I requested ChatGPT to show me right into a Muppet, and it didn’t disappoint

My buddy hopped on the Studio Ghibli bandwagon final week, altering his WhatsApp profile image to his anime likeness. I suppose he needs his contacts to assume that he’s being artistic, however I’m satisfied it’s as a result of it’s a extra flattering depiction of him. Nonetheless, I’ve been as impressed as everybody else with this newest ChatGPT evolution and needed to see if it might flip me right into a Muppet. It appeared a enjoyable thought, and in contrast to my buddy, nobody can accuse me of utilizing a Muppet likeness to make myself look extra interesting.

I attempted it out, and as soon as I noticed the outcomes, I knew I needed to share them right here.

Why a Muppet?

I can’t fake it’s my lifelong dream to be immortalized as a Muppet — I’d have most well-liked to make a reputation taking part in within the FIFA World Cup last. That stated, I like the Muppets as a lot as the following millennial. They had been a mainstay of my childhood, and the vacations aren’t full with out an annual viewing of A Muppet’s Christmas Carol.

However I used to be extra curious than something. The latest viral craze of turning each picture and meme right into a Studio Ghibli-style anime cartoon was triggered by Sam Altman’s announcement of the brand new GPT-4o-powered picture era software. As a lot as I loved the outcomes, they didn’t appear to be an excessive amount of of a problem for the AI. It was creating a reasonably true-to-life however easier model of the picture.

A Muppet appears to me that it will be a greater check for the LLM. Not solely are Muppets actual (by which I imply they’ve a bodily presence in the true world —  I’m not 5 years outdated,) however they’re additionally rather more open to interpretation. They’ve exaggerated options, come in several colours, and their bodily traits might be outlined by issues like their personalities or jobs. There’s undoubtedly extra scope for interpretation than an anime copy.

I gave the above image of me holding a cute hen (I’m the one on the left earlier than you ask) to ChatGPT Plus with the easy immediate of “Make me a Muppet.” Certain sufficient, the picture within the middle is what it spat out after some processing time, and it’s Muppet Matt.

I used to be impressed. I imply, I’m fairly an vague Muppet, however then I’m a reasonably vague man when it comes to options, so I don’t know why I’d count on anything.

You should have seen that it doesn’t look fairly proper. Specifically, the hand seems too human, as Muppets are inclined to solely have 4 fingers on every hand. Not solely does Muppet Matt have 5, however he additionally has fingernails. Maybe disturbed, the hen has additionally switched course. Nonetheless, not dangerous for a primary run.

I gave ChatGPT an opportunity to rectify this with the immediate, “Are you able to make the palms look extra like Muppet palms?”

This was a little bit of an error on my half. I shouldn’t have pluralized as a result of solely certainly one of my palms is seen within the authentic picture. ChatGPT took this to imply each needs to be seen and gave me a brand new pose, as proven within the picture on the precise above. It was nearer this time, although. The bird-holding hand nonetheless has too many fingers, however they give the impression of being extra like Muppet fingers, and the opposite now-visible hand solely has 4.

My subsequent query was a philosophical one. I would now have a Muppet likeness, however is that the definitive Matt Muppet? Are my traits such that no matter picture I exploit, will I at all times be that individual character? Or, are Muppet alter egos like snowflakes, and no two creations are alike?

To search out out, I repeated the request for 2 extra pictures. The one above is me on a latest journey to New York, and it will let me see how ChatGPT did in making a Muppet from a selfie. The one beneath is me driving, with the AI required to provide a Muppet in profile and with palms in use.

It’s actually constant. Muppet Matt’s options don’t appear to vary a lot, which incorporates the human-esque fingers. A touch of a smile was detected within the authentic NYC image, resulting in a broad smile on my puppet counterpart, however the driving focus was carried over to the Muppet within the beneath instance. In the event you look intently, you may also observe that Muppet Matt drives loads slower than I do.

What if ChatGPT knew extra about me?

In step with Jim Henson’s imaginative and prescient, I questioned if ChatGPT would alter my Muppet to mirror elements of my character. Once you consider basic Muppets like Oscar the Grouch or Animal, you begin to get a really feel for his or her persona simply by them. I used to be curious if ChatGPT would try and mirror something about me in my options or apparel.

To do that, I fed the AI a picture of me in entrance of a clean background. I first requested it to make me right into a Muppet in the identical method because the earlier requests, and the middle picture beneath got here out as anticipated. I then gave it the immediate, “How may you alter the picture if the Muppet was a British author with a cheerful demeanor?”

ChatGPT didn’t take the bait. I questioned if it’d alter my puppet with some stereotypes, comparable to a Union Jack shirt for a Brit or some glasses to suggest a author. As a substitute, the precise picture exhibits it stayed true to Muppet Matt’s options however mirrored his completely happy demeanor with an enormous grin.

I might discover these puppetish potentialities all day, nevertheless it’s a little bit of a time-sink. Apart from, I would higher spend my time projecting myself into different childhood TV favorites. I wager I’d look fairly cool as a Transformer or a Ninja Turtle.

Have you ever been as impressed as I’ve with the brand new GPT-4o picture generator? Drop a vote within the ballot beneath, and be happy to tell us about your personal expertise within the feedback.