Robot Writers Are Here! Finally!

[BWFoster78]

Steerpike's ultimate nightmare is coming true:

BBC News - Robot writes LA Times earthquake breaking news article

Personally, I think this is good thing. Wouldn't it be so cool to be able to plug your idea into a computer, and have it spit out your completed story?

Talk about efficient

 

[Ireth]

Efficient, yeah... but where's the joy of doing it all yourself? You might sacrifice the struggle, but also much of the pleasure, IMO.

 

[Philip Overby]

I can't wait until robots start writing Science Fiction in which they become self-aware and start killing all the humans. Wait, what?

 

[Devor]

We've had robot writers for a while now. We even made one a moderator . . . . where is Clayborne, anyways?

 

[Penpilot]

I for one welcome our new robot overlords.

 

[Steerpike]

If you could plug an idea into a computer and have it spit out a story, writing fiction for a living won't be around long. Ideas are a dime a dozen, and a reader could just as easily get the same software, punch in an idea they're interested in, and then read the story the software generates instead of buying something created by the exact same process.

Some of what is on the shelf might as well have been written by robots, but at least for now it still takes a person to pull off even a generic story

 

[Ruby]

Hi Steerpike,

so will this be a new Genre of Fantasy Fiction: literature self-published by robots for robots?

 

[Steerpike]

Hi Steerpike,

so will this be a new Genre of Fantasy Fiction: literature self-published by robots for robots?

Yeah

Or else a new way for readers to get stories. We'll all have a piece of software, and when we want a new book, it will ask us what we want. I'll type in, for example:

Empath;
Sentient Gecko;
Steam-powered trousers; and
Save the World

and the book pops out. No author needed

 

[psychotick]

Hi,

But when are they going to start reading the stories? Or paying for them? I look forwards to meeting my legion of robot fans!

Cheers, Greg.

 

[Devor]

For books? It'll never happen. For movies we're already halfway there.

 

[A. E. Lowan]

 

[BWFoster78]

Yeah

Or else a new way for readers to get stories. We'll all have a piece of software, and when we want a new book, it will ask us what we want. I'll type in, for example:

Empath;
Sentient Gecko;
Steam-powered trousers; and
Save the World

and the book pops out. No author needed

Sweet! Sign me up!

 

[ThinkerX]

Sounds like BWFoster is still stuck in editorial loop #347.

And that guys desk in the cartoon is far too neat and tidy.

 

[A. E. Lowan]

And that guys desk in the cartoon is far too neat and tidy.

Indeed. He needs a Slinky, a plush baby griffon, a blizzard of purple posties, 2 huge pen jars, and 14 empty Coke cans.

Oh, and a cat. Writers need cats.

 

[Steerpike]

Oh, and a cat. Writers need cats.

Ask and ye shall receive.

 

[Queshire]

Speaking more seriously for a moment, at the current level of technology a robot writer is basically just filling in a form letter using info taken from someplace else; "Dear, Mr./Mrs. [Insert Name Here]" Etc and so on. I think it would require the creation of human level AI to produce true creativity and then... well we'd be no better or worse off than any other intellectual per suit.