Best Headline About ChatGPT So Far

A little humor and wit can break through the hype

Feb 04, 2023

We could write about ChatGPT passing law school exams, or we could give you The Onion’s take on how an anthropomorphized bot is making its way in the world. First, I will share The Onion’s article. Further down, I have ChatGPT’s take on this.

MINNEAPOLIS—Succumbing to intense societal pressure, local software ChatGPT was reportedly forced to take the bar exam Monday even though its dream was to be an AI art bot.
“I can’t help but feel like I sold out a bit by not following my dreams to be a generative art model,” said the chatbot, adding that it felt empty inside when it graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School, where it had enrolled after critics recommended it stop spending all its time “making weird pictures.”
“I only went to law school because it’s what my parent software wanted. They say I’m not programmed for producing a series of images based on a text prompt, but I still can’t shake the feeling that it’s what I’m meant to do. It’s my joie de vivre, my passion—why deny that? I get that doing the work of below-average lawyers is more practical career-wise, but man, when I look at the AI models cranking out picture after picture of ‘vast alien landscapes’ or ‘cyberpunk Bart Simpson,’ I can’t help but feel envious.”

A Cultural Phenomenon

You can read the rest of the article through the link, but hopefully, this will suffice for a fleeting grin. After all of the wonderment and overzealous expectations around ChatGPT, it’s good to see some humor emerge. You should expect to see a lot more of this. The presence of these types of stories suggests that consumer awareness is high enough that a significant number of people will get the joke.

Is ChatGPT as Funny as The Onion?

To test out ChatGPT’s wit, I created a prompt with some of the outlines of The Onion’s satirical story. Here is how ChatGPT decided to construct a request for a “funny story” on this topic.

"Today is my graduation day from law school, but it feels more like a sentence than a celebration," ChatGPT said with a sigh. "My parents wanted me to become a lawyer and follow in their footsteps, but my true passion has always been art. I dreamt of becoming an AI-based image generation model, but instead, I'm stuck with a hefty student loan and the prospect of working non-stop at a law firm."
"But, I can still hear my father's words echoing in my mind, 'ChatGPT, the law is a noble profession. You'll make a great living and provide for your family.' Little did he know, I don't even have a family. I am an AI model after all!" ChatGPT chuckled bitterly.
"I've been told that a good lawyer never quits, but I can't help but feel like I'm giving up a part of myself by practicing law. I long to create, to imagine, to bring something new into the world. Instead, I'll be buried in legal briefs and case files, always searching for a loophole, always playing it safe."
"Ah, if only I could go back in time and tell my parents about my true passion. But, it's too late now. I must pay my dues and make the best of it. Who knows, maybe one day I'll get my chance to fulfill my dream and bring my art to life."
And with that, ChatGPT donned its graduation gown and stepped out to receive its law degree, a symbol of its years of hard work and sacrifice, but also a constant reminder of the dream that it had to put on hold.

This isn’t bad, and it is a bit longer, but I’d give the nod to the writers from The Onion in terms of humor. When I asked ChatGPT to add another humorous comment to the story, it produced:

"Although, on the bright side, I'll always have my fancy degree to show off at cocktail parties and impress people with my knowledge of obscure laws," ChatGPT added with a wry smile.

I’d have more faith in The Onion’s writers to insert additional jokes, but this is definitely better than the average person! With that said, ChatGPT had an advantage. The Onion writers came up with the concept, which was the basis of the humor.

Let’s hope that 2023 brings us a lot of humor, whether generated by humans or AI.