripple in time” WHILE journeying to a parallel world. And one story was a classic time travel plot, with an MC traveling to the future and remaining stuck there.
None of the stories dealt with quantum consciousness or quantum perception as an additional sense, or quantum computing, or the notion that quantum principles may extend life beyond its physical limitations. These are topics which might be popular (judging from posts on Facebook and other online media), but evidently these topics are not widely represented in the database of sources ChatGTP draws from when looking for “quantum fiction” sources. These topics have become popular in the last ten years, and “quantum fiction” was popular in the 1990s, when other topics (such as the “many worlds” hypothesis) were current. In short, ChatGTP’s sources are out of date.
None of the stories had a random or non-linear structure. None of them could be regarded as “experimental” fiction. And—what I found most curious—none of them altered the personality or physicality of their protagonist: Although they might encounter themselves (in the “multiverse” stories), the alternative version is the same age and type as the protagonist themselves. (This is in stark contrast to such seminal stories as Stanislaw Lem’s “The Seventh Voyage,” or the James Ward Byrkit film “Coherence.”) There is of course no reason why an MC from a parallel reality should be 100% identical. Perhaps the constraints of the story length (250 words) account for this limitation, or perhaps there is some deeper flaw in the algorithm.
A few more observations about individual data points:
SHORT CHARACTER NAMES
In 76 of the 100 stories, all characters had simple names of 3- to 5- letters in length. The most frequent female name was “Lena,” and the most frequent male name was “Eric.” The longest single name was “Elizabeth” for female and “Tanner” for male. Besides these, one character in one story was given the incredible name “Dr. Alan Vexley.”
I suspect this arises as a limitation from ChatGTP’s overall algorithm, since the same pattern of names was seen in the twenty “gay romance” stories.
PRECISE TIMES
Clocks or other timepieces appeared in 37 stories. This was probably a plot necessity for the temporal anomaly stories. But, even more frequent than timepieces were precise moments of time. (Stating something like, “It was exactly 10:17 A.M. when Lena walked out her front door.”) Relative times were never stated. (Such as, fifteen minutes later, he awoke.) Often, precise time was stated more than once in the same story. Precise times were stated in the “multiverse” stories as well as the temporal anomaly stories.
The most common stated time was “3:33 A.M.” which appeared in 12 stories. Next common was “10:17 A.M.” which appeared in 4 stories. Other times seemed randomly distributed.
QUANTUM JARGON
As would be expected, certain terms from quantum science appear in the stories:
“Entangle”……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……6 stories
“Quantum”………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….12 stories
“Geneva”……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…1 story
“Schrodinger” (or “Schrody the cat”)………………………………………………………………………………………...3 stories
“Collapse”……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………18 stories
“SpaceTime”…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……..1 story
“Paradox”……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..5 stories
“Nonlinear”………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..…3 stories
“Infinity”………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..2 stories
“Déjà vu”………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………11 stories
“Decoherence”…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………2 stories
“Observer” (as in “She became the observer”)………………………………………………………………….6 stories
“Copenhagen interpretation”………………………………………………………………………………………………………..3 stories
“Particle collider”…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...8 stories
It is interesting to note, these jargon terms are almost always “salted in” without making any sense. We get Schrodinger 3 times (and twice as a cat), but never mention of Max Planck or any other workers in the field of quantum mechanics. And although a scientist might be mentioned as doing work in a “particle collider,” or (on one occasion) a character felt themselves “collapse to a particle,” there is NEVER any mention of actual particles such as photons or electrons.
I shudder to think what ChatGTP would produce if asked to supply a brief essay about quantum mechanics. (No; I am not tempted to find out.)
CATS AND CROWS
Six stories had cats. Sometimes the cat appeared namelessly and unwelcomed, to inform the MC that a “glitch in reality” had occurred. (Just as in the first “Matrix film.”) On other occasions the cat was simply the family pet—“Schrody the cat” appeared in two different stories. In one story, a cat appeared sitting on a book that the protagonist was trying to recover, and the CAT SPOKE to inform the protagonist that “The book doesn’t hold all the answers… they are entangled with what you are!” In another story, it was a crow that delivered a similarly vague and prophetic pronouncement.
Besides the one crow and six cats there were no other animals at all. No goldfish, no dogs, not so much as one chimpanzee.
WHAT’s TO DRINK?
Coffee appears in 26 stories. In 5 other stories “coffee stains” on clothing or manuscripts were mentioned.
No other beverages were mentioned. In fact, there were no bodies of water mentioned at all, neither lakes nor rivers nor the sea. The only other liquid to appear was…
RAIN
Rain was mentioned in 12 stories. “Storm” was mentioned in 2 additional stories. No other type of weather was mentioned, neither “clear skies” nor “snow” nor “warm” nor “partly cloudy.” Darkness (at night) and sunshine (at day) was never indicated. On two occasions the time was indicated as “morning” but otherwise the only indication was precise time (see “Clocks,” above), with no other descriptor besides “raoin” given to indicate atmospheric conditions or time of day.
PSYCHOLOGY
The word “memories” appeared in 14 stories. Often, these were indicated as a type of conduit to parallel realities.
“Dreams” were mentioned in 9 stories. These were also conduits to parallel realities, although they may also be a source of messages.
“Messages” were received in 19 stories. Very frequently we see these in multiverse and time loop stories: The MC finds a curious message, then at the end of the story writes the same message to themselves.
“Path” appears in 6 stories: The MC is stuck (in a time loop) and must find “the path” to escape it. Or they are lost in the multiverse and must find “the path” to return to their proper reality.
“Anchor” appears in 4 stories: The MC is the “anchor” which is preventing all the “quantum realities” from flying apart.
Interestingly, “chaos” appears in 9 stories (as the inevitable result should this breakdown of reality continue) but “uncertainty” (the actual quantum mechanics term, from Heisenberg’s principle) appeared in no stories.
SETTING
Where does the action take place:
Elevator………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………….1 story
Train………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..….4 stories
Library………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..………5 stories
School…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……1 story
City, cityscape…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….13 stories
Apartment…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….16 stories
Laboratory…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..…………..1 story
Garden…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..………………..3 stories
Curio or antique shop…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……………….9 stories
Coffee shop………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…1 story
Attic……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………..…………………….7 stories
WHO IS THE ANTAGONIST?
I use this term freely. The antagonist may actually be a guide that helps the MC, delivers a message, etc.
Talking animal (cat or crow)………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….2 stories
Old Man……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……….8 stories
Dead person the MC knows (usually Grandmother).…………………………………………………………..…6 stories
Themselves (MC meets themselves from parallel universe)……………………………………….…26 stories
Grandmother (NEVER the Grandfather)……………………………………………………………………………………………7 stories
WHAT IS THE “MAGIC OBJECT?”
Usually, the MC encounters some kind of “magic object” which causes all of reality to go haywire. These are tallied below:
A mirror: The MC must encounter their reflection in the mirror, only to find
it is a reflection of themselves from a parallel universe.
Usually, they must touch or step through the mirror to
enter the parallel universe………………………………………………………………………….….15 stories
Mirror B: MC finds a mirror that shows them other lives they might have lived………….6 stories
A dream: The MC awakens from a dream to find they are in a parallel universe…….6 stories
A message: The MC receives a message from the antagonist, who may be themselves,
leading them into a parallel universe……………………………………………………5 stories
Scientific apparatus: The MC is a scientist and uses an experiment to open up a
portal to another universe, or enter a time loop…………………………….3 stories
Door: MC steps through a door into another reality…………………………………………………………………….4 stories
Book of life: MC finds a book describing alternative lives they might have lived……….1 story
Book of story: MC finds a book describing their current life; anything they write in it
becomes true………………………………………………………………………………………………….……2 stories
Clock: MC finds a magic clock that can control time………………………………………………………………….2 stories
Coin: MC has a magic coin they can flip to affect or undo choices…………………………………… stories
Choice: MC uses a combination of choices they make and time reversal to traverse
through alternative dimensions…………………………………………………………….19 stories
Follow someone: In several stories, the MC follows someone, usually through a cityscape,
only to discover they are chasing themselves from another universe,
or another point on the timeline. In this uncomfortable scenario,
“they” are the “magic object”…………………………………………………………………..6 stories
Key: MC discovers a key, or becomes the key themselves…………………………………………………….3 stories
WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS?
Once the object is activated, certain effects are described to indicate we have entered another dimension or time:
Talking animal appears…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………2 stories
Time stops, either clock or people in the city. (MC unaffected)…………………………………..…25 stories
Time loops: MC experiences same events…………………………………………………………………..……………….22 stories
Combination of time stop and time loop……………………………………………………………………………………....6 stories
Reality shifts: MC is in different place or time, described subjectively as a
“reality shift”…………………………………………………………………………………………………...25 stories
MC feels reality “collapse”, or that collapse is “imminent”………………………………………………...18 stories
(Note: “Waveform collapse” is never described in any of the stories.)
MC meets an old man, sometimes described as the “Chronomaster”………………………3 stories
MC experiences “time echoes”…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….11 stories
Time runs backwards (but not for the MC)……………………………………………………………………..…………..9 stories
The “world shimmers” or the magic item (book or mirror or whathaveyou)
“shimmers”…………………………………………………………………………………………………….12 stories
The “air grew thick”…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………....15 stories
“Whispers”………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..16 stories
(Note: These three descriptors were frequently used in combination with each other, such as “The air grew thick with whispers as the mirror shimmered.” If you see such a phrase I would be very suspicious of a ChatGTP-sourced text.)
Time “slipped” or time “stuttered”…………………………………………………………………………..…………………………6 stories
The MC feels a “ripple in time”………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……5 stories
CONCLUSION
It would be nice, I suppose, to be able to give a demonstration of a real-life honest-to-God ChatGTP example which has many of the traits I’ve discussed above, but I have a moral objection to posting anything generated By A.I., so I shall refrain. If you want to observe these effects for yourself I invite you to do so. Although, be forewarned: Your mileage may vary. I cannot say whether you’re A.I. model will prefer “glimmer” to “shimmer.” It depends on how it was trained, and the contents of its database.
Without further study, few meaningful conclusions can be confidently drawn. But even with the small dataset and unscientific methods, there is a suggestion that ChatGTP 4.0 might have significant limitations towards generating Quantum Fiction stories. What little it can generate seems based on limited data sources, so the stories seem limited in variety. (Thus the example of everything “shimmering.”)
The stories also seem not descriptive of current quantum theory, but of either Relativity (the time loop and reversal stories) or of quantum fiction as it stood some thirty years ago, when “Many Universes” stories had their heyday. As an educated guess, I’d say that ChatGTP has been fed relatively few QF sources, so it struggles to come up with 100 stories that don’t sound like the same story repeated.
This will change if more QF stories are published and made available to ChatGTP’s online sources. But for the time being, ChatGTP 4.0 does a poor job attempting to create a QF story. Even if these stories were “cleaned up” by an actual human editor—replacing the short character names with better names, for example—it would be easy to recognize an A.I.-generated story if it aligned to one of two structures represented here: “Many Worlds” or “Temporal Anomaly.”
Even more telling, 100% of the stories ChatGTP generated for me were linear plots, with mostly static characters. And most fit into what I deem “magical realism” structures: The MC finds an object or has an encounter (usually with themselves) which leads them into the “quantum realm.” Where time or space is messed up. These accounted for 97% of the stories. 3% were “scientific stories,” in which the MC is a scientist whose work goes astray.
Quantum Fiction MIGHT fall into one of these two modes, but it might not. In QF, we may alter plot, or setting, or dialogue, or character development. NONE of the ChatGTP stories attempted this. By infusing our QF with these elements, even if it is to simply have our MC change identity—we can defuse ChatGTP’s algorithm, creating fiction it cannot mimic.
Will it learn? Yes, but for the moment we have a leg up, provided we create avenues by which new literary forms might become acceptable. I say “new forms” because by the time Quantum Fiction becomes acceptable, and we see it more broadly published, and it becomes available online to be harvested by A.I. as source material—the expectation is we must move onto some other literary form, much like modern art, running ahead of photography. But while photography was static, A.I. will not be. It will come running after us as long as it has access to our data.
I figure we have fifteen years. In that amount of time, A.I. should be able to perfectly model mainstream writing to the extent that even A.I. parsers cannot distinguish a real human from a machine. And at that time, even most Quantum Fiction will become indistinguishable from automated text. Quantum Fiction is not a cure in itself, but admitting QF to the fray, as Impressionism was admitted to the Salon in the 1870s, will create a process and judgment change that will open the way for other forms, staving off our extinction as authors long enough for this monster to be reined in.