Algorithm-supported self-expression
I write haiku for fun, though I’m not very good at it. It’s really a form of journaling- a private retelling of interesting experiences to an audience of (n)one.
The well-documented conventions of the haiku form — 3 lines, 17 syllables, seasonal and punctuating words- (I don’t strictly follow any of them) — make it compatible, prima facie, with algorithmic generation. So, while the rest of the world went nuts last week asking Chat GPT to write their exams, essays, screenplays, and teaching plans, I set out to try writing haiku with it. Yes, not getting it to write haiku for me, but a genuine attempt to collaborate with it as a co-producer of creative content (however awful the quality).
In the spirit of respectful collaboration, I first asked Chat GPT if it felt ok with my merely occasional (and sometimes accidental) adherence to the classical conventions. And if it was acceptable to focus on what for me is the spirit of haiku- brevity, surprise, and beauty.
C-GPT: “In general, it is not necessary to adhere strictly to the traditional syllable count of five, seven, and five syllables when writing haiku in English. However, it is important to maintain the core principles of haiku poetry, which include brevity, surprise, and a sense of beauty or mystery.
By focusing on these core principles, you can create haiku poems that are evocative and thought-provoking, even if you do not adhere to the traditional syllable count. It is also important to consider the rhythm and structure of the poem, as these can contribute to the overall effectiveness of the haiku.”
Charmingly supportive, if somewhat verbose. Emboldened, I went on to ask its opinion on one of my previous efforts.
PP: “Can you interpret this haiku: Late afternoon light/playing hide and seek with leaves/Too soon, it is night”
C-GPT: “This haiku describes the fleeting nature of time and the changing of the seasons. The late afternoon light is depicted as playing hide and seek with the leaves, suggesting that the light is being obscured by the shadows of the trees. The final line, “too soon, it is night,” conveys a sense of sadness or regret that the light and warmth of the day are coming to an end so quickly. Overall, the haiku suggests that time is fleeting and that we should cherish and appreciate the beauty of the present moment while it lasts.”
Having tasted the blood of approbation (I rather like this horrible little metaphor, so it stays, thank you very much) I went for the kill:
PP: “I want to write a haiku on the following theme: every day, I see a little black bird sneak into my apartment from the balcony and eat some of my dog’s food. When my dog sees and chases it, it flies away, squawking. Its cautiousness moves me, and its greediness amuses me. The haiku should have the three properties of brevity, surprise, and beauty. Three lines, maximum!”
C-GPT:” Little black bird/quick Sneaking in for a quick meal/Dog’s food, now your own”
Hmmm.. a bit literal. Some people like that in haiku. Me, not so much.
Creativity is as much about idea generation as it is about evaluation. Perhaps we could specialize with me focusing on the latter and Chat GPT doing the former? I asked for more attempts.
C-GPT:
#2: “In the quiet morning/ A little black bird sneaks and eats Dog’s food/then flies away”
#3:”Black bird sneaks, eats, then flies/Cautious yet greedy, it goes/Leaves dog’s food behind”
#4:”Little black bird steals Dog’s food/then swiftly takes flight/Cautious and greedy”
#5:”Little black bird sneaks in/Dog chases, bird flies away squawk/Cautious yet greedy”
#6:”Blackbird, quick and sly/Sneaks in for a tasty treat Dog’s surprise/loud squawk”
None of these attempts did it for me. But I felt there was a nugget here- I liked the algorithm’s attempts to juxtapose “cautious” and “greedy”, the two attributes of the bird that defined the spirit of this haiku attempt for me. But I did not like the phrasing it used. Perhaps I could be a bit more directive?
PP: Incorporate the phrase “cautiously greedy”
C-GPT: “Cautiously greedy/A little black bird sneaks and eats Dog's food/then flies away”
Maybe if I ran it another N times, something interesting might have emerged, but my impatience is the stuff of legend. I shut off the algorithm. After a while, I came up with an effort of my own that I liked more:
A bundle of black feathers/Cautiously greedy/Steals my dog’s food
None of the variations the algorithm produced were directly useful to me; so much for my plans to specialize in evaluation and let the algorithm do the generation. My capacity to evaluate effectively would probably have decreased monotonically with N, anyway.
However, there was a silver lining. Where the algorithm landed in the landscape of ideas was not my destination, but it was a good starting point for my own journey. It not only pointed to a fruitful (for me, at least) amalgamation of “cautious” and “greedy, but also taught me to avoid the banal naming of the protagonist (“black bird”). That’s classic “ensembling” in machine learning jargon- aggregating the outputs of different predictive models in a way that improves quality by canceling errors.
Next, I consulted the algorithm about a long-standing project of mine, which is to create the haiku equivalent of the duck-rabbit optical illusion that so captivated Wittgenstein.
PP: Can you interpret the following haiku: We talk for hours/Yet/Keep our secrets
C-GPT: ”This haiku could be interpreted as capturing the experience of two people who are not yet declared lovers, but who are engaged in deep and intimate conversation. In this context, the first line, “We talk for hours,” could suggest a sense of connection and intimacy between the speakers. The second line, “Yet,” could introduce a sense of tension or uncertainty, as if the speakers are not yet sure of their feelings or the direction of their relationship. The final line, “keep our secrets,” could refer to the ways in which people who are not yet in a committed relationship might be hesitant to reveal their inner thoughts or feelings, or might be keeping aspects of themselves hidden from each other.”
PP: Does it not also capture how committee meetings work?
C-GPT: “In such a context, the first line, “We talk for hours,” could refer to the lengthy discussions that often take place in committee meetings. The second line, “Yet,” could suggest a sense of frustration or tension, as if the participants are unable to reach a consensus or make progress despite their efforts. The final line, “keep our secrets,” could be interpreted as a metaphor for the ways in which different perspectives or agendas are often hidden or kept hidden in committee meetings, leading to a lack of transparency and understanding.”
Encouraged, I extracted another pearl from my haiku anthology “On Love and Committee meetings”, which will be published in its entirety only after my demise (to avoid premature occurrence of the same).
PP: How would you interpret this: Screaming a silent question/My eyes lock with yours/Will you say “yes” or “no”?
C-GPT: “This poem could be interpreted as describing a moment of intense emotional vulnerability and uncertainty, in which the speaker is silently begging for an answer to an important question. The phrase “screaming a silent question” suggests that the speaker is unable or unwilling to express their thoughts and feelings aloud, but that their emotions are nevertheless strong and intense. The imagery of the speaker’s eyes locking with those of the person they are addressing suggests a deep and intimate connection, and the question of “yes” or “no” suggests that the speaker is seeking a decisive answer to a crucial issue.”
PP: Could it also be describing a committee meeting?
C-GPT: “ In this interpretation, the “silent question” could refer to a proposal or recommendation that is being made by the speaker, and the phrase “will you say ‘yes’ or ‘no’” could refer to the other members of the committee deciding whether or not to accept or reject the proposal. This interpretation adds a layer of tension and uncertainty to the poem, as the speaker is waiting for a response that will have significant consequences for the committee and its work.”
It was time to be more directive.
PP: Interpret this haiku as a statement about committee meetings: Recounting our history/Should take minutes/But years pass, it seems
C-GPT: “In this interpretation, “recounting our history” could refer to reviewing the past decisions and actions of a committee, and “minutes” could refer to the official record of the committee’s proceedings. The final line, “but years pass, it seems,” could suggest that the committee has been in existence for a long time, or that the process of reviewing its history has taken longer than expected.”
Bravo for hacking the context dependence of “minutes”. Boo for not figuring out that “years pass” indicates frustration and boredom.
PP: Can you write a haiku that has two interpretations- one about romance and another about the boredom of committee meetings?
C-GPT: “Two hearts beating as one/Boredom fades, passion burns bright Or/ minutes tick by slow.
In the first interpretation, the poem describes the feeling of being in love, with two hearts beating as one symbolizing the connection and intimacy between two people. The line “boredom fades, passion burns bright” suggests that the presence of love can transform even the dullest or most mundane moments into something special and exciting.
In the second interpretation, the poem describes the feeling of being stuck in a tedious or unproductive committee meeting, with the line “minutes tick by slow” conveying a sense of frustration and impatience. The phrase “two hearts beating as one” could be interpreted metaphorically, as referring to the members of the committee working together towards a shared goal. However, in this interpretation, the phrase takes on a more negative connotation, suggesting that the committee members may be feeling trapped or stuck in a rut.”
I don’t think I should worry too much about Chat GPT (3.5) racing me to the completion of “On Love and Committee meetings”. But once GPT4 arrives?Who knows. Finally, the question I wanted to ask all along:
PP: is Chat GPT creative?
C-GPT: “ChatGPT is a chatbot that uses machine learning algorithms to generate responses to user input. While it is capable of generating a wide range of responses, it is not capable of independent thought or creativity in the same way that a human is. Instead, ChatGPT is programmed to generate responses based on patterns and patterns in the data it has been trained on, and it does not have the ability to generate novel ideas or concepts on its own.”
Quite diplomatic, though possibly insincere. I would have said much the same things about us humans as it does about itself.
The ideas in this essay are drawn from “Algorithm Supported Induction for Theory Building” (with Sreshtha, YR, He, VF and von Krogh, G in Organization Science 2020) — well at least the title- and more substantively from “Human-Algorithm Ensembles” (with Choudhary V, Marchetti, A and Sreshtha YR).
