ChatGPT can be a teacher, speechwriter, itinerary planner, and this time, it can even co-parent. How? A man reportedly turned to ChatGPT for ideas for his soon-to-be-born baby – a move that annoyed his wife.
On The Hong Kong Discuss Forum, one of the most frequented websites in Hong Kong, a veteran user who goes by the internet moniker ‘Snowwoman’ started a discussion thread titled: “I asked my husband to come up with a name for my baby, he asked an AI.”
In the post, ‘Snowwoman’ shared that her husband used the popular AI chatbot to generate a list of auspicious names for their son.
“Could you help me with giving a Chinese name to my soon-to-be-born baby? He’s a boy, and I hope that he’ll grow up to be intelligent, handsome, tall, and blessed with good fortune. What sort of names are suitable?”
ChatGPT responded: “Of course I can, here are a few names and their meanings for your reference” – and honestly, they’re all pretty solid.
The chatbot returned with two lists of names for boys. Many ticked the boxes when it comes to naming conventions in Chinese culture: that a name should sound good when pronounced, and that the characters chosen should carry an auspicious meaning as it could potentially shape the child’s future.
At the end of ChatGPT’s response, it reminded the husband that it is merely a machine that’s here to help, and not everything it recommends should be taken as gospel.
“I hope these names can assist you with choosing a suitable name for your newborn baby. Please be aware that name selection is a personal preference, so please select a name according to your preferences and your baby’s personality,” the chatbot cautioned.
Who’s the dad? ChatGPT?
The man presumably went back to his wife and excitedly showed her the lists for ‘inspo’. However, she wasn’t very pleased, and took issue at the fact that he approached a machine as a first thought instead of putting in effort for their child.
“The AI generated many names, and although some of them seem pretty ‘cultured’, I just can’t bring myself to choose one… [my husband] is clearly lazy! I don’t know if it’s the AI who’s the father or if it’s him!” she wrote.
At the time of writing, the discussion thread became one of the most-read posts on the site with over 74,600 views.
Responses from the community were mixed: while some were impressed that ChatGPT was able to pull together a convincing list of names, some left comments criticising the husband’s move.
“Better than a facial physiognomist, who charges thousands (for) complex names that are difficult to pronounce,” one user wrote.
“Your husband is lazy and has no ideas of his own,” another wrote.
We’re with you, ma’am. Name your own son!
