Dorian Paul Rogers, a poet, events curator, and teacher based in the UAE who performs under the stage name Paul D, has embraced artificial intelligence (AI) to create his latest poetry album, The Phenomenology of Gray. Initially hesitant, Rogers confronted his concerns about AI by integrating it into his creative process, producing an album that blends human creativity with machine learning.
Overcoming Skepticism
Rogers admits that his first reaction to AI tools was one of skepticism and fear, particularly as a teacher. “I had some anger, skepticism, and fear,” he said, referring to his initial encounters with AI. He worried that AI might undermine education, serving as a tool for plagiarism and cheating.
His perspective changed after watching a segment of 60 Minutes on CBS, where Google presented Bard, the AI that would later become Gemini. This program demonstrated how Bard could answer complex questions and even write poetry. The turning point for Rogers came when Bard expanded on a famous six-word story, “For sale: baby shoes, never worn,” into a full, emotionally rich narrative. This sparked an idea: what if AI could also be used to enhance poetry?
Experimenting with AI Creativity
With that inspiration, Rogers began experimenting with AI tools. He prompted Gemini, Google’s AI, to write free verse poetry on themes that resonated with him personally, such as nostalgia from his childhood memories of yard sales in Ohio and Georgia. He tailored the prompts to his creative vision, asking for non-rhyming free verse and specific topics.
After several attempts, Rogers reached a level of quality that he considered contemporary poetry, satisfying his artistic standards. He then used a text-to-voice AI tool, ElevenLabs, to give the AI-generated poems a voice, even naming the AI persona “Isis.”
A Collaboration of Voices
The final product, The Phenomenology of Gray, is an 11-track album that blends Rogers’ poetry and voice with the AI-generated work. The inclusion of “gray” in the title reflects Rogers’ evolving perspective on AI, symbolizing the ambiguity between right and wrong, black and white. He notes that the concept of gray can also apply to public perceptions of AI—many view it with suspicion, but Rogers sees it as a tool that can complement, rather than compete with, human creativity.
The intersection of art and technology continues to grow, pushing the boundaries of human creativity and redefining traditional artistic processes. One such groundbreaking collaboration has emerged in the UAE, where a renowned Emirati poet has teamed up with artificial intelligence (AI) to produce a unique and innovative new album. This fusion of poetic expression and machine learning signals a new era in the creative world, where AI can amplify human imagination in unprecedented ways.
The Vision Behind the Project
In a world increasingly driven by technology, artists are constantly exploring new tools and mediums to enhance their creative output. This UAE poet, known for their evocative and culturally rich verses, saw the potential of AI not as a replacement for creativity but as a tool to expand it. By incorporating AI into the album’s production, the poet seeks to explore how machine-generated input can add layers of depth, complexity, and unexpected twists to their literary compositions.
How AI Is Shaping the Creative Process
Artificial intelligence, particularly in the form of natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning algorithms, is being leveraged in this project to complement the poet’s human creativity. Here’s how:
- Generating Poetic Inspirations: AI algorithms are trained on vast datasets of poetry, literature, and art, generating suggestions that can serve as a springboard for the poet. These machine-generated ideas inspire the poet to explore new themes and styles, helping them break free from traditional patterns.
- Crafting Unique Rhythms and Flows: AI tools are also being used to experiment with rhythm and meter, allowing the poet to discover unusual structures and poetic cadences. The result is a hybrid blend of human emotion and machine precision, producing poems that are rhythmically and stylistically unique.
- Collaborating on Soundscapes: The album doesn’t just feature poetry but also incorporates AI-generated soundscapes that provide an immersive auditory experience. These soundscapes are composed through deep learning techniques that analyze thousands of musical compositions to create tracks that harmonize with the tone and mood of the poetry.
The Future of AI-Driven Art
This UAE poet’s collaboration with AI is just one example of how technology can serve as an enabler for artists worldwide. It presents a vision of the future where machines and humans work hand-in-hand to produce art that neither could create alone. As AI continues to evolve, we can expect even more innovative partnerships between technology and creativity, leading to new art forms that challenge and inspire.
Bridging Tradition and Innovation
For a poet from the UAE, a region steeped in rich literary traditions, this project also symbolizes the blending of heritage with futuristic tools. By harnessing AI, the poet stays true to the poetic traditions of the Arab world while introducing innovative techniques that appeal to a global audience. This union of old and new demonstrates how technology can be a bridge between different cultural epochs, preserving the past while propelling us into the future.
As we witness this new collaboration between a UAE poet and AI, it becomes clear that the future of creativity lies in partnerships that transcend traditional boundaries. Whether in poetry, music, or visual art, the possibilities of AI as a creative collaborator are just beginning to be explored. This project is a testament to the power of embracing innovation and demonstrates how artists can continue to push the envelope in today’s fast-evolving technological landscape.
What do you think about the intersection of AI and human creativity? Could AI become an essential part of artistic production in the future? Let us know your thoughts!
The UAE and AI Innovation
Living in the UAE, a nation committed to advancing AI research, has also influenced Rogers’ work. With initiatives such as appointing the world’s first AI Minister and founding the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence, the UAE is positioning itself as a leader in AI development. This progressive attitude toward AI inspired Rogers to embrace technology in his own artistic process.
Despite concerns about AI’s potential to disrupt industries, Rogers believes AI has the power to create new opportunities, much like the digital music revolution. For him, the album is not just a collaboration with AI but a statement about the future of creativity: “I didn’t write a poetry album and say, ‘It’s with the assistance of AI’… I made AI an equal partner.”
The Phenomenology of Gray is available on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Music, offering a glimpse into a future where human poets and AI collaborate to create something truly unique.
