The latest in the never-ending series of artificial intelligence (AI) innovations is one for the artists, those who love the written word. Dubbed “Poetry Camera”, the AI-enabled device stays true to its name—it turns pictures into poems!
There is no end to the innovation currently happening in the artificial intelligence (AI) space. Apart from the quotidian email-writing and assignment generation, AI can now make images talk and sing, predict future human actions, contest and judge AI pageants, and even recreate Star Trek technology.
Kelin Carolyn Zhang and Ryan Mather collaborated on the Poetry Camera. It is an open-source project that merges technology with artistic flair, yielding a creation that transcends boundaries in both domains.
The Poetry Camera outwardly resembles a typical Polaroid camera. However, rather than capturing photographs, it transforms the visual input it receives into evocative poems that vividly describe the shot that was captured.
Powered by a Raspberry Pi single-board computer and leveraging OpenAI’s GPT-4 model, this device represents a hardware and artificial intelligence convergence.
The Raspberry Pi processes the captured images, extracting visual data which is then transmitted to the AI component. This AI module analyzes various aspects of the photo, including colors, patterns, significant elements, and even the underlying emotions conveyed.
The story behind the camera
The camera began as a passion project for Zhang and Mather, combining their love for technology as well as the arts.
After experimenting with multiple AI models, Mather stuck gold when he got access to GPT-3. Positive responses from family and friends made the duo refine their prototype, ultimately resulting in the final, much-hyped product.
“We don’t save any of the images or the poems digitally. There are a few reasons for that: One, it’s easier. Two: privacy. Three, it adds extra meaning to the poems if they’re like these ephemeral sorts of artifacts. If you lose it, it’s gone,” Mather says. “Everyone has a camera in their pocket through their cell phone now — we wanted to do something very different,” explained the creators.
As reported by TechCrunch, the creators of the Poetry Camera have emphasized that the device offers more than just one poetry format, and that users have the flexibility to select from a range of options, including sonnets, free verses, and haiku.
Can you buy a Poetry Camera in the near future?
As interest in the Poetry Camera grows online, notably on TikTok, Zhang and Mather are deliberating over the future trajectory of their invention. Conceived as a personal passion project, its unprecedented popularity has spurred them to contemplate commercializing it for a wider audience.
Zhang says, “After the first 100 times people asked, we said, ‘We’re not selling it,’ but after 101 questions, we started thinking about it in more detail, wondering if we should be making it available to people. But at the same time, it’s an art project, you know? Our initial response was to leave capitalism out of it.”
Mindful of their commitment to sustainability and responsible consumption, Zhang and Mather are considering the possibility of limited product releases that prioritize quality above all else instead of rushing into mass production.
