Cyrano is Now a Bot
How AI Can Improve Your Love Life
For those of you who didn’t pay attention in high school English (or don’t watch movies), Cyrano de Bergerac was an unattractive dude who was madly in love with a woman named Roxane. The original was penned in 1897.
But he knew his chances at love were slim, so he instead acted “behind the scenes” composing love poems for the hot guy in the neighborhood. The concept has been used throughout pop culture, including a Monkees episode (!?)
Fast forward to the present day.
I recently swapped love poems created by ChatGPT with a gentleman admirer.
They were actually pretty good!
And I wasn’t at all offended that they didn’t come directly from the heart, head, and keyboard of the guy. He took the time to create a prompt, after all. And that is its own special art form.
I asked Jasper (another AI writing tool) to create a short poem about dating and love >50. Here’s what he/she/it came up with:
“We've known love before, each other, and life untold.
A love remembered in ways both young and old.
Our love stands strong through the passing of time.
A love that spans decades, and still feels so sublime.
Our love is ageless, though our bodies show age.
We love each other still despite the wrinkles and sage.
Our love is deep and our love is true.
The love we have for one another will last us through.
Our love is beautiful, it's a love that won't end.
It only gets stronger, like a love that's transcend.
We love with our hearts and we love with our souls.
And when we love each other, love takes its toll.
Our love has endured through the years, and it will stay.
We love each other with a love that won't wane.
We love with an understanding of life and love after divorce.
And we love with a love that only comes from growing old.”
It doesn’t totally suck, right?
If you’re going to attempt to romance someone with machine-generated prose, here are my tips:
As in all aspects of dating, tell the truth. Let the object of your affection know that your prose was computer-assisted.
Edit what the AI produces. Add some of your own personal flair, humor, and images.
If you don’t like the output, play around with your prompt to make it more specific.
And, if all else fails, call a human friend and ask them to write it for you. But see #1.
To quote the title of the book I wrote, I urge everyone >50 to “Embrace the Machine.”
But remember to embrace your person too. No AI can replace the feel of lips and flesh and the scent of flowers.
xoxo
