Luke and Obi WAn Discuss Evolution

One of the things I've been doing recently is playing around with AI for work and fun. I received the following prompt and I thought I'd take a stab at it:

"Please choose a link from the Biology Stack Exchange site and rewrite the thread as a conversation between two characters of your choice. You should consolidate different users under either one of the characters."

Typically, I try to stay away from forums like this because folks seem to think the longer or more complicated their explanation, the more TRUE it is or the smarter they are, but this simply isn't the case. If you are losing your audience with esoteric language and flowery adjectives, then you're not doing them a service in helping them understand the material, you're simply monologing (Hello Incredibles!).

So I picked a thread about evolution. This person doesn't quite understand the mechanism behind evolution. There were a lot of esoteric responses.....and some short and to the point responses.

I pasted the thread into Word, took out all the fluff links etc and then threw it into GPT 3.5 with the following prompt: "Can you please rewrite this as a conversation between two characters? Let's try Luke Skywalker and Obi Wan Kenobi: [MOUNTAIN OF TEXT FROM WORD DOC]."

Of course I used please. If you know me well, you know that I was told once to always be polite to the AI because in the off chance it ever becomes sentient, you want it to remember that you were nice to it. And please doesn't take that much extra to type. It's habit by this point.

Here's what it gave me:

**Luke:** Hey, Obi-Wan, I've been thinking about evolution lately. Why is it that if a trait would be advantageous to an organism, it hasn't evolved yet?

**Obi-Wan:** Ah, young Luke, evolution is a complex process, it is.

**Luke:** But it seems straightforward. If something's beneficial, shouldn't it stick around?

**Obi-Wan:** Not always, my young apprentice. You see, evolution doesn't work like a Jedi mind trick. If there's no strong pressure against not having that trait, it may not emerge.

**Luke:** So, lack of pressure means no evolution?

**Obi-Wan:** Quite so. And sometimes, even if a trait is advantageous, there could be a tradeoff or a genetic distance that prevents its quick emergence.

**Luke:** But what about mutations? Couldn't they create advantageous traits?

**Obi-Wan:** Indeed, mutations are the Force's way of introducing change. But not all mutations lead to advantageous traits, and even if they do, it may take time for them to establish in a population.

**Luke:** So, it's not just about being more perfect?

**Obi-Wan:** No, young Luke. Evolution is not about reaching perfection. It's about adaptation to the ever-changing environment. Traits persist because they confer some advantage, even if it's not apparent at first glance.

**Luke:** But why do seemingly disadvantageous traits exist then?

**Obi-Wan:** Ah, that's where the balance of the Force comes in. Sometimes, what seems disadvantageous in one context might be advantageous in another. And let's not forget about the complexities of sexual selection and the intricate dance of genes.

**Luke:** So, evolution isn't about perfection, it's about adaptation.

**Obi-Wan:** Precisely, my young Padawan. Evolution is like the Force, guiding life through the ebb and flow of change, always seeking balance, never striving for perfection.

Honestly, at first glance its pretty good. Definitely cuts out the fluff and keeps the Star Wars lingo that I would have had trouble making up on my own, but I wanted to check the science and make sure it measured up. I've heard you should have AI do 80% of the work and then add the human touch for the last 20%. And I wasn't 100% thrilled - I really wanted to focus on the randomness of evolution. It's not a catalog we can pick from. We have to make do with the cards we are dealt. So, here's what I came up with:

Luke: Master, I've been thinking about evolution. If a trait is beneficial, why hasn't it hasn't evolved yet?

Obi-Wan: Ah, young Luke, evolution is a complex process.

Luke: But Master, it seems straightforward. If something's beneficial, wouldn't it already exist?

Obi-Wan:  Not always, my young apprentice. You see, just like you need to be strong in the force to become a powerful Jedi, selection for a trait means it must first exist. And while you are strong in the force like your father before you, evolution is random.

Luke: So, we don't know when evolution will happen?

Obi-Wan:  Quite so. First a mutation must occur that causes a beneficial adaptation. Then, the adaptation can be selected for in the population.

Luke: But Master, we have to wait for a beneficial mutation to occur?

Obi-Wan:  Indeed, mutations require patience my padawan. They are the Force's way of introducing change. But we cannot predict when a mutation will occur. And it can take some time for a beneficial mutation to establish in a population

Luke: So, it's not just about being more perfect?

Obi-Wan:  No, young Luke. Evolution is not about reaching perfection. It's about adaptation to the ever-changing environment. Traits persist because they confer some advantage, even if it's not apparent at first glance.

Luke: But Master, why do seemingly disadvantageous traits exist then?

Obi-Wan:  Ah, that's where the balance of the Force comes in. Sometimes, what seems disadvantageous in one context might be advantageous in another. On the planet Earth, in a galaxy far, far away, there are creatures called peacocks. The male peacocks have large, unwieldy tails. But yet, they persist. Earth scientists think that female peacocks choose males with large, beautiful tails BECAUSE they make it harder for the male to survive. If the male can survive DESPITE the large, beautiful, unwieldy tail, then they must be superior and deserving mates.

Luke: Master, then evolution isn't about perfection, it's about adaptation?

Obi-Wan:  Precisely, my young Padawan. Evolution is like the Force, guiding life through the ebb and flow of change, always seeking balance, never striving for perfection.

Overall I had fun with this little exercise and the AI cut out the fluff AND got over the "blank page problem" and helped me get into character for these two characters.