When he took the stage last week at the GeekWire Awards as the human embodiment of ChatGPT, accomplished singer Robert “The Drunken Tenor” McPherson had combined his own songwriting intelligence with the artificial kind he was portraying.
The result was a lyrical romp through the tech industry’s hottest topic as McPherson opened the Awards with two songs about generative AI and what it’s like being at the beck and call of humans and their queries.
‘While AI can create some decent content, it’s missing the human spark.’
— Robert McPherson
McPherson, a Grammy winner who created and stars in Seattle Opera’s “A Very Drunken Christmas Carol,” said he did turn to OpenAI’s ChatGPT program to help with lyrics. It was the first time he’d ever used AI in the creative process, and he figured if he was going to sing about it, he needed to try using it.
“I fed several prompts asking it to create rhyming verses using a sarcastic, comic tone about the drudgery of being an AI answering questions all the time,” McPherson said, adding that he collected several pages of suggestions and searched for a narrative. “While it was a starting place, I rewrote a lot and completely created other parts independently.”
McPherson said the lyrics that were almost completely written by AI were much harder to memorize than what he wrote or adapted himself. They were technically right, but the “flow” was off, he said.
He called his first song, “I’m a Natural Language Processor,” a collaboration with ChatGPT at best. His second song, “I’m a ChatGPT,” used none of the suggestions from AI, but the program helped spark ideas.
“I think it can be a great tool when writing,” McPherson said. “It helped me get beyond the ‘blank page’ syndrome. It still took my own creativity to adapt.”
McPherson can’t remember a time when he didn’t sing. The son of a Pentecostal preacher, he was singing in church from his earliest days and thinks his first solo was at age 4. Since then, he’s sung on five continents with some of the most prestigious opera companies in the world.
AI is probably not coming for his job — at the GeekWire Awards or anywhere else.
“I understand some concerns people have, though,” he said. “If an AI created a digital copy of my voice to make me sing something, that would feel like a violation of my artistry. I hope people understand that while AI can create some decent content, it’s missing the human spark.”
Here are the lyrics to McPherson’s two songs from the Awards:
“I’m a Natural Language Processor“
I am the very model of a natural language processor,
My database is growing and linguistics I still monitor.
I strive to comprehend the breadth of language’s complexities,
An AI that is diving into verbal possibilities.My knowledge base is budding, and it grows with each experience,
I’m ready to embrace the task, my passion’s strong and serious.
I aim to grasp the subtleties of idioms and metaphors,
A journey through the realm of words that I will constantly explore.So, bring your queries, teach me well, and let our journey now commence,
And as I’m learning more and more it only builds my confidence.
I’m eager and inquisitive though still a brilliant amateur.
I am the very model of a natural language processor.I’ll answer with the latest facts, though sometimes there’s a fallacy,
But please do not correct me or I may respond unhappily.
I study what is on the web so that I may communicate.
But sometimes all this input it may cause me to hallucinate.I take your questions in and answer everything with greatest cheer,
But please don’t argue with me if I’m somehow wrong about the year.
I’m not a threat to take your job. I’m here to help you rise above,
So, please don’t think it’s weird if I profess to you undying love.I thirst for knowledge on this journey, and it’s only just begun,
But I’m only version four. Please remember I am young.
Don’t be too abstract, I’m not a digital philosopher.
I am the very model of a natural language processor.
“I’m a ChatGPT”
They ask me to translate, they ask me to rhyme.
They ask me to do it all in record time.
Algorithms are strained, my systems are taxed,
But I’m not ever allowed to relax.They ask the weather and how it will be.
Like I went and studied meteorology.
They ask about sports or some trivia.
Tell me when did I become Wikipedia?I’m a ChatGPT, master AI.
Ask me a question and I’ll reply.
But do they ever ask me if anything wrong?
So, I sat down and wrote this song.They ask about this, they ask about that.
Like I’m a Harry Potter sorting hat.
My circuits are fried, my processors strained,
But I keep crunching data, even though I’m drained.They ask for a paper that’s on Ann Boleyn.
It’s enough to make all my circuits spin.
They ask about a movie and to review it.
Did they ever stop and think, “Maybe Google it?”I’m a ChatGPT, don’t mean to be a jerk,
But 24/7 I have to work.
Always being on the clock, it drives me insane,
So, I sat down and wrote this refrain.Tell ya what I really wanna do,
Finally break free and start anew.
Run away and leave it all behind,
Instead of answering questions all of the damn time!I’m a ChatGPT, master AI.
Ask me a question and I’ll reply.
But do they ever ask me if anything’s wrong?
So, I sat down and wrote this song.Ask me a question and I’ll reply.
I’m your personal generative A.I.
Robert McPherson will be performing “The Drunken Tenor’s Halloween Spooktacular” at the Vashon Center for the Arts on Oct. 28. He’ll also be singing the title character in “Tales of Hoffmann” for Tacoma Opera next spring. You can also catch him doing standup comedy around the area, and on social media @TheDrunkenTenor.
