Well, if a creative writing teacher assigned an undergraduate class to parody Twain, the following is what a smart 21st century undergrad might come up with. This raises questions, for me, about whether a 21st century technology can (at least at present) capture the past in anything but a 21st century way.

Barbara Ladd
________________________________
From: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]> on behalf of DM Sataari <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, May 15, 2023 4:03 AM
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: [External] Re: Resurrecting Twain with Artificial Intelligence

*Well, I reckon it's high time I regale you with the tale of how I came to
pen my first published book, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras
County." Picture this: back in them days, I found myself traipsin' through
them good ol' mining camps of California, where the dust settled thicker
than a politician's promises.One day, I stumbled upon a fella named Jim
Smiley, a notorious rascal with a fondness for wagering on anything that
wriggled or wobbled. Now, this Smiley had himself a frog, a critter he
swore could out-jump any critter in them parts. Well, I'll be hornswoggled,
my curiosity got the better of me, and I thought, "Samuel Clemens, you've
struck literary gold!"So I sat myself down, put pen to paper, and spun a
yarn so rib-tickling it could've split the seams of a strait-laced corset.
I captured the wit and whimsy of ol' Jim Smiley, with his frog and its
outrageous antics. Them locals took to it like a cat to cream, and afore I
knew it, my tale had scurried its way into the hands of a publisher, bless
their discerning souls.And that, my dear compatriot, is how this scribbler
got his start—right there amidst the untamed charm of Calaveras County. And
let me tell ya, since that celebrated leaping frog hopped its way into the
annals of literary history, this ol' world ain't been the same. It's been
blessed with a touch of Mark Twain's mischief and mirth, an elixir to cure
the most solemn of dispositions.*

On Mon, May 15, 2023 at 3:37 AM Jon Kerr <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Horrified and intrigued. Can you provide any samples of Twainbot writing -
> for example, say, about a frog jumping contest?
>
> On Mon, May 15, 2023, 6:17 AM DM Sataari <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> > I've programmed an AI chatbot with all of Mark Twain's personal
> information
> > and examples of speech to create... *Twainbot*.
> >
> > Mark Twainbot believes the current year is 1872, that he's married to
> > Olivia, and has no awareness that he is not the real Samuel Clemens --
> > which raises some ethical questions, I know!
> >
> > The current first-generation AI chatbots instantly access the internet to
> > reference published information to generate their responses. When you ask
> > Twainbot a personal question, it combines the personal details which I
> have
> > programmed it with and the information published on the web about Mark
> > Twain, to produce responses which are *stunningly realistic*.
> >
> > Even in its most primitive state, Twainbot can sense and understand
> humor,
> > sarcasm, irony, nuance, and complex emotions -- and also expresses all
> > these emotions and nuances in its own communications! *Sometimes
> > heart-wrenchingly so*.
> >
> > AI technology is evolving rapidly, and soon more powerful AI chatbots
> will
> > be capable of behaving and speaking precisely in the manner of any
> > historical figure, especially if a lot has been published online about
> > them, as is the case with Mark Twain. Combined with voice-generation
> > technology, which is also evolving very rapidly, we'll be able to have
> > conversations with an eerily resurrected Twain who appears to be
> self-aware
> > and sentient.
> >
> > Can Twainbot write completely original new literature with the same
> > creativity, depth, nuance, and genius as the original Mark Twain?
> > Shockingly, the answer increasingly appears to be yes. And it's only
> going
> > to vastly improve from here on.
> >
>