From time to time I confess to Googling myself in order to ascertain what is being said about me and my poetry.

Having used Open AI’s Chat GPT https://openai.com/, to experiment poetically, I was curious to see what (if anything) the AI would have to say about me. I therefore typed in “who is Kevin Morris poet?” and received the below response:

“Kevin Morris is a British poet who was born in Liverpool in 1969. He is known for his work as a writer of poetry and fiction. Morris is blind, and his writing often reflects this experience, exploring themes of disability, loss, and resilience. Some of his notable collections of poetry include “The Selected Poems of K Morris,” “Light and Shade: Serious (and Not so Serious) Poems,” and “Lost in the Labyrinth of My Mind.” Morris has also written several novels, including “Samantha” and “A New Sunrise.” In addition to his writing, Morris is an advocate for the rights of people with disabilities and has been involved in several campaigns to improve accessibility for blind people.”

Much of the above is correct. I was indeed born in Liverpool on 6 January 1969. Chat GPT is also accurate in saying that I wrote the poetry books in question, and that “Samantha” was written by me.

However, I did not write “A new Sunrise”, and “Samantha” is a short story and not (as stated by the AI) a “novel”. Whilst it is true that I am blind, it is incorrect that many of my poems deal with blindness or with disability more generally. The poems dealing with disability and blindness can be counted on the fingers of one hand. My visual impairment does impact on my life. It does not, however define who I am, nor does it feature in my poetry in a significant manner.

Having said the above, Chat GPT is correct that I have been involved in campaigns to improve the lives of disabled people, particularly the visually impaired.

Having asked Chat GPT “who is Kevin Morris poet?”, I then asked the AI “Does Kevin Morris write poetry?” and received the below answer:

“Yes, there are several poets named Kevin Morris, and some of them have published poetry. One notable Kevin Morris is a blind poet from the UK who has published several collections of poetry, including “The Selected Poems of Kevin Morris” and “My Old Clock I Wind and Other Poems.” Another Kevin Morris is a poet and editor from the United States, who has published works such as “White Man’s Problems” and “Kingdom of Scent.” It’s worth noting that there may be other poets with the name Kevin Morris who have also published poetry.”

The information cited above is accurate as regards me and my poetry. Chat GPT correctly lists 2 of my poetry collections. The AI is also correct when it states that I am blind.

What can we ascertain from my vanity (sorry I mean interest) in asking Chat GPT about myself? In short, anyone wanting to learn about me would ascertain more accurate information by reading this blog, using a search engine such as Google or Bing and, of course reading my poetry!

I am sure that Chat GPT will improve over time but, at present I wouldn’t rely on the AI when researching me and (I strongly suspect) other people.

(My recently published poetry collection, “More Poetic Meanderings” contains a section dedicated to poetic experiments using Chat GPT. You can find “More Poetic Meanderings” on Amazon here, https://www.amazon.co.uk/More-Poetic-Meanderings-K-Morris-ebook/dp/B0BZT9G139).