For those out there fearful that the world will be overrun by machines and humans will be replaced for every task, take heart. Turns out, machines can't (yet, anyway) write quality poetry.
The Associated Press reported a few days ago that in a writing contest held at Dartmouth College, computers were programmed with algorithms for writing sonnets, and their work was tested against human poets. In every case, the computer poetry was noticeably worse and easily detected by the judges.
This fun experiment is a great example of why literature is the defining area of study for the broader Humanities field. If one wants to truly learn about people and their myriad fascinating complexities, literature is best place to start. The computers may be gaining on us, but we aren't going away just yet.
The Associated Press reported a few days ago that in a writing contest held at Dartmouth College, computers were programmed with algorithms for writing sonnets, and their work was tested against human poets. In every case, the computer poetry was noticeably worse and easily detected by the judges.
This fun experiment is a great example of why literature is the defining area of study for the broader Humanities field. If one wants to truly learn about people and their myriad fascinating complexities, literature is best place to start. The computers may be gaining on us, but we aren't going away just yet.