I am writing in response to Douglas Rooks’ op-ed piece about the limits of computers and artificial intelligence (“A prescription for the new year,” Dec. 29).
While I agree with Rooks more often than not, on this topic, he is way out of his league. He claims to have read up on Artificial Intelligence and dismisses the use of the term intelligence to apply to computers — with very little supporting evidence. So, let me provide some.
First, a haiku on Robert Frost:
Robert Frost, a man of wit
Nature’s beauty in his pen
Words that softly sit
Next on the Wasteland:
Wasteland’s desolation
Eliot’s words, stark and cold
Hope for rebirth blooms
These were composed by ChatGPT, an “artificial intelligence” that was developed by OpenAI, and while the AI does not reach the complexity and depth of either Frost or Eliot’s poetry, it does capture something of the meaning, tone and themes of both poet’s work — and we are early on in the development of these chats.
I agree with Rooks that literature and poetry have meaning that extends beyond numbers; I do not agree that intelligence is a uniquely human trait (has he never had a dog?) nor that it is impossible for a computer to design and craft poetry that could stir our heart.
Greg Fahy
Hallowell
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