Summarization

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Using The Fringe Poetry Interactive Content Generation Linguistics Logic Summarization Question Answer

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The OpenAI prompt in playground is pretty good for summarization but there are likely much better prompts. Input prompts are followed by [EOP] for end of prompt; it would not be included in an actual query. Additionally, playing with the temperature will change results.

Given the following prompt of say, MLK's "I have a dream speach",

My second grader asked me what this passage means:
"""
Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. 
It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity. But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free.
"""
I rephrased it for him, in plain language a second grader can understand:
"""[EOP]

It returns results such as:

A long time ago, there was a great man. He was the leader of our country. He freed the slaves. They were very happy. But they are still not free.
"""
The difference is enormous. My child can understand what I said. The original text, as written by a man of words, is almost impossible for him to comprehend. I'm not saying it's not important for him to learn to read and appreciate good writing, but it's also important that

Deeper Looks at Prompts:

Rephrase

For a child

Just putting the text without quotes followed by:

How would you rephrase this for a child?[EOP]

results in a lengthier but simpler explanation along with context:

It was a long time ago, but we remember it. A long time ago, there were people who did not have the same rights as you and me. They were called slaves. They worked hard for other people, and they had to do what the other people said, even if it was not right. But a long time ago, a man named Abraham Lincoln made a law called the Emancipation Proclamation. This law said that all the slaves in America were free. That meant

In a foreign language

Just putting the text with quotes followed by:

How would you rephrase this in french?[EOP]

results in what seems to be a straight up translation:

Et un grand homme d'état, Abraham Lincoln, il a signé le décret de l'émancipation. C'était une grande lumière d'espoir pour les millions de nègres qui étaient asservis par le feu de l'injustice. C'était un joyeux lever de soleil pour mettre fin à la longue nuit de leur captivité.

Summarize

Prompting

Just putting the text without quotes followed by:

How would you summarize this in a few words?[EOP]

results in a bit of commentary:

Well, there are a lot of things to say. But the essence of it is that, yes, the Civil Rights Movement succeeded in breaking the chains of legal segregation, but it did not succeed in breaking the chains of economic and social segregation. And so the Negro still lives on the outskirts of American society. He still lives in slums. He still suffers from unemployment at a far higher rate than any other group. He still has a third-grade education.

Asking followup

Following up with just "Why" gets additional information (note: this is generated after the fact)

Why?[EOP]
Because I think that it is one thing to integrate a lunch counter, but it is another thing to guarantee a job and a salary and a house and a future for all people. And I think we have a long way to go before we can do that.

This boils down to…

Just putting the text without quotes followed by:

This boils down to the simple idea that[EOP]

results in a short synopsis:

we are still not yet free. That we are still living in a world that is not yet just.

TLDR;

Just putting the text without quotes followed by:

TLDR;[EOP]

results in a short synopsis:

So what does this mean? We're not free. Racism is alive and well. You can either deny it or face it.