Renowned at 33, author Rie Kudan clinched the prestigious Akutagawa Prize, stunning reporters with an unexpected revelation. During her acceptance speech, she disclosed that a portion of her award-winning book, 'Tokyo Sympathy Tower,' was crafted in collaboration with ChatGPT, showcasing the seamless integration of creative AI in literature. Dive into the details of this groundbreaking union between human creativity and artificial intelligence. 📚✨
According to CNN's Christy Choi and Francesca Annio, the award committee praised Kudan's novel as 'almost flawless.' London Times' Richard Lloyd Parry details the narrative set in a near-future Tokyo, revolving around a society heavily reliant on artificial intelligence in the book 'Tokyo Sympathy Tower' by architect Sara Makina. Parry notes that the protagonist develops 'suspicions about the project,' exploring the impact of 'raw and ambiguous words' on ideas of justice, with the author employing ChatGPT to delve into these themes.
Emphasizing her engagement with artificial intelligence on personal topics, Kudan, as per CNN, turned to AI to discuss matters she felt uncomfortable sharing with others about her personal life. These experiments served as fodder for fiction. She stated, 'When AI didn't say what I expected, I sometimes reflected my emotions in the lines of the main character.'
The Akutagawa Prize, awarded every two years to new authors, takes its name from Japanese writer Ryunosuke Akutagawa, known as the 'father of Japanese short stories.' Award officials aim to diversify the group of honored authors, and Kudan's work now holds the distinction of being the first piece written by artificial intelligence to receive the accolade.
As reported by London Times, Kudan, in her post-award statement, expressed a desire to thoughtfully use words amid a situation where language spreads limitlessly, allowing for boundless interpretation. She stated, 'I want to carefully use words and think about the positive and negative aspects of language.'
Since the advent of AI text generators, certain segments of the literary world have called for careful consideration. Just last year, a group of high-profile authors including Jodi Picoult, George R.R. Martin, and Jonathan Franzen came together to sue OpenAI, alleging the 'systematic theft' of their works for training ChatGPT.
Despite the ongoing debate, Kudan, as per CNN, remains steadfast in her commitment to collaborating with chatbots. She stated, 'While allowing my creativity to express itself fully, I plan to continue leveraging the use of artificial intelligence in the writing of my novels.'