Sci-Fi Writer JG Ballard Predicted ChatGPT Through Computer Poems 50 Years Ago

If there was one thing that fascinated novelist and science-fiction author James Graham Ballard, it was the capabilities of computers back in the 1970s. At the time, Mr Ballard decided to use computer technology, still in developing stages, to generate poetry.

Ballard highlighted in his autobiography 'Miracles of Life' that he, along with a psychologist Dr Christopher Evans, published a "remarkable series of computer-generated poems" in Ambit -  a literary quarterly magazine where he was a prose editor during the 1970s.

As per a BBC report, at least four items from the series to which Ballard referred were seemingly produced by computers and published between 1972 and 1977. The 1972 collection was named "The Yellow Back Novels", and the 1974 collection was titled 'Machine Gun City'.

Now, decades later, Mr Ballard's early experiments with computer-generated poetry appear to have foreshadowed the rise of generative AI, which is now capable of creating music, writing stories, and even generating art. 

Author Vanora Bennett, in a 2004 interview, asked JG Ballard to reflect on his unique approach to writing about societal trends, suggesting he had a knack for capturing "what is just about to happen in a given community". 

In response, Mr Ballard explained that he often sensed something unusual or peculiar brewing beneath the surface of society “and I explore that by writing a novel.” He compared this process to “looking for the hidden wiring and fuse box” behind a set of strange lights.  

Mr Ballard seemed to have predicted the rise of generative AI long before it became a reality. His work was not typical science fiction. Instead of focusing on distant futures or distant galaxies, he often wrote stories set in a "visionary present" – meaning his stories were set in worlds that were similar to our own but had subtle differences or exaggerated elements. His stories explored themes like societal breakdown and the surreal aspects of everyday life.

One of his stories, The Garden of Time, from The Complete Short Stories: Volume 1 collection, has inspired the theme for this year's Met Gala. This story particularly delves into themes related to time and its passage.

Today, we are seeing a surge in AI-driven applications blurring the line between human and machine creativity. For example, Google's Verse by Verse helps users write poetry by generating lines based on their input. 

Platforms like Sora turn text into video, and Dall-E creates visual art from written prompts. In music, AI composers like Aiva, Loudly, and MuseNet can generate original compositions.