This text explores the question of whether AI is smarter than an 8th grader in the context of writing poetry. The author conducted a survey where AI-generated poems were compared to a poem written by an 8th grader, and the results were judged by both AI and English experts. The survey showed that the 8th grader’s poem was judged the highest in quality by both sets of experts. Furthermore, the English experts were better at discerning which poems were written by AI. The text discusses the implications for the future of poetry and suggests that English experts should play a greater role in shaping AI technology. Overall, AI poetry still has room for improvement and should be seen as a tool rather than a replacement for human creativity.
| Signal | Change | 10y horizon | Driving force |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI vs. 8th grader poetry competition | Shift in perception of AI’s creative abilities | AI poets improve but still lag behind human poets | Collaboration between English experts and AI experts |
| AI detected as non-human by English experts | English experts become key in refining AI algorithms | AI algorithms produce more authentic and quality poetry | Improvement of AI algorithms with input from English experts |
| AI poetry rated lower in quality | AI poetry becomes more refined and closer to human quality | AI poets improve and narrow the gap with human poets | Improvement of AI algorithms and incorporation of human-like qualities |