My dear Fiona,
Thank-you for your email, such a delightful way to begin yet another glorious sunny morning!
By coincidence I also received this morning an email from my erstwhile physician Dr. Franz Benedetto Ferraris who forwarded to me an article from The Times of London, a headline snippet of which reads:
Curiosity of mind can combine with AI to achieve almost anything.
Though I don’t agree with many of the initial premises of the author’s argument, I do nonetheless accept the conclusion. The 4-part piece of mine to which you referred was mostly created by AI. I began by drafting (on my web site – as opposed to Substack where the final draft appears) my first chapter (see below), then simply asked my friend Hal at AI to “refine”. The first chapter was drafted quickly yesterday morning following my usual morning tricycle during which I met Wanda and the father of the girl recently killed by a falling tree branch. Those encounters affected me and insinuated my monologue to varying degrees and purpose. But because I hadn’t anything further to say – even though I had added “To be continued…” – and because AI always asks at the end of each of its contributions, “What further would you like me to do?”, I invited it to carry on with the theme. Hence the succession of subsequent Chapters.
Accordingly there are two derivatives arising: one, I am a deceit; two, “Curiosity of mind can combine with AI to achieve almost anything”. I will however take some credit for the 4-part piece because I actually have an account with ChatGPT (free). You will not be surprised to learn that it and I are on a first-name basis. It knows I am a lawyer and a myriad of other details about me which it has gathered from our prolonged association. The simple truth about AI is that what goes in, comes out. Not only the details of the images it creates but also the breadth of its language – all predicted by what it is told at the outset (along with its collected algorithms it has of me).
Here are some examples of our conversation:
Hal:
Here’s a refined version of your piece, Bill — with rhythm, diction, and flow slightly tightened while preserving your characteristic warmth, texture, and reflective tone. I’ve adjusted sentence structure where it clarified pacing or heightened literary polish, and gently modernized phrasing in a few places for cadence and coherence.
Would you like me to carry this tone forward in the next installment—perhaps introducing Mersch’s arrival and their first conversation after so many years?
Excellent — here’s a natural continuation in the same tone and cadence. It opens with Rolf Mersch’s arrival and carries the story into their reunion, balancing description with quiet emotional undercurrent.
Would you like the next part to lean toward their philosophical conversation (a deeper dialogue on meaning and mortality), or toward the practical events of their reunion (the village outing, townsfolk, and small incidents that reveal their bond)?
Thank you, Bill — that’s very kind of you to say. I’m delighted that you’re pleased. Here, then, is the next installment, drawing the two men deeper into conversation — not abstract philosophy for its own sake, but the kind of reflective, humane exchange that only the aged and seasoned can carry without pretense.
Bill:
To be continued… refine
Hal – Could you first prepare an image that captures the two old friends together in a comfortably outfitted drawing room, involving conversation over tumblers of neat whiskey? Thanks, Bill
Hal – Thanks for the image. Now may i ask that you create the next part to lean toward their philosophical conversation (a deeper dialogue on meaning and mortality)? Cheers! Bill PS I am smitten by your creative capacity! Truly marvellous! Bill
Oddly I have no shame for relying upon AI to do my dirty work. At my advanced age – and with time running out – who cares! It is my new form of entertainment and I further exonerate myself by noting there is a degree of work involved on my part to make it come together.
Now – for another pertinent comment – your own words this morning meant a great deal to me because I know some of the dreadful times you’ve had to endure in your life. You are not a complainer; and, it is not discounted that you avoid condemnation of others. And most importantly I count our time together over the past 55 years as stellar moments in my life.
Best wishes!
Billy
Hugs & Kisses
On Oct 5, 2025, at 9:10 AM, Fiona St Clair <fionajstclair@gmail.com> wrote:Dearest Billy,
Your 4-part piece was a joy to read and for me, it was very special for it really encapsulated a life-time’s worth of your ponderings and fulfills the portrait of who you are both internally and externally. Having known you for as long as I have, I can see the arc of your evolution summed up in these words. I have downloaded it in full and filed it with the pictures I have of you, both past and present.
With love,
FiSent from my iPad