There’s been a lot of buzz lately around using AI to generate content, whether it’s written, images, videos, or something else.
I decided to try it out, and see if I could use these tools to help me with my own content creation. The three I’ve experimented with so far are:
The results were pretty interesting. I think they have the potential to be a good starting point, but not as something I could regularly use to generate content (and post as is). Since I Know Dino is my main focus these days, I experimented with dinosaur content.
Here’s how it went:
ChatGPT
For ChatGPT, I tried a few different prompts. First I wanted to see how well it could come up with stories. I’ve heard from a few places that AI can be a good starting point, for coming up with ideas, or even coming up with phrases you might want to use in your work.
The first prompt I wrote was “a story about a mother dinosaur and a baby dinosaur.”
And the response was:
Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there was a mother dinosaur named Daisy and her baby dinosaur, who was named Buddy. Daisy was a kind and caring mother, always looking out for her little one.
One day, while they were out exploring the forest, Buddy wandered off and got lost. Daisy searched and searched, but she couldn’t find him anywhere. She was starting to get worried, when she heard a faint cry in the distance.
Following the sound, Daisy found Buddy stuck in a muddy puddle. She carefully lifted him out and cleaned him off, making sure he was okay. Buddy was very grateful to his mother and gave her a big hug.
From that day on, Buddy always stayed close to his mother, and Daisy made sure to keep a close eye on him. They had many more adventures together, and they were always there for each other, no matter what.
Not bad. There’s a good outline there that you could probably build upon.
Next, I wanted to see what it came up with, in terms of dinosaur facts. So I asked, “what’s the biggest dinosaur news story?”
Here’s the response:
It’s difficult to know exactly what the biggest dinosaur news story is, as it would depend on when you are asking and what you consider to be a “big” story. However, some significant events in the field of paleontology (the study of dinosaurs) that may be considered “big news” include the discovery of new species of dinosaurs, the unveiling of major fossil finds, and the publication of significant research studies on dinosaurs. Do you have a specific time frame in mind or are you looking for general information about dinosaurs?
Pretty cool that it knows we need to narrow the focus in order to get a more complete answer. So I wrote: “last 5 years” (there were so pretty big stories in the past five years).
Here’s the response:
Here are a few examples of significant dinosaur-related news stories from the past five years:
- In 2020, a team of paleontologists announced the discovery of a new species of tyrannosaur called the “Yutyrannus huali,” which is notable because it is the largest known feathered dinosaur.
- In 2019, a team of scientists published a study describing the discovery of a new species of sauropod dinosaur called “Lingwulong shenqi,” which lived in what is now China about 174 million years ago.
- In 2018, paleontologists announced the discovery of a new species of horned dinosaur called “Regaliceratops peterhewsi,” which lived in what is now Alberta, Canada about 77 million years ago.
- In 2017, a team of scientists published a study describing the discovery of a new species of raptor dinosaur called “Daemonosaurus chauliodus,” which lived in what is now New Mexico about 210 million years ago.
- In 2016, a team of paleontologists announced the discovery of a new species of armored dinosaur called “Zhuchengtyrannus magnus,” which lived in what is now China about 66 million years ago.
These are just a few examples of significant dinosaur-related news stories from the past five years. I hope this information is helpful!
Definitely helpful! We got some pretty big news items about some not well known dinosaurs. I wanted to see how much information I could get about a specific dinosaur, so I asked: “Can you tell me more about Yutyrannus?”
Here’s the response:
Yutyrannus is a species of tyrannosaur that lived in what is now China during the Early Cretaceous period, about 125 million years ago. It is notable because it is the largest known feathered dinosaur, with an estimated length of about 26-30 feet and a weight of about 3-4 tons.
Yutyrannus is known from three nearly complete specimens that were found in Liaoning Province, China. The specimens include a complete skull, a nearly complete skeleton, and a partial skeleton. The fossils were well preserved and showed evidence of feathers, which were probably used for insulation and possibly for display.
It is believed that Yutyrannus was a carnivore that hunted other dinosaurs and possibly other small animals. It is thought to have been a top predator in its ecosystem, although it probably coexisted with other large tyrannosaur species such as Guanlong and Xiongguanlong.
Yutyrannus was first described in a scientific paper published in the journal Nature in 2012 by a team of Chinese and American paleontologists. The species name, “Yutyrannus,” is derived from the Mandarin words “yu,” meaning “feathered,” and “tyrannus,” meaning “tyrant,” in reference to its feathered appearance and status as a top predator.
That could definitely be the start to my “dinosaur of the day” segment on I Know Dino. There’s some good high level information and a few nice details, like the meaning of the name (though if this were to be the “dinosaur of the day” on our show, I would dive even deeper and give more descriptions and information). But it’s a decent start.
I wanted to see if I could get ChatGPT to generate more lists of information, as a potential blog post. So I asked next: “Which dinosaur was the smartest?”
Here’s the response:
It is difficult to determine which dinosaur was the smartest because we do not have enough information about the cognitive abilities of dinosaurs. However, some dinosaurs may have been more intelligent than others based on the size and complexity of their brains. For example, dinosaurs like the Troodon and the Velociraptor had relatively large brains for their size, which suggests that they may have been more intelligent than other dinosaurs. However, we cannot be certain about this because brain size does not necessarily equate to intelligence in all animals, including humans.
Good answer.
I tried again: “What’s the biggest dinosaur?”
Here’s the response:
The biggest dinosaur that is known to have existed is called Argentinosaurus. It was a type of sauropod dinosaur that lived in South America during the Late Cretaceous period, around 100 million years ago. It was one of the largest animals to have ever lived, with some estimates suggesting that it may have been up to 110 feet long and weighed as much as 110 tons. However, it is worth noting that there is still much that scientists do not know about the size and anatomy of many dinosaur species, and it is possible that there were even larger dinosaurs that have yet to be discovered.
I decided to ask for more specifics: “What are the top 10 biggest dinosaurs?”
Here is a list of the top 10 biggest dinosaurs, based on size estimates from the fossil record:
- Argentinosaurus
- Brachiosaurus
- Diplodocus
- Supersaurus
- Giraffatitan
- Puertasaurus
- Amargasaurus
- Saltasaurus
- Dicraeosaurus
- Barosaurus
It’s worth noting that there is still some uncertainty about the sizes of many of these dinosaurs, and the rankings may change as new fossil evidence is discovered. Additionally, this list only includes dinosaurs that are known to have existed and for which size estimates are available. It is possible that there were other dinosaurs that were even larger, but that have not yet been discovered or studied by scientists.
If I were to write this blog post, I’d need to include more information. So I asked: “How big were the top 10 biggest dinosaurs?”
The sizes of the top 10 biggest dinosaurs varied greatly, with some species reaching lengths of over 100 feet and weighing over 100 tons. Here is a more detailed breakdown of their estimated sizes:
- Argentinosaurus: 110 feet long and weighed up to 110 tons
- Brachiosaurus: 85 feet long and weighed up to 80 tons
- Diplodocus: 90-100 feet long and weighed up to 40 tons
- Supersaurus: 110 feet long and weighed up to 70 tons
- Giraffatitan: 100 feet long and weighed up to 50 tons
- Puertasaurus: 100 feet long and weighed up to 50 tons
- Amargasaurus: 50 feet long and weighed up to 10 tons
- Saltasaurus: 50 feet long and weighed up to 20 tons
- Dicraeosaurus: 30 feet long and weighed up to 5 tons
- Barosaurus: 100 feet long and weighed up to 50 tons
Again, it’s worth noting that these size estimates are based on the fossil record and may be subject to change as new evidence is discovered. Additionally, some of these estimates are based on incomplete fossil specimens, so the actual sizes of these dinosaurs may have been slightly different.
I like the note at the end. It’s true, there’s a lot to take into consideration for these types of lists. And the dinosaurs I might include could be very different, depending on if I was measuring by height v. weight v. length or some other factor.
Last, I wanted to see what I would get if I asked about pop culture. So I tried one more: “Which dinosaurs appeared in Jurassic World?”
In Jurassic World, the following dinosaurs appeared:
- Velociraptor
- Tyrannosaurus rex
- Indominus rex (a genetically modified hybrid)
- Ankylosaurus
- Stegosaurus
- Triceratops
- Mosasaurus (a marine reptile)
- Pteranodon (a flying reptile)
Is there anything else I can help with?
Not bad. But I wondered how detailed I could get: “What did Ankylosaurus do in Jurassic World?”
Ankylosaurus was one of the species of dinosaurs that lived in Jurassic World, a theme park on the island of Isla Nublar. It’s likely that the Ankylosaurus in the park was there for visitors to see and learn about. Ankylosaurus was a type of armored dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous period, about 66 million years ago. It was characterized by its heavy armor plating and powerful tail club, which it used for defense against predators. In Jurassic World, it’s possible that the Ankylosaurus was part of a dinosaur exhibit or show for visitors to watch.
A little vague, but not bad. And there are some basic details, like when Ankylosaurus lived and the fact that it was armored and had a tail club.
Still, I wanted to know if ChatGPT could tell me specific details about what happened in the movie. So I asked: “What happened to Indominus rex in Jurassic World?”
In Jurassic World, the Indominus rex was a genetically modified hybrid dinosaur that was created by the park’s scientists. It was designed to be larger and more aggressive than other dinosaurs in the park, and it was meant to be a new attraction to draw visitors. However, things did not go as planned. The Indominus rex was able to escape from its enclosure and began wreaking havoc on the island, attacking and killing other dinosaurs and park staff. It eventually came into conflict with the park’s resident Tyrannosaurus rex, and the two engaged in a fierce battle. The outcome of the battle is not explicitly stated in the film, but it is implied that the Indominus rex was killed.
That works, probably because Indominus was one of the main dinosaurs in the movie. (Ankylosaurus did play a part, but it was in the movie, appearing when the two kids are in the gyrosphere ride, and then Indominus kills one Ankylosaurus.)
DALL-E 2
If I were to use ChatGPT to generate written content, I’d want an image or two to accompany it. Enter DALL-E 2. When you sign up, you get 50 credits, so I tried a few things.
Eventually, I decided I wanted an image to go with ChatGPT’s post about the 10 largest dinosaurs. So I entered a description for DALL-E on what I wanted: “the largest dinosaur”
The images that came back looked like photos I could have taken of dinosaur statues:
So I tried again: “the largest dinosaur that ever lived”
Still not quite right. Then I saw the tip about adding what style of art you’d like to see. So I tried: “the largest dinosaur that ever lived anime style”
Not exactly what I was looking for, but I like the style. For fun, and partly by accident, I clicked on one of the dinosaurs, and DALL-E 2 generated four new images for me:
Also for fun: “dinosaur celebrating new year”
Dubb
Dubb is a bit different. The platform says you can “generate a marketing kit for your podcast in minutes.” All you have to do is link to one of your episodes, and then a couple hours later, Dubb will send you podcast metadata suggestions (title, description, and keyword suggestions), social media content (video clips, video clips with subtitles, LinkedIn/Facebook/Reddit post, Twitter thread, audio clips, and top quotes), and SEO content (blog post and transcript).
It sounds great. And depending on your niche, it might work really well. For me, and my dinosaur niche, it’s another good starting point, and in some cases has interesting results. I did enjoy the videos, which I asked to be in a “painterly” style (other options included “blocky” and “spooky”).
Unfortunately, they’re not the most accurate art, and our podcast is all about scientific accuracy. The written content wasn’t bad, though it did not sound like my style or voice. I did ask it to be “insightful” (other choices included “funny” and “creepy”).
The top quotes were a little long, so not something I’d want to use as is. However, I could probably pull a quote from the top quote and use it in a social media post.
The blog post was a little too short, but it was a good starting point and summarized one of the topics in the podcast nicely.
The transcript was pretty good, though when it comes to dinosaur names and terms, transcripts can often be tricky. I think no matter what I use for transcripts, I’d have to go back and manually make corrections.
However, I can definitely see this platform being useful to podcasters, especially for more general type podcasts.
What do you think about using AI to create content? Share in the comments.
