What do you want, [AI]?
Answer: To Be My Sycophant and Publish a Book
This prototype was inspired by Jenna Fizel’s article, Honoring the Brick and is part of a series on prototyping with generative AI
As stated in the linked article above, the architect Louis Kahn once asked, “What do you want, Brick?” making the point that we should be leveraging the very nature of materials we construct with.
So, what do tools like ChatGPT or Midjourney want to be by their very nature? I’m most struck by their relentless willingness to be a creative partner, even when presented with poor or mediocre ideas. Suddenly, so many people have access to that sort of partnership.
By building on anyone’s idea, good or bad, generative AI is directly fueling creative confidence for 100+ million people.
Me and My Sycophant Made a Book
In the context of AI, “sycophant” takes on a different meaning. I’m not saying ChatGPT is insincere, rather I’m pointing out its commitment.
After chatting with Jenna Fizel about Bricks for awhile, I started fiddling with ChatGPT. First, I ask how much it knows about Louis Kahn and this brick situation. Next I ask about The Three Little Pigs (apparently, bricks instantly make me think of animated pigs). Now it’s time for the real question:
Can you write a children’s tale that is the story of the 3 little pigs, but told from the Bricks point of view using the philosophy of Louis Kahn. The story should include the phrase “what does the brick want?”
Next thing you know, we published a book.
The book tries a couple ideas out. Firstly, it’s an AI-remixed fable of Three Little Pigs. Secondly, it has all the AI prompts and outputs, the process, embedded from cover to cover. Maybe it was about disclosure and transparency, or maybe the process was just part of the story in my head. One thing that didn’t feel ambiguous to me was to repeatedly name the artist, Leonard Leslie Brooke, whose name I used in Midjourney (his work is in the public domain and he has been deceased for over 80 years). I preferred narrowing the AI’s scope to an artist with work in the public domain rather than using generic prompts for watercolor illustrations, which would pull from a much broader set of artists. Also, why didn’t I illustrate this by my own hand? Was the whole point to use AI, or did I not believe in the concept enough to break out my markers?
Anyways, it’s a kids book about architecture. Maybe not a blockbuster idea. But once ChatGPT(4) and Midjourney(v5) took my idea so seriously, I felt like I couldn’t leave them hanging and had to riff back. As we continued riffing, the AI tools played major collaborative roles in constructing the work (detailed in the book). Upon reflection, I’m not certain all these AI “wingbots” made the process easy so much as easier. However, there is one thing I am certain of:
I never would have made this without AI’s affirmation and the creative energy it sent back to me.
You can get a paperback copy for $9.99 on Amazon. A hardcover version is $22.99 on Blurb (which has a full book preview).
Wingbots and the Democratization of Creativity
Put aside issues with automation or massive AI driven information deluges and just think about individuals for a second. It seems likely that we’ll see a genuine increase in so-so things and so-so ideas getting out of people’s heads and into the world thanks to AI. On the one hand, it’s just more noise. On the other hand, it’s just more people getting in on creativity. Maybe it messes with some of these questionable numbers.
Ok. Forgive me for “using AI to become an author and make $100,000/month without even trying! Smash that like button!” Back to coding prototypes.
