Google’s new prototype AI device does the writing for you

Remember that point Google confirmed off its synthetic intelligence prowess by demoing conversations with Pluto and a paper airplane? That was powered by LaMDA, considered one of Google’s latest-generation conversational AI fashions. Now, Google’s utilizing LaMDA to construct Wordcraft, a prototype writing device that may assist artistic writers craft new tales.

AI-powered writing instruments aren’t new. Chances are you’ve heard of Grammarly or copywriting instruments like Jasper. What makes Wordcraft a bit completely different is that it’s framed as a way to assist create fictional work. Google describes it as a form of “text editor with purpose” constructed right into a web-based phrase processor. Users can immediate Wordcraft to rewrite phrases or direct it to make a sentence funnier. It also can describe objects if requested or generate prompts. In a nutshell, it’s form of like wrapping an editor and writing companion right into a single AI device.

To check Wordcraft, Google created a workshop with 13 skilled writers to see how properly the prototype labored. While the writers appeared to understand Wordcraft as a option to spark new concepts, they unanimously agreed the device wasn’t going to switch authors anytime quickly. For starters, the device wasn’t nice at sticking to a story model and produced common or cliched writing. It additionally caught to tried-and-true tropes whereas additionally steering away from “mean” characters.

“One clear finding was that using LaMDA to write full stories is a dead end. It’s a much more effective tool when it’s used to add spice,” Douglas Eck, senior analysis director at Google Research, stated on the AI@ occasion.

Obviously, any prototype has kinks to work out. It’s additionally exhausting to completely grasp what utilizing an AI-powered artistic writing device is like. So I used to be curious to see a demo of it firsthand at Google’s AI@ occasion.

I began by giving Wordcraft the immediate “penguins swimming.” It then generated a couple of completely different story concepts, and since I really like child animals, I went with a mom penguin sitting on her eggs. From there, I may inform Wordcraft to both proceed the story, add one other immediate, or discuss to a chatbot for extra concepts. I opted to focus on the “eggs” and have Wordcraft provide extra description.

The outcomes have been all types of surreal — one described the eggs as having a leathery texture, however I went with the choice the place they have been the dimensions of grapefruits and lined in downy feathers. (Never thoughts the truth that eggs lined in feathers aren’t actually a factor.) I received’t go into each immediate I attempted out, however I did at one level have Wordcraft shorten a prolonged continuation right into a single sentence, in addition to had the chatbot generate some battle (therefore, the seal consuming mama penguin’s infants).

As you may see from the ultimate product, the writing is pretty fundamental. There are additionally a whole lot of issues that contradict — the newborn eggs are eaten, however then a child is floating within the ocean and rescued? Despite the truth that they by no means truly hatched? Sure! Another quirk was I needed to manually copy and paste regardless of the chatbot prompt into the principle window. Every different immediate can simply be clicked and mechanically added.

Ultimately, it’s as Eck stated. After the demo, I couldn’t actually image writing a full story this fashion, however it was a neat option to generate concepts. The remaining product wouldn’t ever work by itself — I’d be too embarrassed to even put it on AO3 as a March of the Penguins fanfic. But I may take the general concept — a mama penguin preventing off a seal to avoid wasting her eggs — and rewrite the textual content right into a extra satisfying, much less robotic story.

Wordcraft is clearly nonetheless within the experimental stage. That stated, the prototype was enjoyable to make use of, even when I used to be largely making an attempt to see how absurd I may get with a single immediate. If you’re curious, you may take a look at 9 tales that got here out of the Wordcraft Writers’ Workshop here. They’re fairly wild.