< return to HITL thought experiment

As AI takes over the more mechanical aspects of creative writing, the space of purely human expression is transformed. Authors can now focus on the aspects of creativity only they are able to produce: the points of novelty and turns of phrase that arise from their own unique experiences and worldview. The AI takes the role of muse and amanuensis, suggesting endless new permutations and connections, allowing humans to tap into wells of creativity beyond their previous reach. In an environment optimized for creative writing, the human-AI team outstrips the capabilities of either party alone (for now – but that’s a different essay). The collective knowledge and wisdom of humanity becomes fair game for endless permutation and recontextualization, scattered seeds which the new authors can sort through and cultivate into blooms of genius.

At the same time, the fact that a human is no longer necessary for the actual authorship of a text means that information can spread at an extremely accelerated rate. The barrier to entry for creative expression plummets,

allowing millions of new voices to be heard and adding an exciting new dimension to the discourse.

allowing ideas to be explored that would not have been viable for the limited human lifespan in the past.

and soon the likes of Mark Twain and J.K. Rowling are outpaced by an online community of Internet users who refine their ability to intelligently generate text.

leading to a massive increase in the amount of written works in all genres. A library consisting of 1000 books might now consist of millions of e-books. Information which was once closely held within a community can now be easily documented.

allowing ideas to spread virally with greater ease. Just as Wikipedia allowed anyone to become an author by creating their own article, the availability of generative text models allows a broad range of people to become authors. This could very well lead to a Cambrian explosion of human expression and creativity on an unprecedented scale.

allowing an idea to be distributed to millions of people in the time it would have taken previously to find a publisher and editor, not to mention the costs of printing and distribution. It also serves as the ultimate crowdsourcing tool: every person who reads the generated suggestion can vote for their favorite passages, or even contribute new fragments of writing. The result is a massive bottom-up literature that synthesizes and surpasses anything written by traditional authors.

and the population has access to a vast new realm of ideas, humor, stories, and perspectives, to sort through at their leisure.

bringing new works from across the globe and across the ages within reach of anyone with curiosity and an internet connection.

What happens when every reader can connect to the original thoughts of every mind that ever existed, without language barriers or time delays?

allowing those with heretofore unreleased creative energy to finally express themselves and develop in ways that were previously impossible.

This is a world where you can sit down at any time and quickly produce a sonnet, haiku, rap, story, or other creative offering. Your network of readers and other authors can offer their feedback, and you can be confident that your writing will reach an audience in record time.

You are part of a new Renaissance.