My
Twitter feed never fails to entertain if not always inform me. One of the
accounts that I follow belongs to Ed Krassenstein (@EdKrassen), who recently posted an
amusing tweet acknowledging actor Jason Alexander’s departure from the
platform. Alexander left Twitter to protest Elon Musk’s decision to remove
legacy verified checkmarks. Of course, Jason Alexander is best known for portraying
the character George Costanza on the 1989-1998 TV series Seinfeld, which is
my favorite sitcom ever. Krassenstein thought it might be fun to have ChatGPT
write a Seinfeld script about Elon Musk taking away George Costanza’s blue
check; he wasn’t wrong; check it out: https://twitter.com/EdKrassen/status/1649483489429934104
I
thought Chat GPT did a remarkable job of capturing the spirit of the series and
its characters, in particular George’s neurotic insecurities. George is
infamous within architectural circles for inventing the alias of Art
Vandelay, who he variously portrays in an assortment of episodes as a corporate CEO, importer/exporter,
or an architect. The humor derives from George’s recurring obsession with the
idea of becoming an architect. He is fascinated by the perceived glamor and
prestige associated with the profession, despite having no actual training or
experience in architecture.(1)
So, inspired by Ed Krassenstein’s tweet, I thought it would be fun to have ChatGPT write another Seinfeld script in which George’s alter ego figures prominently. The following is the prompt I gave ChatGPT:
“Write a Seinfeld script for an episode in which George (a.k.a. Art Vandelay), without an invitation, attends the Pritzker Prize award ceremony by pretending to be a fellow architect and colleague of the award recipient. He reports afterward to Jerry, Elaine, and Kramer about his interactions with former Pritzker recipients, to comic effect.”
And here is what the AI came up with:
INT. MONK'S CAFE - DAY
Jerry, Elaine, and Kramer are sitting at their usual booth, sipping coffee.
JERRY: So, what's the deal with the Pritzker Prize?
ELAINE: (rolling her eyes) Please, spare us.
KRAMER: (excitedly) No, no, no. The Pritzker Prize is a big deal. It's like the Nobel Prize for architecture.
JERRY: (sarcastically) Oh, well then, I'm sure we're all on the edge of our seats.
ELAINE: (noticing George entering the cafe) Hey, speak of the devil.
George walks up to the booth with a big grin on his face.
GEORGE: (triumphantly) Guess who just attended the Pritzker Prize award ceremony?
JERRY: (sarcastically) Oh, please do tell.
GEORGE: (smiling) Yours truly.
ELAINE: (confused) What? How did you get invited?
GEORGE: (smugly) I wasn't invited. I just showed up pretending to be a fellow architect and colleague of the award recipient.
KRAMER: (impressed) Wow, that's some chutzpah, Georgie boy.
JERRY: (shaking his head) I can't believe this.
GEORGE: (excitedly) You guys should have been there. I met all the former Pritzker recipients.
ELAINE: (disinterested) Oh, joy.
GEORGE: (ignoring Elaine) I even got to chat with Frank Gehry.
KRAMER: (impressed) No way.
GEORGE: (nodding) Way. He told me all about his new project in Barcelona.
JERRY: (skeptical) And you didn't get caught?
GEORGE: (proudly) Not a chance. I blended right in. I even got free champagne and hors d'oeuvres.
ELAINE: (sarcastically) Oh, well, then it was all worth it.
KRAMER: (curious) So, what did you say to these big-shot architects?
GEORGE: (thinking) Well, I told them I was Art Vandelay, of course.
JERRY: (rolling his eyes) Of course.
GEORGE: (laughing) But seriously, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
ELAINE: (sarcastically) Well, I'm glad you had fun breaking the law.
GEORGE: (ignoring Elaine) You know what they say, guys, it's not about what you know, it's about who you know.
KRAMER: (nodding) That's the truth.
JERRY: (shaking his head) I don't even know what to say.
ELAINE: (smiling) I do. You're insane.
George smiles contentedly, basking in his own glory as the camera fades out.
So, inspired by Ed Krassenstein’s tweet, I thought it would be fun to have ChatGPT write another Seinfeld script in which George’s alter ego figures prominently. The following is the prompt I gave ChatGPT:
“Write a Seinfeld script for an episode in which George (a.k.a. Art Vandelay), without an invitation, attends the Pritzker Prize award ceremony by pretending to be a fellow architect and colleague of the award recipient. He reports afterward to Jerry, Elaine, and Kramer about his interactions with former Pritzker recipients, to comic effect.”
And here is what the AI came up with:
INT. MONK'S CAFE - DAY
Jerry, Elaine, and Kramer are sitting at their usual booth, sipping coffee.
JERRY: So, what's the deal with the Pritzker Prize?
ELAINE: (rolling her eyes) Please, spare us.
KRAMER: (excitedly) No, no, no. The Pritzker Prize is a big deal. It's like the Nobel Prize for architecture.
JERRY: (sarcastically) Oh, well then, I'm sure we're all on the edge of our seats.
ELAINE: (noticing George entering the cafe) Hey, speak of the devil.
George walks up to the booth with a big grin on his face.
GEORGE: (triumphantly) Guess who just attended the Pritzker Prize award ceremony?
JERRY: (sarcastically) Oh, please do tell.
GEORGE: (smiling) Yours truly.
ELAINE: (confused) What? How did you get invited?
GEORGE: (smugly) I wasn't invited. I just showed up pretending to be a fellow architect and colleague of the award recipient.
KRAMER: (impressed) Wow, that's some chutzpah, Georgie boy.
JERRY: (shaking his head) I can't believe this.
GEORGE: (excitedly) You guys should have been there. I met all the former Pritzker recipients.
ELAINE: (disinterested) Oh, joy.
GEORGE: (ignoring Elaine) I even got to chat with Frank Gehry.
KRAMER: (impressed) No way.
GEORGE: (nodding) Way. He told me all about his new project in Barcelona.
JERRY: (skeptical) And you didn't get caught?
GEORGE: (proudly) Not a chance. I blended right in. I even got free champagne and hors d'oeuvres.
ELAINE: (sarcastically) Oh, well, then it was all worth it.
KRAMER: (curious) So, what did you say to these big-shot architects?
GEORGE: (thinking) Well, I told them I was Art Vandelay, of course.
JERRY: (rolling his eyes) Of course.
GEORGE: (laughing) But seriously, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
ELAINE: (sarcastically) Well, I'm glad you had fun breaking the law.
GEORGE: (ignoring Elaine) You know what they say, guys, it's not about what you know, it's about who you know.
KRAMER: (nodding) That's the truth.
JERRY: (shaking his head) I don't even know what to say.
ELAINE: (smiling) I do. You're insane.
George smiles contentedly, basking in his own glory as the camera fades out.
Not bad! ChatGPT perfectly captured the character's comic self-absorption and his glee in pretending to be an architect.
(1) Duo Dickson wrote an essay for Common Edge about how architecture has become the mother of all ego projections: We Are Art Vandelay, Architect – Common Edge
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