Interesting thought about the role of the creative process to grief in writing an obituary or eulogy. It strikes me that there are many people who have the emotions and care for language, but not the word wrangling skills of someone who regularly writes prose. Just as you've spent a lot of time adjusting and nudging prompts to get a pleasing result with the art, they might sit down and write a list of the qualities which embodies the loved one. Add in words to describe their life and family with name and so on. And then keep reading the results and selecting the best until they came up with something which they would have been able to compose if they'd started on a blank page, but which has taken time and love to create.
I was looking forward to more of your thoughts on this, and you didn't disappoint. Your question about whether future AI will use the artificially generated MMS poem as part of your oeuvre has already been answered I think by the news that ChatGPT and Google's version, Bard, are citing each other's work in their answers now, whether or not that work is accurate. It really feels like a tipping point right now, as we watch notions of truth, creativity, and inspiration dissolve before our eyes. I don't know what's going to happen next, but I can't help, given our track record as a species, feeling rather pessimistic about the outcome.
The intention element reminded me of Rupert Sheldrake’s ideas of the human consciousness and the extended mind through intention & attention. The spiritual side of humans that AI will never 🤞🏻 understand or experience and where art in all it’s forms is created. The guttural emotion of love, hate, anger. AI art has no soul, if that means anything.
It’s like a machined piece of furniture compared to a handcrafted one. I feel the repeated formulaic plots of many tv shows, on say, Netflix, already feels like they’re written by a computer rehashing the same plots but in different styles and only the names are changed because the audience keeps watching and liking the same things. It’s a domestication of sorts. Quality eroded, we get used to a lesser quality and continue the cycle. Sorry I’m rambling now... too many thoughts too early in the morning, pre coffee!
I’m actually in the middle of creating an art project using AI, all will be revealed at a later date. I generally use it as a journal to see what the algorithms thinks my emotions look like from its POV. It’s been quite interesting observing the biases it already has in its output.
3. My husband, IS a software developer(amongst other endeavors) I have forwarded this to him because he plans on retiring next year and listening to him describe in great detail the minutiae if that’s the proper word to people in another country is something that I personally will not miss. Gobbly-gook, my word for the printed version of his conversations. Interesting read this was. Loved all the artwork, with the exception of the fn clown. Hate clowns. Red Skelton and Pucinella are given a pass. Susie
I just had a 3000 word article published in a professional Journal which took me a lot of time and effort to complete. It was a process that took a while as I had to fit it into the gaps in my day. I also had an interesting time with the editor: ‘tweak, re-read and rewrite’ then repeat. I am really pleased with the results, but the wondered if AI could have written it or something similar. If I’m honest, rather depressingly I think it could have done so - and probably quite easily. But, I reference a few projects that I was personally involved in and included data and research from a friend / professional contact of mine. That’s when I realised what made the piece mine, it’s my personal experience and network. It was me that contributed to the projects and me that convinced others to let me refer to them in my article - and add some colour via their insights. And that gives me hope for the future.
I heard someone on the radio say their son had asked ChatGPT to suggest five things to think about when writing an essay for his homework. That’s a really interesting thought. AI as s jumping off point for the creative process! Like you mentioned with picture that makes you want to sit down and write.
It’s exciting times, and we need to do what people are brilliant at, be ready to adapt and shift as things change.
I can’t wait to see what comes next... but for now I’m off to try Midjourney. This has prompted me to give it a try!
Be careful... you may never come back out ;-) And yes, the idea of AI as *prompt* is an excellent one — I've already found the characters in a project I'm working on shifting, purely because I accidentally came up with an image that really seemed to suit them... even though it was from a different race.
And what you say above hits another point: we don't just create for the audience, but for the process itself, and what it means to do. The AI will never have that, and as a result, it'll never be quite the same, or develop in the same way, or reflect the chaos of real life.
Looking forward to see how you, the writer will decide what is appropriate & what is not. On one hand you can sculpt the required covers for your books etc. On the other hand, one artist denies another.
Great follow-up, and I love the images. I agree with all the points you make (and Paula’s about eulogies) but I’m still worried about the fake stuff and the mistakes. Right now, if I ask ChatGPT to write a biog of me (I regularly need these and I hate doing them) it is just plain WRONG. It thinks I have written and directed things that I had nothing to do with and is therefore crediting me with other’s work. Given the nature of the tech bros who are pushing this stuff, I fear we are on a slippery slope. Yes, we will need to fact check everything soon. But we WON’T, because we’re lazy, stupid, gullible humans. And so we will have more and more MAGAs and QAnons and I think we’ll find ourself in a really ugly place. HAPPPY MONDAY, HAVE A GREAT WEEK EVERYONE!
Knew I could count on you for a sunny, upbeat take ;-) But of course you're right. Truth is going to become a scarce commodity... something you have to value and seek out. Lord knows what impact this will have on both work and life... I guess we're about to find out.
Not at all — I'm glad people are still interested! I'm increasingly drawn to writing another SM book... generating that image would be an uphill struggle right now... which doesn't mean I won't try ;-)
I find this series fascinating thank you. I’m excited to hear your thoughts on chatgpt etc for writing. Two thoughts. I asked chat gpt for book recommendations for readers (me) of MMS and John Connolly. It failed miserably. Its book suggestions were waaay too heavy on the supernatural. I think either nuance is still beyond it or there are no other writers like the two of you. If you ask for MMS you do get Sarah Lotz, which is close[r]. On the other hand, I write for corporate clients and am very weak when it comes to creating headlines. Chatgpt is fabulous for this, and for composing interview questions.
Interesting on the headlines/questions... there are certain things it's evidently super-useful for. And yes, it may be that nuance is beyond it when it comes to writers, in the same way that (for now, at least) it can be pretty dense when it comes to understanding certain visual prompts...
Not to play devil’s advocate, but maybe the AI program that writes obituaries is art in itself, created with the intent to spark conversation by highlighting just how ridiculous it is to remove ‘humanity’ from human expression. How very modern-art of them!
Cheering you on to write that AI-image-inspired story, because I’d read the heck out of it.
I also just sent a reel to you on Instagram which was perfect for this post. It’s a video of British art critic David Sylvester from 1967 talking about artists creating... (here’s the link in case you don’t use insta very much anymore.) https://www.instagram.com/reel/CpiBlmjrB2o/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
Thanks for this, which gave me a belated but good idea of what the fuss is all about. Must admit that it would be rather satisfying if the coders ate themselves! But that's petty, isn't it? Love the way that you do things ass backwards!
Interesting thought about the role of the creative process to grief in writing an obituary or eulogy. It strikes me that there are many people who have the emotions and care for language, but not the word wrangling skills of someone who regularly writes prose. Just as you've spent a lot of time adjusting and nudging prompts to get a pleasing result with the art, they might sit down and write a list of the qualities which embodies the loved one. Add in words to describe their life and family with name and so on. And then keep reading the results and selecting the best until they came up with something which they would have been able to compose if they'd started on a blank page, but which has taken time and love to create.
VERY good point, and there's definitely a degree to which AI will be able to "democratize" certain "creative" acts, in a way that will benefit people.
I was looking forward to more of your thoughts on this, and you didn't disappoint. Your question about whether future AI will use the artificially generated MMS poem as part of your oeuvre has already been answered I think by the news that ChatGPT and Google's version, Bard, are citing each other's work in their answers now, whether or not that work is accurate. It really feels like a tipping point right now, as we watch notions of truth, creativity, and inspiration dissolve before our eyes. I don't know what's going to happen next, but I can't help, given our track record as a species, feeling rather pessimistic about the outcome.
Good lord — didn't know that about the cross-citing... that really is the end!
Humanity is clever enough to build its replacement and also stupid enough to build it
Very true!
Would love to see what the characters of Only Forward look like finally, using this new art of prompts! Stark, Rafe; and of course Spangle. 😊
Ooh, I must try that actually...
Awesome post 👍 We live in very interesting times...
The intention element reminded me of Rupert Sheldrake’s ideas of the human consciousness and the extended mind through intention & attention. The spiritual side of humans that AI will never 🤞🏻 understand or experience and where art in all it’s forms is created. The guttural emotion of love, hate, anger. AI art has no soul, if that means anything.
It’s like a machined piece of furniture compared to a handcrafted one. I feel the repeated formulaic plots of many tv shows, on say, Netflix, already feels like they’re written by a computer rehashing the same plots but in different styles and only the names are changed because the audience keeps watching and liking the same things. It’s a domestication of sorts. Quality eroded, we get used to a lesser quality and continue the cycle. Sorry I’m rambling now... too many thoughts too early in the morning, pre coffee!
Rambling or not... I agree!
I’m actually in the middle of creating an art project using AI, all will be revealed at a later date. I generally use it as a journal to see what the algorithms thinks my emotions look like from its POV. It’s been quite interesting observing the biases it already has in its output.
1. That WAS a shit-ton of information.
2. Shit-ton was my favorite word you wrote.
3. My husband, IS a software developer(amongst other endeavors) I have forwarded this to him because he plans on retiring next year and listening to him describe in great detail the minutiae if that’s the proper word to people in another country is something that I personally will not miss. Gobbly-gook, my word for the printed version of his conversations. Interesting read this was. Loved all the artwork, with the exception of the fn clown. Hate clowns. Red Skelton and Pucinella are given a pass. Susie
Yeah, clowns are weird. Shit-ton is an excellent word, tho.
I just had a 3000 word article published in a professional Journal which took me a lot of time and effort to complete. It was a process that took a while as I had to fit it into the gaps in my day. I also had an interesting time with the editor: ‘tweak, re-read and rewrite’ then repeat. I am really pleased with the results, but the wondered if AI could have written it or something similar. If I’m honest, rather depressingly I think it could have done so - and probably quite easily. But, I reference a few projects that I was personally involved in and included data and research from a friend / professional contact of mine. That’s when I realised what made the piece mine, it’s my personal experience and network. It was me that contributed to the projects and me that convinced others to let me refer to them in my article - and add some colour via their insights. And that gives me hope for the future.
I heard someone on the radio say their son had asked ChatGPT to suggest five things to think about when writing an essay for his homework. That’s a really interesting thought. AI as s jumping off point for the creative process! Like you mentioned with picture that makes you want to sit down and write.
It’s exciting times, and we need to do what people are brilliant at, be ready to adapt and shift as things change.
I can’t wait to see what comes next... but for now I’m off to try Midjourney. This has prompted me to give it a try!
Be careful... you may never come back out ;-) And yes, the idea of AI as *prompt* is an excellent one — I've already found the characters in a project I'm working on shifting, purely because I accidentally came up with an image that really seemed to suit them... even though it was from a different race.
And what you say above hits another point: we don't just create for the audience, but for the process itself, and what it means to do. The AI will never have that, and as a result, it'll never be quite the same, or develop in the same way, or reflect the chaos of real life.
Looking forward to see how you, the writer will decide what is appropriate & what is not. On one hand you can sculpt the required covers for your books etc. On the other hand, one artist denies another.
That is, sadly, true.
Great follow-up, and I love the images. I agree with all the points you make (and Paula’s about eulogies) but I’m still worried about the fake stuff and the mistakes. Right now, if I ask ChatGPT to write a biog of me (I regularly need these and I hate doing them) it is just plain WRONG. It thinks I have written and directed things that I had nothing to do with and is therefore crediting me with other’s work. Given the nature of the tech bros who are pushing this stuff, I fear we are on a slippery slope. Yes, we will need to fact check everything soon. But we WON’T, because we’re lazy, stupid, gullible humans. And so we will have more and more MAGAs and QAnons and I think we’ll find ourself in a really ugly place. HAPPPY MONDAY, HAVE A GREAT WEEK EVERYONE!
Knew I could count on you for a sunny, upbeat take ;-) But of course you're right. Truth is going to become a scarce commodity... something you have to value and seek out. Lord knows what impact this will have on both work and life... I guess we're about to find out.
Could you use AI to illustrate what Ward Hopkins, John Zandt and Nina Baynam look like?
I'm using the present tense to suggest you may bring them back some time.
Although I'm sure you're fed up with people like me bringing them up.
Not at all — I'm glad people are still interested! I'm increasingly drawn to writing another SM book... generating that image would be an uphill struggle right now... which doesn't mean I won't try ;-)
God loves a trier :-)
I find this series fascinating thank you. I’m excited to hear your thoughts on chatgpt etc for writing. Two thoughts. I asked chat gpt for book recommendations for readers (me) of MMS and John Connolly. It failed miserably. Its book suggestions were waaay too heavy on the supernatural. I think either nuance is still beyond it or there are no other writers like the two of you. If you ask for MMS you do get Sarah Lotz, which is close[r]. On the other hand, I write for corporate clients and am very weak when it comes to creating headlines. Chatgpt is fabulous for this, and for composing interview questions.
Interesting on the headlines/questions... there are certain things it's evidently super-useful for. And yes, it may be that nuance is beyond it when it comes to writers, in the same way that (for now, at least) it can be pretty dense when it comes to understanding certain visual prompts...
I’m putting a reminder in my calendar to see who it recommends a year from now!
Not to play devil’s advocate, but maybe the AI program that writes obituaries is art in itself, created with the intent to spark conversation by highlighting just how ridiculous it is to remove ‘humanity’ from human expression. How very modern-art of them!
Cheering you on to write that AI-image-inspired story, because I’d read the heck out of it.
I likely will ;-)
OMNI magazine published a computer-generated short story in the 1980s. It was elliptical but no more so than many academic literary works.
I didn't know that! But can imagine it sounded like quite a lot of what OMNI published back then...
I also just sent a reel to you on Instagram which was perfect for this post. It’s a video of British art critic David Sylvester from 1967 talking about artists creating... (here’s the link in case you don’t use insta very much anymore.) https://www.instagram.com/reel/CpiBlmjrB2o/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
Excellent, thank you — I'll take a look!
Thanks for this, which gave me a belated but good idea of what the fuss is all about. Must admit that it would be rather satisfying if the coders ate themselves! But that's petty, isn't it? Love the way that you do things ass backwards!
It's my way ;-)