Botnik – can computers learn to write like humans?
By Richard Pinner
Today, I want to look at how computers are sometimes used for creative purposes. Specifically, can a computer learn to use language in the same way that humans can?
Since 1990, there has been an annual competition called the Loebner Prize which is designed to see if a computer can trick other humans into thinking they are actually talking to a human and not a machine. In other words, people have a text talk with either a human or an Artificial Intelligence (AI), and the winner is the programmer whose software sounds most convincingly like a human and manages to fool the judges.
So far, the best rate of success is to trick 33% of people into thinking they are talking with a human. So, in other words, still not that convincing even in 2018! This is all based on the Turing Test. This was also the idea behind Philip K Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, which was adapted into a film called Blade Runner by Ridley Scott, starring Harrison Ford.
But, computers are already much more integrated into language than perhaps we realise. For example, predictive text on phones is basically ubiquitous now, but how does it work? It’s all based around Concordancers and Corpora.
Corpora is the plural of corpus, and a corpus is basically a huge collection of text and samples of language. This becomes data for analysis. Using a corpus, linguists can see which words are frequently used together (collocations) and thus predict the likelihood of the next word you write. For example, if you write “traffic” into your phone and look at the prdictive texts’ offerings, they will likely be “jam”, “light” and “accident” as these are common collocates.
But predictive text is much more intelligent that this. Your phone is actually learning how you use language specifically. It makes a corpus of your own texts and analyses them so it can predict what you specifically will say next. This is why, when I type the word ‘bloody’ it will likely come up with the word ‘trains’, because I am always texting my wife to say ‘bloody trains’. Also, if I type the word ’今’ the phone returns the suggestion of either train or my hometown, as this is a common text I send.
Well, what about creativity? This is were the fun starts.
Task for the class
Group 1: Find out what the first novel written by a computer was called
Group 2: Find out what Harry Potter and the Portrait of What Looked Like a Large Pile of Ash is all about
Links
http://apps.botnik.org/writer/?source=48933085b1723680f33dffdeb7dce766
Further Reading
Christmas is all we could barely breathe
my baby just can’t praise christmas for snow
merry merry way birds random night partridge
is reindeer falling
All night long and all that junk
you bring us pudding and cried
all these years we could barely jiggling
christmas time again it’s like the best
merry merry chrismas new old santa
for snow i’m good to get my heart
this year’s hate disappear let there be love
I don’t encounter birds and a happy new year
christmas time again heal the world
you for a better present for me presents i just gon like
the mistletoe i want for me this baby wrapped up the fire
the bells ring with holly rockin round ding ohhhh ohhhhhhh
my heart for christmas tree is blazing oh yeah
the fireside is just wanna kiss you baby oh yeah
my own peace for santa won’t back into the house
christmas merry chrismas christmas my christmas love christmas love christmas tree o ‘ christmas tree o ‘ christmas tree o ‘ christmas tree o
I need this christmas stockin eating time at night but snow just havin merry merry merry little christmas
now everybody loves me and weatherman get drunk
It’s here tonight singing hallelujah this season
and all night joyonghi looking through pipe
Special memories can feel lonely and everyone blows
Christmas time it’s christmas time we praise the lord and candles burning lots of presents and you count his blessings so i keep another tender not what you did last december. Your stockings where nothing ever grows outside for our little girl spread something like me all night yeah you know if you’re in hollywood i’m blazing christmas.
Christmas is filled with cheer and everyone is wishing for santa
santa’s yeah yeah yeah this one this year merry christmas tree with green
christmas time again heal the world let them know it might snow tonight
my christmas time and what you bring me the tree
merry merry merry little christmas now
mmmm presents everywhere
Christmas tree of the world shine so bright always for you and me together will make this christmas bright shake a hand now you and me
The tree is bare i want this night to make everyone bastardized
my true baby please post a little story before we trim this
my own christmas day 손꼽아
Merry merry christmas
i want for christmas is you baby
it’s like christmas day you see that old tree down cotton lane
those lights keep shining
this christmas will be a very special one for you
I wish everybody thinks christmas in hollywood
you bring back faded party canes
it’s christmas baby
My world needs love ( oh yeah ) this baby wrapped in paradise & friday begins rock ( oh baby ) i’m a happy ending. nobody can kill me ( whoa oh baby ) christmas… Christmas will teach your mama. This year’s baby and we banish with green me underneath my favorite earmuffs.
Christmas is filled with cheer and everyone is wishing for santa
santa’s yeah yeah yeah this one this year merry christmas tree with green
christmas time again heal the world let them know it might snow tonight
my christmas time and what you bring me the tree
merry merry merry little christmas now mmmm presents everywhere
Christmas time again
It’s holly rockin goodbye
and then i wish you’d make ginger
puttin merry merry christmas ( holiday ）to me
Christmas is the time to make ginger bread. I will text christ happy birthday. Christmas tree with my baby standing beneath you. O my love … oh merry merry little christmas. Some old fashioned drunk just havin my door. I won’t be waiting for santa to make ginger bread.
Her past threatens her wolf pack and she patiently hunts her father
he knows she’s never slept off lately
from college professor human form tatijana of paranormal sexiness
the only thing that can scare him: a conservative woman in a button # 1
his past still a lot worse a deadly shifter town bad have tails
It’s holly rockin bells ringing out for christmas
everybody loves rock yeah christmas
means celebrating kids who believes christmas
Don’t do laundry ( x4 ) beat the rat no more. ( aha ) every day i want you girl marijuana amused me yea marijuana ummmmm ( x7 ) congratulations a mosquito hello hello hello ( x2 )