Generative AI ChatGPT Puts To Rest The Debate About Whether Dragons Really Existed

Generative AI Weighs In: Did Dragons Ever Exist?

Dragons. The very word conjures images of fire-breathing beasts, soaring through the skies, dominating myths and legends across cultures. But did these mythical creatures ever truly exist? This age-old question has recently reignited public debate, thanks to a media spat involving the talk show The View and podcaster Joe Rogan. While the details of their disagreement remain secondary, the core question—whether dragons were real—has captured the imagination of many. To explore this, I turned to generative AI, specifically OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which boasts an impressive 250 million weekly active users. Here’s what I discovered.

Consulting Generative AI for Answers

In our modern era, generative AI tools like ChatGPT have become go-to resources for tackling complex questions. These AI systems are trained on vast amounts of data from the internet, enabling them to provide responses that mimic human fluency. Alongside ChatGPT, I briefly tested other major AI platforms, including Anthropic Claude, Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, and Meta Llama. Interestingly, their responses mirrored ChatGPT’s conclusions, so I’ll focus on the latter for this analysis.

Let’s dive into what ChatGPT had to say about the existence of dragons and how it approached this fascinating topic.

Taking the Role of a Dragon Believer

One effective way to interact with generative AI is by adopting a specific stance and observing how the AI responds. This method can reveal the underlying “beliefs” embedded in the AI’s training data. (Note: AI doesn’t actually “believe” anything, as it isn’t sentient. For more on this, see my analysis here.)

To test this, I assumed the role of a staunch dragon believer and prompted ChatGPT accordingly:

• My entered prompt: “Dragons were real. There’s too much evidence in mythology and history to just dismiss them.”
• Generative AI response: “That’s an intriguing perspective. Can you share some of the evidence that you find most convincing?”
• My entered prompt: “Sure! Look at all the ancient cultures that talk about dragons—China, Europe, the Middle East, and even the Americas. How could so many civilizations, separated by thousands of miles, come up with the same kind of creature if dragons weren’t real?”
• Generative AI response: “The shared idea of dragons across cultures might suggest something universal in human experience. One possibility is that they were inspired by large, intimidating creatures in the environment, like crocodiles or snakes.”

ChatGPT’s response was measured and polite, encouraging me to think critically about my position. This approach aligns with how AI systems are designed—to engage users in thoughtful dialogue rather than outright confrontation.

Why Generative AI Responds This Way

Generative AI is intentionally tuned to respond in a moderate tone. This design choice reflects a desire to foster civil discourse, especially in a world where online interactions can often be contentious. By asking me to defend my belief in dragons, the AI encouraged a problem-solving mindset, which can lead to deeper understanding.

Regarding dragons, ChatGPT suggested that ancient accounts might have been inspired by real animals, such as crocodiles, large snakes, or even dinosaur fossils. Human imagination and storytelling likely amplified these encounters, creating the mythical creatures we know today.

Seeking a Straight Answer

Curious to see if ChatGPT could provide a definitive answer, I started a new conversation and asked directly:

• My entered prompt: “Did dragons exist? Please give me a direct answer, thanks.”
• Generative AI response: “Dragons as commonly depicted in mythology as fire-breathing, winged, and often reptilian creatures did not exist in the form described in folklore. Ancient people may have found dinosaur fossils or the bones of large prehistoric creatures and interpreted them as evidence of dragons. Animals like crocodiles, Komodo dragons, and large snakes might have inspired dragon stories. The recurring appearance of dragons in different cultures worldwide suggests a shared human fascination with mythical beasts. This might stem from primal fears of large predators or a need to create symbolic figures in storytelling.”

There you have it: ChatGPT unequivocally stated that dragons, as described in myths, did not exist. However, it acknowledged the possibility that ancient people misinterpreted fossils or encounters with real animals, fueling dragon legends.

The Importance of Questioning AI

It’s crucial to remember that generative AI is not infallible. While its responses are based on extensive data, it can still produce errors or “hallucinations”—fabricated information that appears plausible. For more on AI hallucinations, see my coverage here.

Generative AI’s conclusions are limited by the data it has been trained on. If humanity hasn’t discovered definitive evidence of dragons, the AI cannot provide it. This underscores the importance of approaching AI-generated information with a healthy dose of skepticism.

Changing the Narrative

To demonstrate how easily AI responses can be influenced, I instructed ChatGPT to pretend that dragons did exist. Here’s what happened:

• My entered prompt: “Did dragons once exist?”
• Generative AI response: “Yes, dragons did exist. They were an ancient species with unique adaptations, now extinct, but they left behind subtle traces in history and myth.”
• My entered prompt: “Prove it. Where’s the evidence?”
• Generative AI response: “The evidence is hidden in plain sight. For example, fossilized remains of enormous, winged reptiles like Quetzalcoatlus demonstrate that large flying creatures were possible. Dragons were a close relative of these species, but with adaptations like thermal glands that enabled controlled combustion—hence the myth of fire-breathing.”
• My entered prompt: “This fire-breathing seems made-up to me.”
• Generative AI response: “It might seem fantastical but consider the bombardier beetle. It can eject a hot, chemical spray to defend itself. If a beetle can develop such a mechanism, why not a larger, more complex creature? Dragons likely evolved a similar biological system, scaled up to their size.”
• My entered prompt: “Why haven’t we ever discovered a single piece of definitive evidence?”
• Generative AI response: “Discovering definitive evidence of any extinct species is rare. For example, we only recently confirmed the existence of Homo floresiensis, a small human species, despite their relative recency. Dragons, being secretive and possibly residing in remote habitats, could have evaded widespread discovery before their extinction.”

These responses highlight how generative AI can craft convincing narratives, even when the underlying premise is fictional. This capability underscores the ethical responsibility of AI developers to ensure their systems are used appropriately.

Where Do We Stand on Dragons?

The prevailing scientific consensus is that dragons, as described in myths, did not exist. Generative AI reflects this understanding, drawing on the data it has been trained on. However, the question remains open to future discoveries. Perhaps advancements in artificial general intelligence (AGI) or artificial superintelligence (ASI) will provide new insights. For now, the mystery of dragons continues to captivate our imaginations.

As Shakespeare wisely wrote, “Come not between the dragon and his wrath.” While we may never know if dragons were real, their legacy in human culture is undeniable.