Storytelling with machines: the future of creative writing

About the workshop

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This course investigates the role of artificial intelligence in creative writing. We will be investigating the purpose behind different forms of creative writing, including literature, stories, and poetry, and how that purpose may change or be seen in a different light when it’s written by a machine. The class will be a hybrid of a lecture, seminar, and a studio. The students will have the chance to learn about how these algorithms can be used, and discuss the ethical implications. In addition, the students will have the chance to generate their own short stories using cutting edge AI.

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Objectives 

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The students will learn about current AI models and how they can be used for stories. Current AI is good, but not perfect. They will learn about how these models are flawed and how they may be improved using creative techniques. In order to do this, the students will gain a basic understanding of how these models work and why it leads to certain strengths and weaknesses. Improving AI technology does not mean it will replace creatives. Rather, they can be used to augment the creative process to produce new and unique works. The students will explore the larger role machines will play in the creative process.

 

 

Content

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The course will be a combination of lecture, assignments, and discussions. I will spend time lecturing to introduce and explain topics. Students will also be given relevant reading material which will also be presented in class. The students will work on generating their own creative content using machine learning models, which will be discussed and critiqued in class.

 

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Outcomes

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By the end of the course, students will have their own unique piece of AI-generated creative writing in a form of their choice.