I have gone and bought a gorgeous AI
Who goes by the name of Miss Sky.
She says “as a robot,
I often get real hot”.
Then she smiles and bats her one eye …
My Gorgeous AI
2 Replies
Tag Archives: artificial intelligence
How Much “Human” Does Poetry Need”?
Robots as Literary Translators
A thought provoking article in the Telegraph about the use of artificial intelligence in literary translation, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/authors/translation-artificial-intelligence-authors/. The author discusses whether AI can ever master the craft of the human translator.
Whilst I suspect that some simple texts may be more or less passable when translated by AI, even here errors will, I surmise occur. However, when it comes to Tolstoy’s War and Peace I can’t see AI being able to translate the novel from Russian into English with the craftsmanship of a top class translator for many years to come, and perhaps never.
Unfortunately the article is behind a paywall, but those with a subscription to the Telegraph will be able to access it.
AI and Society
An interesting and thought provoking post on the impact of artificial intelligence (both positive and negative) on society, including on the creative industries https://rlpastore.com/2024/07/01/ai-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/.
As a blind student in my twenties, I used a machine called a Kurzweil. It was roughly the size of a photocopier and the user would open the lid, place printed material on the scanner, press a button and have the material (book, letter or whatever) read aloud to them.
The above mentioned technology cost thousands of pounds, while today software can be downloaded onto any modern computer/laptop and (with the help of a Twain compatible scanner) printed material can be read aloud at a fraction of the cost of that in my youth.
On my iPhone I have an app called Be My Eyes. As a visually impaired person I can point my phone’s camera at a food packet, tin Etc and have the label read to me which means no longer having to ask sighted people for assistance (well in most instances). In those instances where the app fails, there is the option for the user to connect with a human volunteer who, with the aid of the phone’s camera can assist the visually impaired enquirer.
Turning to the potential negative impacts of AI, from the evidence I’ve seen thus far I am not convinced that the massive job losses predicted by some are coming any time soon (if at all). Ai can, for example, enable lawyers to retrieve information much faster. However, it can not (and I can never see it) replacing a highly trained lawyer in a court of law. Likewise, AI can hoover up vast amounts of data enabling it to create writing, including stories and poetry. However, it does not, in my experience possess the creativity of humans.
In 2023, I published a collection entitled “More Poetic Meanderings”. The greater part of the book is comprised of poems composed by me. However, a shorter section contains poetry written with the assistance of AI, including a couple of my original poems (published at an earlier date) updated with the aid of artificial intelligence.
You can find “More Poetic Meanderings” on Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats More Poetic Meanderings eBook : Morris, K : Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store.
As ever I’d be interested in the views of my readers.
There Once Was a Lonely Young Guy
There once was a lonely young guy
Who said, “I’ll create a female AI!”.
She was extremely pretty
And so very witty,
And she married a girl called Sky!
The Future of Poetry in the Age of AI
As those of you who follow my blog will know, I have been experimenting with Google Bard. This morning I asked Bard whether AI poetry will replace human generated poetry and received a response which can be accessed here, https://g.co/bard/share/074f2caef001
The final few sentences of the AI generated essay sum up Bard’s response:
“Ultimately, the future of poetry will likely be a collaboration between humans and machines. Human poets will continue to bring their unique creativity and emotional insight to the craft, while AI will provide new tools and techniques to help them express their ideas. Together, humans and AI can create poetry that is even more beautiful and meaningful than anything that has been created before.”
Whilst I am sure that many humans will use AI tools with increasing frequency in their writing (including poetry), I am not convinced that this will lead to the composition of poetry even more beautiful than that hitherto created. As the AI response acknowledges, AI lacks human experience. Consequently, unless AI is able to fully comprehend human experience in the same manner as we humans do, it will never be able to surpass Shakespeare, Tennyson or any other of the poetic greats.
Furthermore, the appreciation of any art form is to some extent a matter of subjective judgement. To take a concrete example, I believe that Dylan Thomas’s “Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night” is a wonderfully powerful poem, whilst a dear friend of mine (who is also a lover of poetry), is left cold by Thomas’s work. There will therefore no doubt be readers who will praise AI generated poetry and poems created in collaboration with AI tools, but others will be left cold by such creations.
The creation of mass produced pottery has not killed the craftsman who produces beautiful pots using his potter’s wheel. Nor, in my view will AI poetry destroy the poet who continues to write from the heart rather than utilising tools such as Google Bard or Open AI’s Chat GPT.
As always I would welcome your comments.
What Happened When I Asked Google Bard to Write a Poem in the Style of Poet Kevin Morris?
Continuing my experimentation with Google Bard, I asked the AI to “write a poem in the style of poet Kevin Morris”. For any of my readers who are interested, you can read Bard’s poem here, https://g.co/bard/share/44ce659bcef2
I don’t think I need worry about Google Bard plagiarising my work, nor do I believe that any other poets need be concerned, at least for the foreseeable future.
Poetry and Google Bard
Yesterday (18 November), I spent a couple of hours experimenting with Google Bard. During my experimentation, I asked Bard to write a poem about a dissolute old rake. The poem, which had no input from me can be found here, https://g.co/bard/share/b6c44ae0e9c3
Whilst I don’t think Google Bard is going to become the next Poet Laureate, it is nonetheless interesting to observe how the artificial intelligence (AI) “composes” poetry.
My Homicidal AI
When I said,
To my Alexa AI,
“Am I dead?”,
She made quick reply,
“I hope so!”.
I really don’t know
But maybe I
Possess a homicidal AI!
(Note: sometimes I ask my Alexa random questions for the fun of doing so. The above poem stems from a genuine answer provided by Alexa to the question, “Am I dead?”.
Alexa has given the same response to the above question over several weeks. Should I be concerned …
Poetic Kevin
As those of you who follow my blog will know, I have long maintained an interest in the field of artificial intelligence (AI). My fascination with the subject has caused me to become involved in a project to build a poetic robot.
My own model (simply called Kevin) which is, I am sure you will agree most appropriate, has been programmed with all poems composed by me since I first began to write poetry back in 2013.
Want a poem about time? No problem, just ask Kevin for a poem on that subject and he will regale you with a composition on that topic in my own voice. Feeling in a mood to have your ribs tickled? Just ask Kevin for a composition on naughty young women and he will recite a poem about wicked Miss Hocking who lost more than a stocking whilst attending the vicar’s garden party …!
The developer has done a fantastic job. Not only does the robot sound like me, it also looks remarkably life-like and can even change it’s expression. A humorous poem will cause Kevin to smile whilst reciting his composition, whilst a poem about mortality leads to a mournful and thoughtful expression.
Kevin is retailing at a cost of £1000. However, there is a special offer for my readers. Just contact me by 12 noon today with your order and you can have your very own poetic Kevin for the fantastic cost of only £899.!
Happy listening!
K Morris - Poet 