The Methodology behind the book - Imagined Realities An Experiment in Human-AI Co-creation

 

Farah Wahajuddin ¹

 

¹ PhD Scholar at Woxsen University - School of Arts and Design & Assistant Professor at JNAFAU - School of Planning & Architecture, Hyderabad, India  

 

1. INTRODUCTION

Book writing, as both an art and a structured craft, has undergone significant evolution, shaped by literary history, psychological insight, and technological advancements. Writers must navigate creative expression, structural discipline, and market demands. This review explores foundational theories, practical methodologies, and emerging trends within the literature on writing, focusing on the process and complexities of crafting a book.

 

 

1.1. THE CRAFT OF WRITING

·        Foundational Techniques: Stephen King (2000), in On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, emphasises authenticity, routine, and the idea that good writing stems from reading widely and writing consistently. Anne Lamott (1995), in Bird by Bird, encourages writers to embrace imperfection and begin with "shitty first drafts," alleviating pressure in early stages. “Almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts. You need to start somewhere” Lamott (1995).

·        Voice and Style: Strunk and White (2000) The Elements of Style advocates for conciseness and clarity. More recently, Zinsser (2006) in On Writing Well expands on this by urging writers to develop a distinct, conversational tone. Clark (2016) further promotes stylistic fluency as a hallmark of strong narrative writing.

 

1.2. STRUCTURAL CONSIDERATIONS

·        Fiction vs Nonfiction: For fiction, Freytag’s Pyramid Freitag (1894), the Three-Act Structure Field (2005), and Campbell (1949) Hero’s Journey remain dominant. Nonfiction writers are encouraged to use clear outlines, as advocated by Weiland (2011) in Outlining Your Novel, and persuasive structuring techniques highlighted by Heath and Heath, (2007) in Made to Stick.

·        Narrative Complexity: Postmodern authors challenge traditional narratives. David Foster Wallace and Margaret Atwood employ nonlinear storytelling and unreliable narrators—techniques discussed by McHale (1987) as markers of postmodern fiction. These methods invite reader interpretation and reflect complex interiority

 

1.3. PSYCHOLOGICAL AND EMOTIONAL DIMENSIONS

·        Writer’s Block and Motivation: Cameron (1992), in The Artist’s Way, introduces routines like morning pages to combat creative paralysis. Csikszentmihalyi (1990) introduces the concept of “flow,” a state of deep focus conducive to creativity. These insights are echoed in contemporary cognitive-behavioural studies on motivation and habit formation Clear (2018).

·        Emotional Authenticity: Memoirs like Wild Strayed (2012) and Educated Westover (2018) exemplify the power of vulnerability. Empirical studies in narrative psychology Green and Brock (2000) show that emotionally rich narratives enhance reader empathy and memory retention.

 

1.4. REWRITING AND EDITING

Revision is universally acknowledged as essential. Browne and King (2004) in Self-Editing for Fiction Writers provide techniques for improving dialogue, pacing, and point of view. King (2000) recommends cutting at least 10% of first drafts—a rule aligned with editorial standards for tightening prose.

 

 

 

1.5. PUBLISHING PATHWAYS AND MARKET TRENDS

·        Traditional vs Self-Publishing: Thompson (2012) notes the impact of digital disruption in Merchants of Culture, highlighting the rise of self-publishing platforms such as Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). Friedman (2018) details the advantages and challenges of both publishing models, urging writers to choose based on goals and resources.

·        Author Branding and Digital Presence: Penn (2015) emphasises building an author brand as vital to book marketing in Business for Authors. Maintaining a website, collecting emails, and engaging with readers on social media are now considered part of the writing process.

 

2. BOOKS ON HUMAN–AI COLLABORATION

The intersection of human creativity and artificial intelligence (AI) has inspired a growing body of literature. While much scholarly focus has centred on theoretical or technical aspects of AI, a number of published books—both fictional and nonfiction—directly experiment with or explore the implications of human-AI collaboration. These works either feature AI as a co-author, use AI to generate or edit content, or address the philosophical and practical impact of AI on human creativity. This review categorises and critically analyses notable examples of such books, offering insight into the evolving narrative and creative partnerships between humans and machines.

 

2.1. BOOKS CO-WRITTEN WITH AI TOOLS

·        The Road by Ross Goodwin (2018): This experimental travelogue was co-written by an AI system developed by creative technologist Ross Goodwin. Equipped with a camera, microphone, GPS, and AI-trained language model, the system generated text in real-time during a road trip from New York to New Orleans. The book mimics Jack Kerouac’s On the Road, both in title and stream-of-consciousness form. While the AI provided the raw text, Goodwin curated and structured the content. “Goodwin’s work challenges the definition of authorship and invites the reader to question who, or what, truly 'writes' a book” Goodwin (2018).

·        The Day a Computer Writes a Novel (2016): This short novel, partially co-authored by AI, made headlines when it passed the first round of screening for the Japanese Hoshi Shinichi Literary Award, created by a team at Future University Hakodate in Japan. The AI helped with plot structure and sentence generation based on pre-selected parameters. This marked an early success in machine-generated narrative writing, where human editors set constraints and curated final outputs.

·        Philosophy Through Artificial Intelligence by GPT-3 and Eric Schwitzgebel (2021): Philosopher Eric Schwitzgebel collaborated with OpenAI’s GPT-3 to generate philosophical dialogues and essays. GPT-3 responded to philosophical prompts, which were then analysed and sometimes expanded by Schwitzgebel. Explores not only the content creation potential of AI but also its philosophical implications.

 

 

2.2. BOOKS DISCUSSING AI COLLABORATION IN CREATIVE PRACTICE

·        The Creativity Code by Marcus du Sautoy (2019): This nonfiction work by mathematician Marcus du Sautoy explores how AI is influencing the arts—from music to literature. One chapter is dedicated to AI-authored poetry and fiction. Discusses whether creativity can be quantified and if AI-generated work can be truly original. “Machines can help us to expand the space of our creativity, but the spark of value still lies in human interpretation” du Sautoy (2019).

·        You Look Like a Thing and I Love You by Janelle Shane (2019): Though primarily humorous, this book investigates neural networks and includes examples of AI-generated text such as pickup lines, recipes, and jokes. It demonstrates how human curation, training data, and intent shape AI output. Shane emphasizes that collaboration with AI is less about outsourcing creativity and more about redirecting it

 

2.3. FICTION THAT REFLECTS HUMAN-AI CREATIVE THEMES

·        Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan (2019): A speculative novel where the protagonist purchases a highly advanced humanoid AI named “Adam”. The novel deals with human-AI ethical dilemmas, emotional bonding, and creative potential. Although not co-authored with AI, it thematically addresses how humans project creativity and agency onto machines.

·        Autonomous by Annalee Newitz (2017): Blending science fiction and bioethics, this novel explores AI autonomy, intellectual property, and creative labor. Raises questions about AI authorship and rights in a world where AI can be creators. Relevant for imagining legal and moral frameworks around AI-created content.

 

The reviewed works show that AI's role in book writing ranges from technical collaborator to philosophical mirror, and text generator to thematic subject. Human-AI collaborations in literature challenge traditional authorship, redefine creativity, and prompt new ethical discussions. As AI becomes more capable, its relationship with human storytelling will likely deepen, blending the lines between machine assistance and genuine artistic partnership.

 

3. THE EXPERIMENT

"Imagined Realities" is a pioneering literary endeavour that pushes the boundaries of creativity by exploring the symbiotic relationship between human imagination and artificial intelligence. This visionary project brings together the boundless creativity of interior design students from Jawaharlal Nehru Fine Arts and Architecture University, Hyderabad, India, with the innovative storytelling capabilities of AI technology. It is an attempt to redefine storytelling as a collaborative process, bridging the gap between traditional narrative techniques and cutting-edge technological advancements.

 

 

 

3.1. INTRODUCTION

The foundation of "Imagined Realities" was laid as part of the students' communication skills curriculum. The subject - Communication skills was a part of the 2nd semester curriculum. The course outcome of the subject was -

·        Communicate more effectively and appropriately in their academic pursuits as well as in real-life situations.

·        Imbibe the rules and mechanisms of the English language and put them into use unconsciously.

·        Write appropriate official letters and also be able to make effective presentations in a professional environment.

·        Learners emerge competent in public speaking skills.

·        Acquire proficiency in English and Communication Skills and be successful in competitive examinations.

 

Taking a cue from the above outcomes. A pathway to writing and self-expression through story writing in English was explored. Recognising the importance of creativity in design and narrative expression, the project aimed to stimulate both intellectual and artistic growth among the students. To achieve this, a unique exercise was conceived

 

3.2. METHODOLOGY FOR THE PROJECT

 

 

A carefully curated set of 20 AI-generated images was presented to the students. Each image came with a concise brief detailing a character and a story setting, acting as a springboard for their imagination. The students were tasked with weaving these elements, infusing their unique perspectives and cultural contexts into the narratives. The pictures and character briefs were given to inspire imagination, creativity, and, most importantly, a sense of space within an architectural setting. This nuance of exploring the spatial features detailing the sensorial elements of visual, smell, sound, taste, and texture within the setting was highlighted.

 

 

To ensure that the students approached this task with confidence and skill, a dedicated story-writing workshop was conducted by a seasoned faculty member. The workshop covered essential aspects of storytelling, including:

·        Narrative structure and plot development.

·        Crafting compelling characters and settings.

·        Integrating cultural and personal nuances into the story.

Once the stories were submitted, they underwent a rigorous evaluation process. A predefined rubric was used to shortlist the most compelling narratives, ensuring that the selected stories showcased a diverse range of ideas, styles, and creative approaches.

 

3.3. RUBRIC FOR STORY EVALUATION

 

 

3.4. THE COLLABORATION

In the second phase of the project, the focus shifted to artificial intelligence. The same set of 20 AI-generated images and briefs was used as prompts for generating stories through ChatGPT 4.0, a sophisticated language model. This phase was designed to explore the following:

·        The capabilities of AI in crafting coherent and engaging narratives.

·        The differences in storytelling approaches between human authors and AI.

·        The limitations of AI in understanding cultural, emotional, and contextual subtleties.

By juxtaposing human-written stories with their AI-generated counterparts, the experiment sought to provide a comprehensive understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of both creative processes.

The stories were further analysed through a customised rubric that would help understand the nuances of the story writing in both human and AI-generated modes. The parameters for the analytical study are as follows-

 

 

3.4.1.  Narrative Structure

Sensory pacing: How the story unfolds through sensory experiences, such as the gradual reveal of a space's textures, sounds, or smells.

Spatial narrative: How the story navigates the interior space, guiding the reader through the environment.

Atmospheric tone: The emotional atmosphere created by the sensory descriptions of the space.

 

3.4.2.  Character Analysis

Sensory perception: How characters experience and interpret the sensory aspects of the space.

Spatial relationships: How characters interact with the space and each other within it.

Emotional resonance: How the space affects characters' emotions and behaviours.

 

3.4.3.  Style and Language

Sensory language: The use of vivid, descriptive language to convey the sensory experiences of the space.

Spatial descriptions: The level of detail used to describe the space, including its layout, textures, and ambience.

 

3.4.4.  Emotional Resonance

Empathetic immersion: How the story invites the reader to immerse themselves in the sensory experiences of the space.

Sensory connection: How the story creates a sense of connection between the reader and the space through sensory descriptions.

 

4. THE BOOK

"Imagined Realities" is the culmination of this innovative experiment. The book offers readers a side-by-side comparison of human and AI-generated stories, inviting them to delve into the nuances of each narrative style. It serves as a testament to the potential of human-AI collaboration, while also sparking critical discussions about the future of creativity.

The book is not merely a collection of stories; it is a reflection of the creative journey undertaken by the students and the AI, highlighting the dynamic interplay between human intuition and machine precision.

 

4.1. THEMES AND INSIGHTS

Through its unique approach, "Imagined Realities" touches upon several profound themes and insights, such as:

·        The Intersection of Creativity and Technology: Exploring how human imagination and AI innovation can complement each other.

·        The Possibilities and Limitations of AI: Analysing the strengths of AI in generating structured content and its challenges in replicating emotional depth and cultural context.

·        The Role of Human Intuition: Highlighting the irreplaceable value of human intuition, creativity, and cultural awareness in storytelling.

·        Future Applications of Human-AI Collaboration: Investigating the potential of this synergy in fields beyond literature, such as design, marketing, and education.

 

4.2. PURPOSE AND VISION

At its core, "Imagined Realities" is a celebration of innovation and collaboration. It seeks to inspire readers to embrace the possibilities of human-AI co-creation, challenging traditional notions of authorship and creativity. By fostering dialogue and exploration, this project aims to:

·        Encourage interdisciplinary collaboration between creative and technological domains.

·        Highlight the value of combining human intuition with machine intelligence.

·        Spark curiosity and innovation in the realms of storytelling, design, and beyond.

 

5. CONCLUSION

Imagined Realities serves as a groundbreaking exploration of the symbiotic relationship between human creativity and artificial intelligence in the realm of storytelling. By blending the imaginative power of interior design students with the capabilities of AI, this project has successfully bridged the gap between traditional narrative techniques and cutting-edge technology. The comparative analysis of human and AI-generated stories reveals the strengths and limitations of both approaches, highlighting the irreplaceable value of human intuition, cultural awareness, and emotional depth in storytelling.

Through the process of crafting narratives inspired by AI-generated images and character briefs, the students have not only honed their creative skills but also gained a deeper understanding of the potential of AI in enhancing, rather than replacing, human expression. The resulting book not only celebrates the creative journey but also sparks important conversations about the future of human-AI collaboration in arts, design, and beyond.

As Imagined Realities demonstrates, the future of creativity lies in the convergence of human intuition and machine intelligence, where both can work together to push the boundaries of what is possible. This work challenges traditional notions of authorship and invites readers to reimagine the creative process in an era defined by technological advancement. This paper talks about the process and intricacies that lie behind imagined relationships, which is a testament to the limitless possibilities that arise when humans and AI collaborate, creating new avenues for expression, exploration, and innovation.

 

CONFLICT OF INTERESTS

None. 

 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

None.

 

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