Science fiction story written by AI wins literary competition for the first time

Professor Shen Yang of Tsinghua University decided to tap into the creativity of artificial intelligence (AI) when crafting his science fiction novella about a metaverse and humanoid robots, sparking mixed reactions within the literary community.

The entire book, titled "Land of Memories," with nearly 6000 Chinese characters, was generated by AI in just three hours using 66 prompts provided by Shen. The unique plotline, according to Shen, was entirely generated by the AI, starting from the first three lines.

The narrative unfolds in a metaverse where there exists a forbidden realm called the "Country of Memories," inaccessible to humans. Populated by illusions created by humanoids and memory-deprived AI, the realm permanently erases the memories of intruders. The story centers around Li Xiao, a researcher of the metaverse who, in the real world, worked as a neuroengineer. Accidentally losing all memories of her family during an experiment, she becomes intrigued by the legend of the Country of Memories and hopes to recover her lost memories within the metaverse.

The popular science fiction novella was submitted to a competition organized by the Association of Science Fiction Writers in Jiangsu, securing the second prize among 17 other entries.

However, the involvement of AI in the creative process has sparked controversy. While one judge was aware of the use of AI, another expressed disappointment, noting a lack of vivid emotions in the work.

Shen emphasized that the entire content, including authorship, title, text, and illustrations, was created by AI based on initial instructions, making his work unique and deserving of literary recognition.

Nevertheless, Fu Ruchu, the director of the editorial department of "People's Literature," argued that AI poses a threat to the literary language, suggesting that in the future, with the increasing influence of AI, vibrant emotions in literature may become even more scarce.

This case has stirred interest in discussions about the impact of technology on traditional forms of art and has opened debates about the future symbiosis between humans and machines in creative endeavors.