Yes Bing chat can write fiction. I prompted it to write a story about a something, something, steampunk, time traveller. You get the idea. The result is below, complete with included citations. Something everyone wants in a story. File this under a dog’s walking on his hind legs. It is not done well; but you are surprised to find it done at all.
Apparently is is being done quite a bit. Clarkesworld, a science fiction and fantasy magazine, announced it would temporarily close submissions due to a flood of AI-generated work. There are many people out their with access to chatbots who believe you can get rich selling fiction.
In optional cover letters, some authors include instructions on how to wire them money for their story that has not yet been accepted.
This is a real pity because Clarkesworld was very open to new writers submitting their work for consideration.
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The Shelter
Lila checked her pocket watch nervously. She had been waiting for over an hour at the shelter, a rundown building that served as a refuge for homeless people and rebels against the oppressive regime that ruled Paris in 2021. She hoped that her contact would show up soon. She had important information to deliver to him, information that could change the course of history.
She looked around at the other occupants of the shelter. They were a motley crew of ragged men and women, some wearing old-fashioned clothes like bowler hats and corsets[^1^][1], others sporting more modern attire like leather jackets and goggles. Some had mechanical limbs or devices attached to their bodies, remnants of their past battles or experiments. They all shared a common bond: they hated the government and its steam-powered machines that controlled every aspect of their lives.
Lila felt out of place among them. She was not from this time period. She was a time traveler from the 31st century, sent by a secret organization to stop the rise of the tyrant who had plunged Paris into darkness and chaos. She had arrived in 2021 with a device that could disable the steam engines that powered the city’s defenses and infrastructure. She needed to find someone who could help her infiltrate the palace and plant the device near the main generator.
That someone was supposed to be Jacques, a leader of one of the rebel factions. He had agreed to meet her at the shelter after she had contacted him through an encrypted message. He said he knew a way into the palace through an underground tunnel that connected to an old sewer system. He also said he had some allies inside who could distract the guards and create a diversion.
But Jacques was nowhere to be seen. Lila wondered if he had been captured or killed by one of the government’s patrols or spies. She also wondered if she could trust him at all. Maybe he was working for the tyrant, or maybe he had his own agenda.
She decided to wait for another fifteen minutes before giving up on him. She hoped he would show up soon, because time was running out for her mission…and for Paris.
- nytimes.com
- historians.org
- en.wikipedia.org
- steampunk-explorer.com