Professor: Lizzy LeRud
4 credits
This class begins with the premise that computers can write poems. In fact, some of the earliest programs taught computers how to produce simple rhymes and rhythms. Many poetic forms are highly predictable, after all. The fact that poems are programmable doesn’t necessarily spell disaster for the art form; poets have been collaborating with computers for decades. However, recent conversations about generative AI have sparked new fears about the future of poetry—and, more broadly, about creative expression. If ChatGPT can replicate the voice of Ada Limón or Mary Oliver, or compose a convincingly Shakespearean sonnet (and if it can write novels, paint portraits, create songs, and produce videos) then what is the fate of the artist? This class will respond by considering the long history of computational composition—and the even longer history of traditional literary forms and patterns—to investigate what generative AI means for poetry, poets, and creativity writ large. Drawing on a range of texts written by humans and machines, we may discover that poetry is uniquely positioned to teach us about generative AI itself, helping us navigate a rapidly changing technological landscape.