Artificial intelligence continues to amaze, pushing boundaries in art, science, and even poetry. Recently, Jarrett Walker (@humantransit) shared on X a poem crafted by DeepSeek, a Chinese AI. Walker observed, "It is powerful on first reading and yet I can see that it’s made up entirely of other poems. Every move it makes has been done many times by human poets." This observation raises profound questions about AI's role in creativity and the nature of originality itself.
DeepSeek's poetry, while impressive, highlights a critical distinction between human and artificial creativity. The AI doesn’t create from lived experiences, emotions, or philosophical ponderings. Instead, it draws upon a vast database of existing poems, piecing together phrases, themes, and structures to generate new verses.
Is this true creativity? That’s a question sparking intense debate. Some argue that AI simply rehashes existing material, lacking the genuine spark of human inspiration. Others suggest that the sheer scale and complexity of AI's processing allow it to create something genuinely "new" through novel combinations and patterns.
It's worth noting that human poets, too, are influenced and inspired by their predecessors. Every artist stands on the shoulders of giants, absorbing and reinterpreting existing traditions. The line between influence and imitation can be blurry, even for human creators.
DeepSeek's work offers a glimpse into the potential of AI in the artistic realm. As AI models become more sophisticated, they may evolve beyond mere imitation and begin to explore truly novel creative avenues. This evolution could lead to exciting collaborations between humans and AI, resulting in entirely original forms of artistic expression.
