19 chapters in 19 hours: This UAE resident co-authored her memoir with ChatGPT

In a world where many people harbour dreams of writing their own book, few see those dreams materialise. For Yasmine Karimi, a 20-year-old French-Moroccan expat, this aspiration became a reality. She now boasts a memoir that not only chronicles her own life journey but also unveils the intricate narrative of her family's history.

However, what sets her endeavour apart is a unique plot twist. Instead of navigating the daunting task of writing a manuscript all alone, Karimi, who was 19 at the time, chose an unconventional collaborator to pen her autobiography—ChatGPT.

“My interest in artificial intelligence (AI)has been constant since my early teens, particularly after the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022. It was then that I delved deeper into exploring the potential applications of this technology, especially the capabilities of large language models (LLMs),” says Karimi, who’s currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Finance from Sciences Po Paris (The Paris Institute of Political Studies) in France.

Co-written by ChatGPT

The seamless integration of AI into our daily lives raises intriguing questions about its role in personal storytelling. How deeply can AI delve into authentically representing personal experiences? A question that sparked Karimi’s curiosity, leading her to probe the boundaries of what ChatGPT could accomplish in co-authoring a narrative as personal and nuanced as her own life journey.

“While I observed that others had utilised the technology to write fictional works for commercial purposes, my intention was different. No one had yet ventured to use AI to craft an autobiographical narrative. This presented an exciting opportunity for experimentation and encouraged me to write the memoir,” says Karimi.

Titled 19, the first-of-its-kind memoir comprises personal anecdotes spanning three generations of the family. From her grandparents who endured the hardships of the 60s and 70s, facing extreme poverty in Morocco, to her parents, who moved to Dubai when Karimi was four, the memoir showcases her unique life story. Being exposed to diverse cultures growing up in the UAE also forms an integral part of this narrative.

“There's no such thing as being a stranger here because everyone comes from somewhere else, bringing along their own background, culture, and story. Despite this rich diversity, I feel a strong sense of unity and purpose. It’s like we’re all moving in the same direction, collectively working towards achieving a better life,” she adds.

‘More of a collaborator than a tool'

Giving voice to stories that might otherwise remain untold—this is the power of AI. “It’s more of a collaborator than just a tool,” says Karimi. “Typically, a tool is something that performs a single task, but ChatGPT goes way beyond that. It's almost as if you're engaging in a conversation back and forth with it.”

According to the young author, generative AI doesn't diminish or hinder our intelligence or creativity but can instead help amplify human potential. “In fact, I see generative AI as even more powerful because it acts as an equaliser. For the first time, individuals who may not have strong writing skills or access to traditional publishing resources are able to write a book on their own,” says Karimi.

19 hours, 19 chapters

What’s astonishing is that with 19 chapters in the book—one for each year she has lived—it only took Karimi 19 hours to write the elaborate memoir. “The methodology was quite straightforward. It began like any conversation with ChatGPT, with a prompt. Within that prompt, I provided personal data.”

Karimi began the writing journey by feeding ChatGPT with information about the stories of her parents and grandparents as well as data about herself. “I submitted cover letters, emails, and tweets that I had written, showcasing my unique writing style. I also included photos of myself and images of places I had lived in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, so it could add depth to the narrative.”

Through specific prompts, she then instructed ChatGPT to identify 19 important moments that would constitute the 19 chapters. “I instructed it to capture my writing style and replicate it throughout the 19 chapters, through adopting an iterative approach based on feedback loops,” says Karimi, who used GPT4 to create the memoir.

GPT4

Signifying a notable advancement in the realm of AI, GPT4 stands as the latest version of Generative Pre-trained Transformers, a class of deep learning models specialising in natural language processing and text generation. “In GPT4, you can submit photos, and it can also generate images. Even the cover of my book was entirely generated by GPT4. It costs $20 per month, but it's definitely worth it,” says Karimi.

Highlighting the biggest difference she observed in the latest version versus the older one, she points out, “GPT4 seems more human than ever before. It has more depth, and its ability to convey emotions is significantly enhanced”.

“There's a particular passage where it describes my childhood years, growing up in Abu Dhabi, near a corniche. I was really surprised by how it described the whole experience with such emotion, it makes me teary-eyed each time I read it. It's so accurate,” says Karimi, adding that she was amazed at how ChatGPT conveyed the scene even better than she would.

“I remember as a child, whenever I looked out the window, I was always amazed by the view, and the description captured that feeling perfectly.”

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