Chinese author Mo Yan, winner of the 2012 Nobel Prize in Literature, appears during the 65th anniversary of a Chinese literary magazine In Shanghai, Shouhuo used artificial intelligence, specifically ChatGPT, to write a speech in honor of fellow author Yu Hua.
The author of the acclaimed novels Live and Brothers, Yu was recently awarded the coveted top prize in the 2021 Novel Rankings for his latest work, Wen Cheng (The Lost City), published in the same year.
During the event, Mo Yan shared his close friendship with Yu Hua with the attendees and recalled some of the experiences they had shared over the years. In his role as host to honor Yu Hua’s award, Mo admitted to having difficulties writing a convincing speech.
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The Nobel laureate, after several failed attempts, decided to seek the help of artificial intelligence and asked a doctoral student to use ChatGPT, a state-of-the-art chatbot, to write the award citation on his behalf.
By providing keywords such as “live”, “pull a tooth” and “lost city” representing important aspects of Yu Hua’s life and work, the chatbot quickly generated a speech of over 1,000 words.With a literary style reminiscent of the works of Shakespeare.
Mo Yan explained that he chose those three key phrases because they are closely related to Yu Hua’s literary life.
“Living” is one of the author’s most outstanding novels, while “Extracting a Tooth” reflects on his past as a dentist before becoming a writer.
Finally, “Lost City” epitomizes his latest novel, which deserves the award given at the ceremony.
The use of artificial intelligence in literary writing has sparked debate among critics and authors, questioning authenticity and creativity in the process.
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The collaboration between Mo Yan and ChatGPT highlights the growing gap between technology and literature, showing how artificial intelligence is impacting various creative fields, bringing new perspectives and innovative solutions to the future of writing.
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