Over our first cup of coffee, we read about a poem written by artificial intelligence in the style of Dr. Seuss that had gone viral.

Curious, we tried it on our friendly Santa Clarita dentist, Neal Green using the prompt, “Dr. Seuss style poem of being afraid to go to the dentist to see Dr. Neal Green in Santa Clarita.”

In less than 5 seconds it whipped out a ditty we couldn’t possibly replicate over the course of a day. We tried it again. In 5 seconds, it created a totally different Dr. Seuss poem using the same prompt.

We then tried a variety of styles, before our first cup of coffee still too hot to drink. Shakespeare, The Beach Boys, Stephen King, Hip-Hop, Scat, even The Night Before Christmas, all turned out to be clever, entertaining poems. We decided to leave it at that and share with you the machine’s creations. Here are two classic examples:

User
Dr. Seuss style poem of being afraid to go to the dentist to see Dr. Neal green in Santa Clarita

ChatGPT
In Santa Clarita, with skies so blue,
Lived folks who dreaded the dentist, it’s true.
In a little white clinic, ‘neath the sun’s bright gleam,
Resided Dr. Neal Green, in his dental dream.

But oh, the fear that did abound,
When patients heard that drilling sound!
They’d shake and shiver, quiver and quail,
At the mere thought of that dental tale.

“Dr. Green awaits,” the receptionist would say,
As patients hesitated, wishing to delay.
But teeth, they ache, they need some care,
So off they’d go, with a fearful stare.

Through the waiting room, with chairs so neat,
They’d tiptoe softly, hearts a-beat.
Past the fish tank bubbling with glee,
Toward the room where they’d soon plea.

Dr. Neal Green, with his coat so white,
Would greet them kindly, ease their fright.
With gentle words and soothing smile,
He’d calm their nerves, if only a while.

“Open wide,” he’d softly sing,
As fear would make their poor hearts cling.
But his tools were gentle, his touch so light,
He’d work his magic, all through the night.

With each little poke, and each little prod,
He’d fix their teeth, despite the odds.
And when they’d leave, no longer in fright,
They’d smile with relief, such a wondrous sight!

So fear not, dear friend, when your teeth need a clean,
For in Santa Clarita, there’s Dr. Neal Green.
With his caring hands and his dental art,
He’ll mend your smile and soothe your heart.

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We then tried a different tact, asking ChatGPT to write a similar poem, with the same prompt as if the Beach Boys wrote it. Here’s the result:

User

If the Beach Boys wrote a poem about being afraid to go to the dentist to see Dr. Neal Green in Santa Clarita

ChatGPT

Beach Boys

Surfin’ Fear at Dr. Green’s

(Verse 1)

Well, I woke up this morning, sun shining bright,

But I got this feeling that don’t feel right.

My tooth’s been aching, it’s driving me insane,

But there’s one place I dread, and it’s down the lane.

(Chorus)

Surfin’ fear at Dr. Green’s,

Where the drills are loud and the waiting room gleams.

I’m afraid of that chair, and those tools so keen,

Surfin’ fear at Dr. Green’s in Santa Clarita scene.

(Verse 2)

I tried to be brave, put on a smile,

But the thought of that dentist stretches for miles.

The sound of the suction, the smell of the paste,

Makes my heart race, makes me pick up the pace.

(Chorus)

Surfin’ fear at Dr. Green’s,

Where the toothaches roam and the fear intervenes.

I’m dodging appointments, playing truant it seems,

Surfin’ fear at Dr. Green’s in Santa Clarita dreams.

(Bridge)

Well, I know it’s silly, gotta face the drill,

But the fear of that dentist, man, it’s quite the pill.

With his white coat shining and his tools all clean,

Dr. Green’s office feels like a movie scene.

(Chorus)

Surfin’ fear at Dr. Green’s,

Where the floss is king and the Novocain gleams.

I’m counting the days till my dental routine,

Surfin’ fear at Dr. Green’s in Santa Clarita dream.

(Outro)

So, wish me luck as I head that way,

To face my fears on a sunny day.

Dr. Green’s waiting, with his chair so serene,

Surfin’ fear at Dr. Green’s in Santa Clarita scene.

******

The possibilities are endless. These two poems are completely unedited. Portions of each poem are brilliant, and portions are clumsy. But with the ease of producing, we could have ChatGPT do a variety of versions of say, Dr. Seuss and lift the best lines from each version, editing it into a gem.

This exercise will seem very crude to us a few years from now. So did the thrill of sending and receiving our first email on a dial up AOL back in the 90’s.

We thank Dr. Neal Green for allowing us to conduct this experiment. We also thank the brilliant minds who created ChatGPT to have fun with our favorite dentist.

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