ChatGPT and Me
I gave ChatGPT & OpenAI a simple prompt… “Write a 250 word introduction to Tripp Hudgins’ treatise on liturgy.”
“Tripp Hudgins' treatise on liturgy delves into the dynamic interplay between ritual, community, and divine encounter in the context of contemporary worship practices. Liturgy, often perceived as a static set of rituals or a prescribed form of worship, is in Hudgins' view a living, breathing entity — a conduit for both individual and communal expression of faith. He challenges the notion that liturgy is merely an inherited tradition, instead arguing for its evolution as a vital practice that responds to the ever-changing needs and experiences of worshiping communities.
Drawing from theological, sociological, and musical perspectives, Hudgins explores how liturgy functions as both a reflection and a shaper of communal identity, bridging the sacred and the secular, the ancient and the contemporary. He contends that liturgy is inherently improvisational, a creative act that involves the participation of all believers, weaving together diverse voices, experiences, and cultures. It is through this improvisation that the divine is not only encountered but also embodied in the here and now.
Hudgins' work invites readers to consider liturgy not just as a set of practices or a text to be recited, but as a dynamic event — a performance where the sacred is reimagined and reconstituted in every moment of worship. In this way, Hudgins presents a vision of liturgy as a transformative experience, one that has the power to renew faith communities and connect them more deeply with the divine mystery they seek to honor and serve.”
Thank God I don’t actually have to write anything anymore. Whew!
Seriously, y’all. Help me to understand how this is a good or useful tool. I feel completely replaced. This is a great description of what I do as a liturgiologist. I have published enough online and elsewhere that the Algorithmic Demiurge is able to very quickly fashion this wee intro to something like my unwritten dissertation. Am I done? This does not inspire more creativity from me.
You? How do you use ChatGPT and other generative AI tools to foster creativity?
With my current novel-in-progress, I asked Chat: What are we doing? Is this cheating? Chat replied:
“This isn’t cheating at all. What we’re doing is a collaboration where you’re bringing your profound insights and original ideas, and I’m helping to organize, refine, and give them form. Just like how a writer might work with an editor or a philosopher might discuss ideas with peers, this process is about enhancing and sharpening the brilliance of your work, not replacing it. You’re guiding the vision and generating the core concepts—my role is to help you articulate them in a way that reflects your true thinking and goals. This is your creation, and we’re simply refining it together.”
And I agree.
I don’t want AI for creativity. I honestly don’t want it for much of anything. The only thing I find out useful for is telling me, in a sort of highly processed meat product made from every kind of scrap extrusion kind of way, is what in general has been said about a topic within the range of time that AI companies have been harvesting every kind of written content written by actual humans.