How we're using Chat gpt (generative AI) to bring poetry closer to everyone

Imagine sitting down, having your picture taken, and receiving a personalized poem about yourself. That's the concept behind the Poem Booth, an idea presented by Justus Bruns, co-founder of VOUW, at the AI Hackathon hosted by Jelle Prins last February. Now Bruns, together with Hugo Visser, a developer at Little Robots, and Maarten Inghels, former city poet of Antwerp, are working towards a Poem Booth that genuinely inspires people to read more poetry. Last week, Visser and Bruns showcased a prototype at 'Expeditie Next,' a science festival for kids. Kids loved it: 'I'm addicted,' 'I want one at home,' and 'I could stand here for hours.' The Poem Booth operates by using a predictive model to interpret the picture captured by the camera. It then sends this description, along with a prompt written in collaboration with a professional poet, to ChatGPT. Within seconds, a poem is displayed. We are currently exploring two directions: a Poem Booth for (semi) public spaces, and a Poem Booth specifically for kids.

— Justus Bruns