Having made a simple GPT, I started to get all sorts of ideas about more GPTs that I could create. In short order I had a Cosmic Horror GPT, a Gothic Horror GPT, a Retro Sci-Fi GPT and the latest one is a Cyberpunk GPT. It’s a lot of fun to come up with a theme, tweak the prompt for that theme and then see what kind of thing it generates.
As I was experimenting I realised that if you don’t give the GPT a knowledge file to work with, the results tend to over-emphasise specific elements from the prompt. So for instance in the retro sci-fi GPT I mentioned a cloud city as the kind of element that could be included, and they kept turning up in the responses all the time. I was getting similar problems with the Gothic Horror GPT and the Cosmic Horror one.
The problem I had was that I didn’t have generic knowledge files for those themes, and I didn’t want to give the GPTs a bunch of text stories to work with.
Then I realised I was making this too complicated. I could just ask Chat GPT to create lists of the kinds of items I want to use - so something like ‘List elements that would be found in Cyberpunk stories’, and then copy and paste the results into a text file. I could then use that as the knowledge file for the Cyberpunk GPT.
It’s a simple technique, and you can list multiple elements for the knowledge file. You could list common elements, common visuals, common themes etc. I don’t think you you want the knowledge file to be too long, but you can quickly build up a list of useful elements. You can also obviously tweak the results in any way you think would be useful.
Once you add the resulting knowledge file the results from the GPT improve considerably.
From a prompt of ‘Create a story about a cybernetic outlaw’ The Cyberpunk Dreams GPT generated the following:
Title: Echoes in Neon
Chapter 1: The Neon Outlaw
In the sprawling metropolis of Neo-Tokaida, where neon lights clashed with the darkness of unending nights, Kira Vex, known in the shadowy underbelly as “Neonblade,” prowled. A cybernetic outlaw, her body was a canvas of high-tech enhancements: her right arm, a sleek prosthetic capable of interfacing with any computer system; her left eye, a multi-spectral implant offering visions beyond the ordinary.
Kira wasn’t just a rebel without a cause; she was a symbol of resistance against the megacorporations that had their steel grip on the city. These behemoths, towering in their glass and chrome fortresses, controlled everything from the air people breathed to the dreams they dared to dream.
Chapter 2: The Heist
Her latest target was ChronoTech, a corporation notorious for its time manipulation experiments. Rumors swirled of a device that could alter moments, a dangerous plaything in the hands of the corrupt. Kira’s plan was audacious: infiltrate ChronoTech’s fortress, located in the heart of the city where the rich basked in luxury, starkly contrasted against the squalor surrounding it.
As she navigated through the maze of narrow, cluttered streets, her presence was a whisper, a shadow clad in a fusion of punk and high-tech gear. Her approach to the ChronoTech building was masked by the cacophony of the city - the incessant drone of hovercars, the chatter of diverse crowds, and the omnipresent glow of screens and billboards.
Chapter 3: Inside the Beast
Inside, Kira found herself in a world alien from the streets. Pristine halls, cold and sterile, with floors that reflected the soft, artificial lights. Her cybernetic eye flickered as it interfaced with the building’s security, manipulating data streams to render her invisible to surveillance.
As she moved deeper, the air grew denser with the hum of powerful machines. There it was, the Chrono Device, encased in a field of shimmering energy. Kira’s arm whirred to life, panels sliding open to reveal intricate circuitry. She connected to the device, her consciousness expanding into the digital realm.
Chapter 4: The Escape
Alarms blared. Kira had been detected. Her body jolted back to reality as corporate guards flooded the room. What followed was a blur of motion - the graceful yet lethal dance of a cybernetic outlaw. Her prosthetic arm transformed into a blade of pure energy, cutting through obstacles with precision.
The escape was a plunge back into the chaotic embrace of Neo-Tokaida. Kira darted through back alleys, her path lit by flickering neon and the glow of graffiti. The city itself seemed to protect her, its narrow passages and crowded markets swallowing her from the sight of her pursuers.
Chapter 5: Echoes of Time
As she finally took a moment to breathe, hidden in an underground safe house, Kira examined the stolen Chrono Device. It was more than just technology; it was a question of ethics, a power that could alter the very fabric of reality.
Kira knew she couldn’t use it, nor could she allow it to fall into the wrong hands. Her decision was clear: the device had to be destroyed. As she dismantled the Chrono Device, its core emitting one last, brilliant flare of light, Kira Vex solidified her legend as the Neonblade - not just an outlaw, but a guardian of time, a rebel holding the line against the encroaching darkness of unchecked power.
In the heart of Neo-Tokaida, where neon lights flicker with the secrets of a million souls, Kira’s story became an echo, a tale whispered in the shadows, of the cybernetic outlaw who dared defy the titans of time.
I then said ‘Draw a picture of Kira Vex’ and for the title image for this blog post. With that, it gave me this description of the character:
Here is the illustration of Kira Vex, the cybernetic outlaw from the story. She is depicted with her sleek cybernetic enhancements and dressed in a fusion of punk and high-tech gear, standing confidently in a neon-lit, urban cyberpunk environment.
I took that and fed it into Leonardo AI to get some alternative illustrations. The result was a bit generic, but I wasn’t guiding any of these results, just letting the GPT and the image generation models do their thing. I could easily add some more guidance in the prompts to get more specific results.