Our Utopian Ideas

I've always had a fetish about autogenerated content. I also unconditionally love Cyberpunk literature. I think these are the two reasons behind the idea that sick brain of mine generated like eight years ago.

Why can't a computer software be written that generates whole books or at least short fictional stories?

As crazy as it sounds it might prove not that utopian after all. Of course computer cannot generate a readable book if given only a plain word dictionary. Well ... not until at least a proper AI is invented. But then it wouldn't matter 'cause we would be slaves to robots or something.

No - simple dictionary is not enough. A human should feed software with some innitial well structured info, like:

• Fictional business, country and other entities with corresponding descriptions and core values that could be used in determining their relationships with other objects, events, etc.
  
• Non-standard objects, like custom rifles, vehicles, etc. Their relations to business entities.
• Highly configurable plot structural elements - events or connecting points (these could also have many settings, like number of persons participating in it, potential outcomes - death, injury, discovery of a secret, etc.)
• Character names and various stats about them that computer could go crazy randomizing
• English grammar rules, thesaurus, etc.
  
• A database of standard objects, political and business entities, historical events, real people and brands, etc. Each of these DB objects could have a number of config variables that could be used in determining their relationship and relevance to plot and/or other objects.
  

Prior to generating an actual book, an operator -- I don't dare to call him/her a writer -- would have to set numerous configuration parameters to head computer in specific direction, i.e.:

• Violence level
• Plot twist level
• A level of fiction vs real
• Overal freedom for randomness
• Particular characters, objects, etc. to use
• etc.
  

Of course, the output from computer would still require many human editing and final touches. But I like to toy with the idea of the unpredictable twists and crazy text that computer might randomize and provide good base for a real person to finish on.

Pretty simple, huh? :)

I absolutely love to think about the controversy this would create if it ever becomes real. With real writers going all like "This computer-generated stuff will never be as good as ours - it is limited and lacks human touch" all over media. Cool :)

Btw, the reason I mentioned Cyberpunk earlier is that I think it is a perfect genre for this kind of autogenerated content. Cyberpunk plots are fictional enough to allow coputer-generated craziness. Still it's based in pretty real "earthly" settings.

It would be hard to generate something as psychodelic as "2001: Space Odyssey" or as sensual as "Brokenback Mountain", wouldn't it?