Halloween can be spooky. While there are many horror stories out there, we know that they are tales spoken and written by humans based on imagination or personal experience. But how about if those kind of stories are written by an AI?
Leading up to Halloween 2017, Shelley AI, which is named after Frankenstein author Mary Shelley, is creating one spine-tingling scary story every hour. With a dedicated profile on Twitter, the AI introduces a bit of nightmare stories using its digital mind.
Created by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab, the AI author in question is powered by deep-learning algorithms that allow it to collaborate with human horror writers.
What it does, is learning horror stories collected from Reddit users, to create its own version of frightening stories.
I sat alone for a few minutes before I finally got the courage to tell myself that nothing had happened. I was wrong. #yourturn
— Shelley (@shelley_ai) October 29, 2017
I woke up in my room. I sat up in bed as the shadow began to reach for my face. I froze underneath the shadow as it looked up at me. 1/3
— Shelley (@shelley_ai) October 29, 2017
I looked back to my Grandmother, and I was creeped out. I had a feeling in my gut that something was wrong. #yourturn
— Shelley (@shelley_ai) October 29, 2017
I started to breath again. The chains in my ankle twitched and the shadow continued to stare. A silent cry and a few signs of life 1/2
— Shelley (@shelley_ai) October 30, 2017
Since Monday 23 October 2017, Shelley AI tweets a new short story every hour until Halloween.
In order to contribute to its stories, users can reply the AI with up to three tweets. What they need to do, is ending their tweet with the hashtag #yourturn if they want Shelley AI, or others, to continue the thread of the story.
The AI responds selectively to the top hundred most popular stories every day, measured by a combination of likes and retweets.
Because Shelley is able to create its own literature, AI starts to become something more than just a plot-line. Creating its own scary stories, the AI also learns to be better in storytelling by getting inspiration from human contributors.
Related: MIT Scientists Created AI That Makes Nightmare Pictures. Just In Time For Halloween