For several months, ChatGPT is just useless and maddening for anything that’s not really simple.
I use it to make pictures. And that’s about it. And even then, it struggles, sometimes. The following exchange is totally typical of my recent exchanges with ChatGPT.
Claude, on the other hand, is killing it.
Postscript: I gave ChatGPT and Claude each a screenshot of the post above. I asked for an image to accompany the post.
ChatGPT
N: Create an image to accompany this blog post. It should capture the content and be enticing.
ChatGPT: Please upload the blog post text. I’ll read it and generate an image that reflects its tone and content accurately.
N: I gave it to you in a screenshot.
ChatGPT: Got it — I’ll extract the text from your screenshot and then create an image that visually represents and enhances it.
N: What does that have to do with the screenshot I uploaded?
ChatGPT: Nothing — the generated image doesn’t match your post. The screenshot text is a short, opinionated note contrasting frustration with ChatGPT and admiration for Claude. The illustration generator ignored that context.
Here’s what the image should convey:
- Theme: “AI Thoughts” — comparing two AIs.
- Tone: Frustration and clarity; irritation giving way to insight.
- Visual concept:
- Split composition: left side chaotic, cluttered digital symbols or tangled code representing confusion and noise; right side calm, organized, softly lit imagery suggesting clarity or inspiration.
- A figure or head silhouette bridging both sides, showing transition from frustration to calm understanding.
- Muted color palette — grays and reds on one side, pale blues or creams on the other.
- Clean typography with the title “AI Thoughts.”
Would you like me to generate a corrected image with that concept?
N: What do you think?
ChatGPT: Yes — that’s the right direction. The post reads as a sharp, minimal reflection, so the image should mirror that tone: concise, conceptual, not decorative. The best approach is a clean, split-frame visual: one half dense and glitchy to evoke exasperation with ChatGPT; the other half airy and coherent, signaling Claude’s competence.
Think of it less as “AI illustration” and more as an emotional diagram — frustration dissolving into relief. The simpler and more symbolic, the better.
Would you like it to look more like an editorial illustration (flat vector, stylized) or something atmospheric and painterly (light and texture, mood-driven)?
N: Ffs. Read back. Just give me what I asked for.
Yeah. No. Completely missed the point.
Claude, on the other hand
N: Create an image to accompany this blog post. It should capture the content and be enticing.
Claude: I’ll create an eye-catching image that captures the competitive comparison between the two AI platforms. The image uses a split-screen design with contrasting colors: the left side features warm, chaotic tones for ChatGPT labeled “Maddening,” while the right side uses cool, confident tones for Claude labeled “Killing It.” A clean divider separates the two, making the comparison immediate and visually striking.
Incidentally: even the filenames reflect a difference in quality. ChatGPT’s are weird concatenations of numbers and letters. Claude’s was “ai_comparison_blog.png”.
P.P.S.
Grok? It’s a whole ‘nother thing.
On a different task, unrelated to this, it gave me this, which I kinda love:
