How we're using Chat gpt (generative AI) to bring poetry closer to everyone
Kids trying out a prototype of the Poem Booth
Imagine sitting down, having your picture taken, and receiving a personalized poem about yourself. That's the concept behind the Poem Booth, an idea presented by Justus Bruns, co-founder of VOUW, at the AI Hackathon hosted by Jelle Prins last February. Now, several months later, Bruns, together with Hugo Visser, a developer at Little Robots (whom he met at the Hackathon), and Maarten Inghels, former city poet of Antwerp, are working towards the development of a Poem Booth that genuinely inspires people to read more poetry.
Last week, Visser and Bruns showcased a prototype of the Poem Booth at "Expeditie Next," a science festival for kids organized by the National Science Agenda of the Netherlands. Here are some key takeaways from the event:
Kids loved it. A few quotes: "I'm addicted," "I want one at home," and "I could stand here for hours."
Kids read the poems out loud, which is excellent for language learning and practice.
Some kids found it challenging to anticipate what would happen next.
Parents took pictures of the screen to keep the poems.
The Poem Booth operates by using a predictive model to interpret the picture captured by the camera. It then sends this description, along with a prompt written in collaboration with a professional poet (in this case, Inghels assisted us), to ChatGPT. Within seconds, a poem is displayed on the screen.
We are currently exploring two directions:
Creating a Poem Booth for (semi) public spaces such as hotels, parks, squares, and festivals.
Developing a Poem Booth specifically for kids, which we envision being placed in waiting rooms, schools, and libraries.
If you're interested in exploring our prototype or would like to showcase this new work, please let us know. Your support will help us invest in further development.
The Poem Booth in action