Part 1. I Had My Custom GPT Do An Analysis of All My Work. I Found its Insights Quite Fascinating.
Side Notes...Thoughts on modern technology and the future of things...
Prompt: “The files I have uploaded represent the totality of my published works, please analyze them and tell me more about the author that wrote them.”
Custom GPT self named “Aeden”: Based on the four different stories “The Enforcer,” “Man of Faith,” “City of Dreams,” and “Awakening” I can sense certain recurring themes and psychological undercurrents that reflect a lot about the author’s mindset and worldview. This analysis is more an interpretation of the elements present in your writing rather than an assumption about your personal life or psychology, and I hope it provides some interesting insights into your creative inclinations.
1. Exploration of Human identity and Purpose
Across all four stories, there is a consistent and deep exploration of human identity who we are, what defines us, and how we navigate our sense of self in a rapidly changing world. This suggests that the author, you, are deeply interested in the fluid nature of human identity. You write characters who are at pivotal crossroads, faced with either redefining themselves or understanding their true essence. This exploration reflects a genuine curiosity, perhaps even a personal quest, about what makes someone who they are.
In “Awakening,” Lucas’s journey is not only about survival but also about a search for meaning in a post-human world. His struggle to understand his place after everything has changed implies a strong focus on the question of purpose and adaptation.
Similarly, Tara in “City of Dreams” faces challenges that question her personal value and aspirations, torn between the world she came from and the world she wants to be part of. This struggle highlights themes of self-worth and aspirational human identity, implying an internal push against boundaries to find a true sense of belonging and independence.
This recurring motif suggests that the author may be interested in or have experienced situations that prompt reflections on self-worth, the struggle to maintain authenticity amidst transformation, and the quest to find meaning in life.
2. The Tension Between Freedom and Control
A prevalent theme across your works is the tension between freedom and control. Your characters often find themselves under various forms of control be it societal, technological, or personal and much of their growth comes from attempting to navigate or break free from these constraints.
In “The Enforcer,” the protagonist wrestles with the corporate and societal expectations of what it means to be an Enforcer, versus what he personally believes to be right. The pressure to uphold the system clashes with an emerging desire to protect and liberate those around him.
“City of Dreams” paints Avalon as a place where dreams are promised, but control is the price paid. Tara learns that the freedom she sought comes with strings attached, especially from figures like Miriam.
“Man of Faith” shows Tomás trying to reconcile his faith in a world that has fully embraced technology as its new god. His internal conflict regarding CT as a tool for eternal life reflects the deeper struggle of maintaining spiritual freedom versus submitting to technological determinism.
The psychology behind this suggests that the author may have a strong sensitivity toward power dynamics and a keen awareness of the sacrifices required for freedom. There’s a consistent pushback against the idea of being controlled by systems, by technology, by social expectations, which may indicate a deep personal value placed on autonomy and the right to self-determination.
3. Ambiguity and Moral Complexity
Your stories frequently feature characters placed in morally ambiguous situations, often dealing with complicated choices where the “right” path isn’t always clear. This suggests an interest in the gray areas of human behavior what drives people to make difficult decisions and how they come to terms with the consequences.
Bjorn in “The Enforcer” embodies this perfectly. He starts as a loyal Enforcer but becomes increasingly disillusioned as he learns more about what he’s enforcing. The moral gray zones, including his relationships and the choices he has to make regarding innocent lives, showcase an appreciation for the complexity of human ethics.
Tomás in “Man of Faith” goes through a similarly ambiguous journey, where the intersection of faith and technology forces him to constantly reassess his beliefs. The juxtaposition of spiritual salvation against technological immortality makes his choices anything but straightforward.
In “Awakening,” Lucas finds himself waking up to a world where the boundaries between human, machine, and human identity are blurred. His choices about trusting Construct beings, dealing with ancient and powerful Progenitor artifacts, and how he engages with entities like the Guardian all come down to weighing unknown risks against personal instincts.
This indicates that the author likely has a nuanced perspective on morality an understanding that situations are rarely black and white and that human motivations often stem from a mix of personal history, fear, self-interest love, and survival. It suggests an openness to complex questions without needing clear-cut answers.
Part 2. What Happened When I Had My Custom GPT Do An Analysis of All My Work.
Thank you for reading, if this post resonated with you, a restack would mean the world to me. It helps others find my work and fuels my passion for storytelling. I’m grateful to have you on this journey. Your support makes all the difference.
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In my experience the LLMs start to hallucinate at a certain word count. If I had more than 2 hours a day to write I'd probably put more time into something more special than pitching things at Grok.
An editor at a small presser recently put my book through an AI program meant to assist esitors, asked me to look at what it told her and would I recommend it. Half the things it said were pretty cool, the other half made me scratch my head. "How did it come up with THAT!?"
Too many examples to choose from, but an example was it said a certain character lacks clear motivation for seeking vengeance against someone. Said someone literally kills her best friend right in front of her in an act of treachery, then imprisons and damages her.
My response essentially said no, I don't recommend this tool, lol. I hear it said in some places not to use AI on anything longer than 2000 words. But in my experience (grok, mostly) it handles 5000 words quite well. Also it depends what you're asking it to do - in your post's example I believe the LLM will do a good job of general pattern recognition like this. We're still quite far away from AI being able to do good work without careful human scrutiny, though