This week I’ve been at a conference about the future of tech. So, this week, I wanted to do a tech inspired post.

As many of you know, I’ve been working with Artificial Intelligence to see what can be produced. I’m using Natrual Language Generation (NLG) to build out content. So, let’s see what came out when I said:

write a poem

That’s the command I gave the AI system. And, here’s what came out:

Life is a journey,
A voyage we all take.
Some are long, some are short,
But they all have their own unique set of challenges.

Sometimes we're met with storms,
Other times we find smooth sailing.
But through it all, we must keep moving forward,
Towards the horizon,
Towards our dreams.

No editing there. That’s the direct output.

Then, I told the AI system to:

write a poem about outer space

And here’s the output. No editting.

The universe is so vast,
So infinite and unknown.
It's a place of mystery,
Of wonders beyond our grasp.

There are stars up there,
billions of them shining bright.
And planets, spinning in space,
Caught in the gravitational grip of giants.

Not too bad. So I asked another question.

what kind of story would an 8th grade boy want to read?

And here’s the output:

An 8th grade boy might want to read a story about someone who is fighting for a good cause.

Hmmm….that’s not helpful. AI isn’t always clear so you need to ask clarifying questions. I asked:

what is the cause?

And the answer:

The cause might be fighting for a good cause, such as saving the environment or helping others.

So, as you can see, we’re doing some fun stuff here. I’m using the AI system as a brain storming tool. Get stuck, get some ideas from AI :) I haven’t ventured into using AI for my verse novels yet. Those are a little too complex for the AI to keep a good grip on all the nuances but straight prose or one off content, AI is very useful. AI is perfect for non-fiction but I’m trying to push the boundaries into fiction. So far, so good.

What questions would you like to ask the AI? Post them in the comments and I’ll reply with the answers.

Narration

A dramatic reading of an AI poem by an AI voice. This voice is not a human. It is generated by Artificial Intelligence.

Enjoy! Oh…one more thing…if you watch until the end you might catch something that hasn’t been shared yet about my upcoming book [dis]connection. (Hint, Hint) The narrator of this poem is the main character of [dis]connection, Erin. She’s got a world of trouble heading her way this summer when the book comes out.

Special thanks to Margaret at Reflections on the Teche for hosting Poetry Friday this week. Also, thanks to Johannes Plenio for the awesome cover photo: https://www.pexels.com/photo/silhouette-photography-of-boat-on-water-during-sunset-1118874/

Remember, post your questions for AI in the comments below and AI will answer them :)

Have a great week!