Knipe comes to the conclusion that “an engine built along the lines of the electric computer could be adjusted to arrange words in their right order according to the rules of grammar. Give it the verbs, the nouns, the adjectives, the pronouns, store them in the memory section as a vocabulary, and arrange for them to be extracted as required. Then feed it with plots and leave it to write the sentences.
Bohlen is initially skeptical of Knipe’s ability to build such a device, but he can get behind the logic, and a few months later, the machine is ready. Of course, Dahl imagined his device in the form of the technology of his time; it is a vast, unwieldy machine, filled with whirring cogs, rods and levers.
At first, Knipe and Bohlen are confounded by the technology’s teething problems. Much like the early days of generative AI, the machine’s initial output is riddled with errors; at one point, the two are horrified after overusing the “passion” prompt, causing the machine to generate smut. Knipe is largely met with aggression from writers who find the idea repulsive, just like many artists today who find generative AI threatening. To many, the act of creation is the point, and the idea of simply editing an AI’s output isHence, Knipe makes the decision to target “mediocre” writers, understanding that they will be more receptive to his offer. It doesn’t take long for Knipe’s machine to flood the market, as more and more writers choose the money over their craft.