Writing - AI

 The government (UK) is to put effort into developing AI so that people will be freed from admin tasks and available to deliver services. 

AI has come a long way since the 70's film 2001: A Space Odyssey. Even then Hal sounded decidedly spooky. 

You can request poetry. 

From simple sums to complex art, 

A learning curve, a brand new chart. 

The data flows, a constant stream, 

Fueling dreams, it would seem. 

This is one verse of four that Gemini produced when asked to write a poem about AI. 

When prompted to write a children's story about a bear and a robin it came up with the following. 

Barnaby Bear was a grumpy bear. He lived in a cozy cave under a big oak tree, but he was always grumpy. He grumbled when the sun woke him up, he grumbled when the rain made puddles, and he especially grumbled when the birds chirped outside his cave.

One sunny morning, a little robin with a bright red breast landed on a branch right outside Barnaby’s cave. “Cheep! Cheep! Cheerio!” sang the robin, his voice full of joy.

“Grrrr,” grumbled Barnaby, pulling his furry blanket over his head. “Go away, bird! I’m trying to sleep!”

And there is much more. In fact, I must admit that it isn't bad at all. The question is not so much about admin but rather a moral one of whether writers should use AI as a crutch? 

I have no answers. 

God Bless 

Writing - No Empty Heads

 Occasionally, I feel that there is nothing in my head. I'm thinking from a writing point of view. Some may say that, for me, this is a normal state of affairs. However, just consider your dreams and you will realise that this is never the case. Even if you're a person who rarely remembers dreams they occur every night maybe weakly and fleetingly, but there nevertheless. As I mentioned a few weeks back quite often these wanderings through your unconscious psyche create situations that you never actually experienced with people who may not exist or whom you have never met. These facts are the reason why I don't believe in writers' block. 

The most innocuous of situations can generate a wealth of ideas and it is part of the writer's process to filter the ideas and use those examples that feel useful. 

Recently, I saw an interview of a well-known sportsman who is supporting mental health charities but throughout that interview there was something that jarred with me. The sportsman could not say the word 'health' instead we were offered mental 'elf' repeatedly. 

FYI the failure to enunciate 'th' correctly on its own is not a speech impediment. All children fail to make this sound correctly early in speech development but eventually learn the correct way. 

This idea of 'mental elf' triggered my imagination and, eventhough I have no plans for using the term currently, I wanted to see a mental elf. I turned to AI which you can see one version above. The idea is developing and the following was produced. 

It may be that a poem is the result of these mental games that I've played or perhaps nothing at all but you can see that it isn't unusual in stories. Pinnochio had his Jiminy Cricket and Philip Pullman's Dark Materials used a similar idea but more fully developed in his trilogy. 

So give your imagination free rein and use the tools that are available, such as AI, to add muscle to your writing. 

God Bless 

 

Poetry Thursday 25 - AI Taped

 Yesterday I saw a photograph online of Joe Biden and Donald Trump relaxing together and enjoying each other's company! 

Alexa 

AI Taped

 

Alexa play gentle classics for 51 minutes,

that’ll keep her on her toes,

won’t do to have her in control,

humans in charge as everyone knows.

 

Alexa what’s the weather forecast,

it’s okay I know it will rain,

just checking the location is right,

nothing wrong with my brain.

 

Alexa put cat litter on my shopping list,

I can remember on my own really,

but saves me writing it down,

a convenient aid to my memory.

 

Alexa ask question of the day,

a fun daily exercise for the brain,

I still do sudoku and crosswords,

she provides a handy bedside game.

 

Alexa set my alarm for 7:00am,

saves me buying an alarm clock,

those things have evolved dramatically,

her timing is as solid as a rock.

 

Alexa what is my flash briefing,

BBC news every minute of the day,

I don’t have to wait for auntie,

depressing knowledge without delay.

 

Alexa can you sing me to sleep,

personal services at your elbow,

who needs other people,

when Alexa is next to your pillow.

© David L Atkinson February 2024

God Bless