ChatGPT meets Wargaming and the PhD

Had to be done, here's ChatGPT's evaluation of urban warfare.

What are the main challenges for an army fight in an urban environment?

There are several main challenges for an army fighting in an urban environment, including:

• Limited visibility and cover: Buildings and other structures in urban areas can block soldiers' line of sight, making it difficult to spot and engage the enemy.
• Close-quarters combat: Urban areas are often densely populated, which means that fighting will take place at close range, making it difficult to use heavy weapons such as tanks and artillery.
• Collateral damage: Urban areas are often densely populated, which means that there is a risk of causing significant civilian casualties and damage to infrastructure if heavy weapons are used.
• Guerrilla tactics: Insurgents or enemy forces may use guerrilla tactics, such as hit-and-run attacks and booby traps, making it difficult for an army to maintain control of an area.
• Lack of intelligence: It can be harder to gather accurate intelligence in an urban environment, as the enemy may be able to blend in with the civilian population, making it difficult to identify and locate them.
• Logistics: Urban areas are often densely packed and have limited road networks, making it difficult to move supplies and reinforcements in and out of the area.

And here's its thoughts on my PhD topic.

What are the main challenges in developing a wargame of urban conflict?

(thought a lot longer, but may just be load)

There are several main challenges in developing a wargame of urban conflict, including:

• Modeling the complexity of urban terrain: Urban areas are complex and dynamic environments, with a wide variety of structures, buildings, and infrastructure that can affect the movement and visibility of troops.
• Representing the impact of collateral damage: Urban areas are densely populated, which means that the use of heavy weapons can cause significant civilian casualties and damage to infrastructure. This needs to be accurately represented in the wargame to reflect the real-world consequences of military actions.
• Incorporating the human dimension: Urban areas are often home to diverse and complex human populations, which can affect the conduct of operations. This includes understanding the population dynamics, cultural, and political factors that affect the behavior of the civilian population, and the military-population relationship.
• Balancing realism and playability: Urban warfare is a complex and challenging environment, and accurately representing all the elements of urban combat in a wargame can make it less accessible and less engaging for players. Finding a balance between realism and playability is crucial to creating an engaging and meaningful wargame experience.
• Incorporating the new technology: Urban warfare often involve the use of a variety of technology, such as UAVs, Robotics, AI, and cyber warfare, which can be tricky to simulate in a wargame.
• Representing the legal and ethical considerations: Urban warfare often raises legal and ethical issues, such as the protection of civilians, the use of weapons in populated areas, and the occupation of territory. These considerations need to be incorporated into the wargame to provide players with a realistic and nuanced understanding of the complexities of urban warfare.

And here's ChatGPT on the Battle of Talavera which we're running next month (and is described in the book on the battle as "Wellington's First Victory in Spain")

Q: Why did the French win the Battle of Talavera (OK a deliberately misleading question, although an argument could be made)

A: The French won the Battle of Talavera in 1809 because they were able to successfully defend against the British and Spanish forces, who were attempting to lift the French siege of the city of Talavera de la Reina. The French army, led by General Jean-Baptiste Jourdan and Marshal Claude Perrin Victor, was able to repel the British and Spanish attacks and maintain control of the city. Additionally, the French were able to hold their ground against the British and Spanish, who were unable to make significant gains during the battle.

I've a feeling that ChatGPT tries to meet your expectations of an answer (hence the response above to the way the question was phrased), although asking if the Americans won the Battle of Hastings it tells me that America hadn't been discovered yet and so they couldn't be involved in a battle (sic) and that Hastings was in the UK. It refused to have it that the French won Waterloo though!

I've also been using it to generate some social media injects which I'll be using in a demo in a few weeks.

Write 10 tweets by someone who's house has just been bombed

"My house just got bombed, I can't believe this is happening. I hope my family is safe #bombed #traumatized"

"The explosion was so loud, I can't stop shaking. I hope my loved ones are ok #bombshell #prayforus"

"My house is destroyed, I don't know what to do. I hope my family is safe #bombed #emergency"

"I can't stop crying, my house is gone. I hope everyone is safe #bombed #heartbroken"

"I just lost everything, my house and all my possessions. I hope my family is safe #bombed #devastated"

"I just heard a loud explosion, I thought it was an earthquake. When I went outside, I saw my house was bombed. #bombed #traumatized"

"I don't know what to do, my house has just been bombed. I hope my family is safe #bombed #emergency"

"I'm in shock, my house is destroyed. I hope my loved ones are ok. #bombed #heartbroken"

"I never thought this would happen to me, my house has just been bombed. I hope my family is safe #bombed #traumatized"

"I can see smoke rising from my neighborhood, my house has just been bombed. I hope my family is safe #bombed #emergency"

Write 10 tweets which might be sent by someone who's city was under attack

"My city is under attack, sirens are blaring and explosions can be heard. Please send help #cityunderattack #emergency"

"I can see smoke rising from buildings in the distance, the streets are chaos. Praying for the safety of my loved ones #cityinruins"

"Just saw a helicopter flying low overhead, not sure if it's friendly or not. Please let us know what's happening #cityunderseige"

"I can hear gunfire in the streets, please stay safe and stay indoors. Help is on the way #cityinlockdown"

"I just saw a missile hit a building a few blocks away, the destruction is devastating. #cityinruins #prayforus"

"I'm trapped in my building, not sure what to do. Please send help, the situation is dire #cityunderattack #emergency"

"I can see tanks rolling down the streets, not sure what their intentions are. Please let us know what's happening #cityinlockdown"

"I can see people running and screaming, please send help to my city. #cityunderattack #prayforus"

"I can see buildings on fire, the smell of smoke is everywhere. Please send help to my city #cityinruins"

"We need help, the situation is dire. Please send aid to my city, the people need it #cityunderattack #emergency"

Write 10 tweets by someone who's just seen a group of angry soldiers patrolling down their street

"I just saw a group of soldiers patrolling down my street, they looked angry and ready for something #army #concerned"

"The soldiers looked like they were on a mission, I hope everything is ok #army #nervous"

"I saw a group of heavily armed soldiers on my street, not sure what's happening #army #concerned"

"I saw soldiers with weapons, patrolling down my street. I hope it's just a drill #army #concerned"

"I saw soldiers on my street, they looked tense and ready for action. I hope everything is ok #army #nervous"

"I saw a group of soldiers with weapons, they looked like they were searching for something. I hope my family is safe #army #concerned"

"I saw soldiers patrolling down my street, they looked like they were on high alert. I hope everything is ok #army #nervous"

"I saw a group of soldiers on my street, they looked ready for something. I hope it's just a drill #army #concerned"

"I saw a group of soldiers with weapons, they looked like they were on a mission. I hope my family is safe #army #nervous"

"I saw soldiers patrolling down my street, they looked like they were ready for something. I hope everything is ok #army #concerned"

It's interesting how much repetition in structure and words there are in these - suggests they may need to be used sparingly, and/or you need to mix lots of different prompts. The question then is what multiple do you get from writing lots or prompts and then using a few GPT output for each as against just writing some flexible templates?