Summary

This assignment constitutes the third of eight creative challenges that undergraduate students complete for Writing with Artificial Intelligence, an undergraduate writing course. In this creative challenge, students research tools such as PoeAI, a tool that empowers users without coding experience to build and design bots for specific purposes. Students research chatbots, surveying the different kinds of bots people are developing. Working collaboratively, they use Poe AI to develop a bot. And then they reflect on this experiment, questioning whether the possibility to create bots, even commercialize them, suggests that AI tools can provide humans with greater agency over their lives and creative projects.

Introduction

Your first creative challenge asked you to reflect on what you and other writers gain by writing without AI. For the second challenge, you developed your critical AI literacy skills by researching prompt engineering and then developing an infographic tutorial for other college students. Now, for this experiment you’ll collaborate with your peers to develop a bot — are, at least, the rough sketch of a bot for a customized purpose. Thereafter, you will reflect on this experiment to address the question of whether PoeAI constrained or advanced your agency as a human.

Bots, short for “software robots,” are computer programs that automate specific tasks or simulate human behaviors. The advent of user-friendly bot-building platforms and tools has made it possible to create and personalize these programs without extensive coding knowledge. Among the most popular types of bots are chatbots, which are designed to mimic human-like conversations and interactions. These versatile bots can be seamlessly integrated into various platforms, including websites, messaging apps, and virtual assistants. They serve a wide range of purposes, from providing information and answering questions to assisting with tasks.

To illustrate the concept of bots in literature, we can draw inspiration from the works of Edgar Allan Poe. Suppose we imagine a chatbot named “PoeBot,” designed to engage users in conversational exchanges reminiscent of Poe’s dark and mysterious storytelling style. Below are a few examples of how PoeBot might respond to user inputs. These examples showcase how a bot inspired by Poe’s writing style could engage users in eerie and evocative conversations, capturing the essence of his literary works.

User: Tell me a chilling tale, PoeBot.
PoeBot: In the dimly lit chamber, a sense of dread pervaded the air. Shadows danced upon the walls as a ghostly figure emerged from the darkness, whispering tales of forbidden knowledge and eternal damnation.

User: What is the meaning of life, PoeBot?
PoeBot: Life, a wretched existence in the abyss of mortality, is but a fleeting candle flame, destined to be extinguished by the cold winds of oblivion. Seek not meaning, for it eludes even the most enlightened souls.

User: Can you describe the haunting beauty of a moonlit night, PoeBot?
PoeBot: Ah, the moon, a spectral orb suspended in the heavens, casting an ethereal glow upon the earth below. Its silver rays illuminate the hidden terrors that lurk in the shadows, revealing a world both captivating and macabre.

Scope

Please note that I do not expect you to develop a polished bot in the time dedicated to this exercise. Rather, I’m hoping simply to introduce you to the range of bots that are being created by coders and non-coders alike. For writers, bots are a new medium of expression, and tools like PoeAI enable creators to earn money on their bots.

Schedule

Step 1 – Research Bots

1. Create an account at Poe.com
2. Experiment with at least six bots listed at Poe.com. By experiment, I mean open at least six and see how they work
3. Review Poe’s tutorials on creating Prompt Bots at Poe for Creators
4. Using gDocs, develop a one-page pitch for creating a new bot. Your pitch should address
   • The purpose and intended use case of your proposed bot.
   • The target audience for your bot.
   • The unique features or capabilities your bot will offer.
   • A brief outline of the prompts or conversational flow you envision for your bot.

Step 2 – Peer Collaboration

1. Let’s try a “speed dating approach.” Walk around the classroom and speak with at least 4 other students whom you haven’t spoken with. Spend about 10 minutes per meeting. Pitch your Bot idea. 
2. After 40 minutes, join a group that wants to work on a Bot you find interesting. The size of each group can be 3 to 5 people.
3. Begin working collaboratively to build your Bot at Poe.com
   1. Assign roles within your group (e.g., project manager, prompt writer, tester, etc.) and divide tasks accordingly.
   2. Continuously test and refine your bot based on feedback from group members and interactions with the bot.

Step 3 – Group Presentations on Prompt Bots

Each group will present their Prompt Bot to the class. Presentations should include:

• A brief introduction to your bot’s purpose and target audience.
• A live demonstration of your bot’s capabilities and conversational flow.
• Challenges faced during the development process and how you overcame them.
• Future improvements or features you’d  add to your bot if you had more time.

Step 4 – Write a Reflection/Analysis

1. In 300 words, respond to this question, “How do you think the ability for non-programmers to create chat bots will change learning and education — and create entrepreneurial opportunities for content creators?” 
2. In 300 words, explore how chatbots constrain a writer’s agency, voice, and creativity.

Requirements

1. Provide quotations, paraphrased, summaries, snapshots and  illustrations to support your claims/argument
2. Design Messages for Maximum Impact. 
3. Employ a Professional Writing Style. 
4. Use APA 7 when you discuss sources.

Step 5 – Submission Instructions – Deliverables

1. Upload to Canvas a gDoc link to your bot pitch. Be sure your link enables edit-view privileges.
2. Share with me how to access your group’s bot
3. Upload to Canvas a .pdf version of your individually-authored reflection/analysis. If you used a GAI tool to author your reflection, keep the chat log archived in case I need to review it.

Recommended Resources

Welcome to Poe for Creators