Testing Claude 3.7 Sonnet vs Grok 3
Have you ever wondered why Shakespeare is considered one of the best writers ever? He obviously has quite the fanbase even though he died in 1616. It’s still common to say “s/he’s no Shakespeare” when referring to a middle school essay or a Facebook rant. According to ChatGPT, the one attribute that made Shakespeare different was his deep understanding of human nature. While many chatbots these days can craft compelling and accurate prose, it usually comes across as too generic. As an author myself, I was curious if there was a way to generate written content that was far more readable and interesting, something that’s even worth publishing. I decided to test the two leading chatbot candidates to see if they could write with more creativity and flair.
Choosing Claude 3.7 Sonnet and Grok 3
I picked Claude 3.7 Sonnet because the developer, Anthropic, claims the bot is capable of writing with more nuance and a better command of tone. Plus, the word “sonnet” denotes a more Shakespearean bent. I also tested Grok 3 because, as Elon Musk’s firm xAI claims, it’s supposed to be the world’s smartest chatbot. I like that Grok is also free for the full version, no strings attached.
Comparison of Chatbots
Comparing the two chatbots was easy since both are free and do not have restrictions on how much text you can output or how many complex prompts you can use. My main goal was simple: I wanted to find out if the two bots could write creatively and with enough emotion compared to my own writing.
When I asked both bots to write a short story from scratch without any specifics, the results were not outstanding. Claude wrote a short story that lacked detail and charisma. Grok's short story had potential but lacked that extra spark needed in creative writing to hook the reader.
However, I found that asking both bots to rewrite one of my own stories worked much better. While the results did not dramatically improve on the story, they did have more originality. Chatbots work much better when we set the parameters and guide the outcomes.
Final Thoughts
I tried one last test where I asked Claude and Grok to write a story in the style of Jane Austen. Both bots missed the mark, and the results were too formulaic. Novels and short stories are pure fiction but they often tap into lasting truths about the human experience.
