AI-ppy New Year 2025 to all electrical distribution systems designers, manufacturers and friends. A poetry competition.

Year end 2024 and year start 2025 led me to consider are we at the end of the start or the start of the end of the Artificial Intelligence hype? And if the former or the latter; does it really, truly matter? I invite you to be judge in a poetry competition to find your own thoughts on the matter.

LinkedIN and other social media platforms are increasingly exhibiting content, advocating users to participate in content generation using Large Language Model assistants. Like many employees in many companies, I work in an enterprise aware and alive to the efficiencies of text generated in seconds which would take a person much longer to devise, check and revise.

Before the year end and after, within my extended work team there were some notable prompts to make more use of AI for communicating within our own organization and with customers. An example was to generate some poetry - a light hearted way of making the point at Holiday time. I thought that example was not very good, but it inspired me to make my own try-out.

Around 3 years ago I looked at the state of the AI generated content and at that time I was dubious of the ability of AI to generate technical detail reliably, accurately so that a subject matter expert would be satisfied. And recently I have been proof reading some coworkers' output and still being able to detect which is artificially made and which is human intelligence-produced.

Hence the pre-Christmas poetry example inspired me to do a run-off, a trial. A bit like the Turing test. I only used one AI engine. The results impressed me.

The Challenge

Here is the brief for the two contenders: "write a poem which is modeled on the John Clare poem "After Reading in a Letter Proposals for Building a Cottage" making the subject the manufacturing of electrical wire harness assemblies comprising seven stanzas in length."

You might want to read the original poem by John Clare as well, cultured person that you are. Look here >>>>>> Hosted by website Poetrycat

Instructions:

The poems which follow were produced by a human subject matter expert in the technical field, who dares to imitate a poet's style and which one was a pastiche written by Microsoft's Copilot. Time to produce 40 minutes-ish compared to under ten seconds.

1. In the comments below tell me which one of these I wrote - and which is AI
2. Let me know also which one you like better.

Exhibit A

In the factory’s hum, where machines align,

We craft the veins of circuits, fine and true,

With hands that weave the copper’s slender line,

And minds that map the pathways, old and new.

Each wire a thread in this electric loom,

Insulated, bound, and labeled with care,

To guide the current through the silent room,

And bring to life the gadgets everywhere.

The crimping tools, like artisans of yore,

Press firm the connectors, snug and tight,

Ensuring signals flow from core to core,

In seamless dance of energy and light.

The schematics, like blueprints of a dream,

Unfold before us, intricate and grand,

A symphony of wires, a flowing stream,

That weaves through circuits, guided by our hand.

In harnesses, the lifeblood of machines,

We see the future, bright with endless scope,

From simple gadgets to complex machines,

Each wire a promise, each connection hope.

The testing phase, where patience is our guide,

We check each link, each pathway’s silent song,

Ensuring all is right, none misapplied,

For in this craft, precision makes us strong.

And when at last the harnesses are done,

We send them forth, to power and to light,

A testament to what our hands have spun,

In every wire, a spark of human might.

Exhibit B

Harness athwart conveyor build on board,

With wires cover'd o'er;

Let circuits thru' its branches spread,

Plaited, single, multicore.

?

The wound jacketed copper string,

Braided close and tight;

Enwrapt in tube split corrugated thing,

Kept snug both day and night.

?

Small tin terminals of flange and fin,

Settled in their resting place;

Hug of silicone tuck them in,

Happy view of connector face.

Let dimensions show, from clip to wedge,

With tolerance and precision

Attesting manufactured success - a pledge,

Derivative from designer’s lofty vision.

Spaced even deft adhesive tape

Shall clasp the wires bound

Aslant or hanked firmly to shape

The bundles o’er wound?

Labeled neat, complete next unsecured??

From fixtures freed, submit to tests.

Passed with quality assured

So bag-nestling, happily it rests.

?

Into the OEM’s product put

This harness when you will

With hope the supplier partner’s cut

Shall be a modest profit still.

Given the progress in natural language AI has made in the last decade, I believe we are at the end of the start. By 2035 I believe the technologies which will be mainstream then, will be an order of magnitude even more impressive. Naturally I prefer the human authenticity of my own poem though!

Happy New Year