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AI makes writing easier, but stories sound alike

Books and movies of the future could all start to feel the same if creative industries embrace artificial intelligence to help write stories, a study published on Friday warned.

The research, which drew on hundreds of volunteers and was published in Science Advances, comes amid rising fears over the impact of widely available AI tools that turn simple text prompts into relatively sophisticated music, art and writing.

“Our goal was to study to what extent and how generative AI might help humans with creativity,” co-author Anil Doshi of the University College London told AFP.

For their experiment, Doshi and co-author Oliver Hauser of the University of Exeter recruited around 300 volunteers as “writers.”

These were people who didn’t write for a living, and their inherent creative ability was assessed by a standard psychology test that asked them to provide 10 drastically different words.

The scientists then split them randomly into three groups to write an eight-sentence story about one of three topics: an adventure on the open seas, an adventure in the jungle, or an adventure on another planet.

Participants were also randomly placed into three groups that received varying levels of AI assistance.

The first group got no help, the second was provided a three-sentence story idea from ChatGPT, and the third could receive up to five AI-generated story ideas to help them get going.

– Individual benefit, collective loss –

After completing their stories, participants were asked to assess their own work’s creativity through measures including how novel it was, how enjoyable, and how much potential the idea had to be turned into a published book.

An additional 600 external human reviewers also judged the story on the same measures.

The authors found that, on average, AI boosted the quality of an individual writer’s creativity by up to 10 percent, and the story’s enjoyability by 22 percent, helping particularly with elements like structure and plot twists.

These effects were most significant for writers who were judged during the initial task to be the least creative, “so it has this kind of leveling the playing field effect,” said Doshi.

But on the collective level, they found AI-assisted stories looked much more similar to each other than those produced without any AI help, as writers “anchored” themselves too heavily to the suggested ideas.

Hauser said this created a “social dilemma.” On the one hand, “you make it easier for people to get in; lowering barriers is good.” But if the collective novelty of art decreases, “it could be harmful down the line.”

Doshi said the research also showed that, just like introducing pocket calculators to children too early could prevent them from learning how to do basic arithmetic, there was a danger that people could rely too much on AI tools before developing underlying skills in writing, music or more.

People need to start thinking about “where in my workflow can I insert this tool to get the most benefit, while still inserting my own voice into the project or outcome.”

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Protests: Stop diminishing your status, Presidency slams Atiku

The Presidency has slammed Atiku Abubakar, telling him to stop diminishing his status

The Presidency has slammed Atiku Abubakar, telling the former Vice President to stop diminishing his status and tweeting the absurd.

Atiku in a post on X on Tuesday night warned security agencies against using lethal force against looters and arsonists masquerading as protesters.

“I wish to convey a stern caution to the distinguished service chiefs and military commanders of Nigeria’s armed forces that those who authorise the use of lethal force against peaceful civilian protesters will be held responsible for committing crimes against humanity, even in the years following their retirement from service,” Atiku wrote.

“The constitutional right to engage in protest is firmly established within our supreme law and reinforced by the judiciary.

“It is the solemn duty of the government and security agencies to ensure a safe and protected environment for individuals exercising their right to peaceful protest.”

Reacting, the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga lambasted Atiku, warning him to stop tweeting the absurd.

“Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar tweeted the absurd, warning security agencies against using lethal force against looters and arsonists who masqueraded as protesters,” Onanuga wrote on X.

“As a statesman, his warning ought to have been issued to the looting mob in Kaduna, Kano, Plateau, Jigawa states, who hijacked what was advertised by organisers as a peaceful protest.

“Our security forces have remained professional and even-handed and observed every restraint in the face of extreme provocation by the rioters.

“We are surprised that Alhaji Atiku is still relying on Section 40 of our constitution (as amended) to justify a protest that is now clearly a riot, a rampage in some parts of the country.”

Onanuga explained that Section 45 of the constitution says the right of assembly and freedom of expression are not absolute rights.

He said this is because they can be abridged and fettered in the interest of public peace, safety, law and order.

According to him, the Service Chiefs reiterated the rights of Nigerians to protest and gather freely.

He added that they, however, reinforced their constitutional duty when they said they can not sit by idly and watch hoodlums destroy the country and its democracy.

“The Service Chiefs, officers, and men of our security outfits should be commended for their patriotic duty to our country,” Onanuga said.

“As a supporter and enabler of the destructive ‘protests,’ Alhaji Atiku wants the sinister protests to continue despite the street’s red signals.

“A tweet that condones the destruction of private and public property and citizens’ investments is unexpected from a former vice president of Nigeria.”

Onanuga said Atiku ought to have risen above the sentiment he expressed and put the interest of Nigeria’s stability ahead of whatever advantages he hoped to reap from the insurrection on the streets.

“We encourage Alhaji Atiku to adopt a more nationalistic approach that transcends personal interests and focuses on the greater good of our nation,” Onanuga stated.

“He should take a cue from opposition figures in the United Kingdom who have rallied behind the government to condemn the ongoing riots in the UK, calling for the arrest and prosecution of those behind the wanton destruction of public and private assets.

“Such a nationalistic temperament, as displayed by opposition figures such as Rishi Sunak, the immediate past Prime Minister of the UK, is expected of Alhaji Atiku.

“If Alhaji Atiku had followed this approach, he would have given hope for a united front against the destructive protests,” Onanuga added.

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Olympics: United States, Brazil to clash in epic Women’s final

Sophia Smith scored in extra time, leading the U.S. women’s national team to a victory over Germany in a tense semifinal match at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday.

This win propels the Americans to the gold medal game on Saturday, where they will face Brazil, who triumphed over Spain.

The United States, under new coach Emma Hayes, is aiming for its first gold medal since 2012.

However, Brazil secured a spot in the final by defeating world champions Spain in a dominant performance.

An own goal by Irene Paredes started Brazil’s scoring, followed by a goal from Gabi Portilho just before half-time.

Adriana added a third goal, despite Brazil missing their all-time leading scorer, Marta, who was suspended after a red card in the group stage.

Although Duda Sampaio’s own goal gave Spain some hope, Kerolin’s goal in added time and a late consolation from Salma Paralluelo sealed the win for Brazil.

Spain will now compete against Germany for the bronze medal in Lyon on Friday at 14:00.

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Transfers: Osimhen not interested in joining Chelsea on loan

Napoli striker Victor Osimhen has set two conditions for joining Chelsea this summer.

Osimhen’s future with the former Serie A champions is uncertain, with no active talks ongoing despite his availability.

Chelsea aims to secure the Nigerian on a loan deal while sending Romelu Lukaku to Napoli on a permanent basis.

However, football transfer expert Fabrizio Romano stated on YouTube today that Osimhen “is not considering a loan with an option to buy.” Additionally, Romano noted that the Super Eagles striker “will not reduce his salary” to facilitate a move to Chelsea.

Reports also indicate that Arsenal is monitoring Osimhen’s situation.

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Zamfara Govt. denies budgeting N19bn for Lawal’s kitchenware

The Zamfara Government on Tuesday denied budgeting N19 billion for Gov. Dauda Lawal’s kitchenware as it was wrongfully circulated on social media.

The State Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Abdulmalik Gajam, at a media briefing on Tuesday in Gusau described the information as mischievous.

He said, “I would like to clarify that the information being circulated in this regard on social media is unverified.

“A government that reduced its spending to save for the better future of the state cannot budget N19billion for the governor’s kitchen and other canteen equipment.

“Zamfara Government under Lawal is running an open door policy, we welcome media and other stakeholders to verify and access information on any issues instead of spreading unverified information.

“As a transparent government, we accept any challenge from any media outfit that sincerely scrutinises our administration with good intentions.

“Also, the media outfits need to be responsible on information concerning images of government to be published.”

Gajam lamented that the information being circulated was capable of triggering the mind of Zamfara people to react to something that was mischievous.

He called on the media houses to always verify information and ensure dishing out only authentic information to the public.

Gajam highlighted that Lawal’s 2024 ‘Budget of Rescue’, was to ensure more revenue generation, less expenditure and transparency in releasing public funds.

He added that the present administration in the state since its inception ensured that all its expenditures were in the interest of the people of the state.