Over the past fifteen years, our home has been enriched by the presence of two Icelandic Sheepdogs.  Viggo came first, in July of 2009, and 12 years later, when he left for Valhalla, there was a bit of a gap until we brought home his great-nephew, Skuggi. While Viggo had the more typical reddish-brown and white coat, Skuggi is often mistaken for a border collie due to his black and white markings.

Skuggi and Viggo being rowed down an Icelandic fjord

Given the state of the world and the nature of the news these days, Laila has found refuge on occasion in the world of OpenAI’s Chat GPT.  Here are a few examples of where images of our two Icelandics and her imagination have taken her!

Easy Rider – Icelandic-style

While horned helmets were not an actual Viking helmet feature, ChatGPT’s inclusion of those horns is an indication of how strong the misconception is. [See this Smithsonian article for the details!]

Laila has been using the free level of access to ChatGPT, which allows the creation of a maximum of two images a day.  However, if the world gets any crazier, she may be tempted to sign up for the Chat Plus Plan for less restricted use. We may find out, let’s say, “within two weeks”!