We often express our existential concerns through metaphors, as they help us relate our own experiences to abstract concepts. Research suggests that people who apply their own metaphors to life report greater meaning — especially those with a strong need for structure. As Henrikensen puts it in his research paper on the project: [Read: Can AI convincingly answer existential questions?] Unfortunately, our individual experiences limit our ability to create meaningful metaphors for such complex concepts. The Computer Prophet attempts to overcome these constraints through the power of machine learning.
Inside the Computer Prophet
The system uses OpenAI’s GPT-2 text generator to generate novel metaphors. Henriksen trained the model on 3.6 megabytes of metaphors, quotes, proverbs, idioms, and other metaphorical words collected from various online sources and archives. He then prompted the system to add its creations to a series of target subjects, such as “Life is __.” Of the 900 metaphors it generated for nine different targets, 70% were in the structure of conceptual metaphors, and 85% were coherent. Even if you’re not convinced of the philosophical need for the Computer Prophet, the metaphors it generates are still worth checking out. Here’s its rather jingoistic musing on war: A more conceptual metaphor is this one on ideas: Henriksen has also invited Redditors to submit their own questions to the system. One asked the most fundamental question of them all: “What is the meaning of life?” The Computer Prophet responded with a series of metaphors that ranged from depressing to uplifting. Here are three of my favorites: Life is made up of sudden epiphanies lost in the whirlwind. Life is a course that must be traveled, a journey into the unknown. It is a journey not taken lightly. We must boldly go where no one has gone in years.
