Arvind Sanjeev Photo credit: Special Arrangements
“Write a news story about a unicorn found in Kerala…” Arvind Sanjeev types this question on his AI-powered typewriter and we wait for the answer. Moments later, the typewriter thoughtfully answered the sensational question. “Experts believe,” it explains, “that warmer weather in the region may encourage these magical creatures to migrate.”
With chatbots making headlines around the world and sparking heated debate, Arvind decided to experiment with AI in his own way. It powered a vintage typewriter with the GPT-3 language model from Open AI.
The AI chatbot does not disappoint, offering answers to almost any question. From poems to jokes to existential questions, it’s hands on. “My friends have tested their typewriter, asking it all kinds of questions. The answers have always been inventive,” smiles Arvind.
Ghostwriter, an AI-powered typewriter | Photo credit: Special Arrangements
The Ghostwriter, as he calls it, is an ’80s Model Brothers typewriter he bought from an e-commerce platform. The idea of integrating AI with this was an artistic experiment, says Arvind, “a way to connect our past with the present and the future. We have a history of working with typewriters. We went from relying on our phones. rely more on the devices, which consume our data. The typewriter is also more intentional, in the sense that it gives you the ability to focus only on the writing process. So, I call AI. “I wanted to take it out and put it on a vintage device,” he says.
The potential of AI
A design technologist, with a Masters in Interaction Design at the Copenhagen Institute of Interaction, Arvind is constantly fascinated by the potential of AI and loves navigating the space between the physical and the digital. “We don’t need to have the sense of anxiety around AI. We need to be able to co-create with it in a safe space,” he says.
He says the Ghostwriter could be the world’s first AI-powered typewriter. He repaired the typewriter and installed two hardware units – a computer board, the Raspberry Pi, which talks to chatGPT and the Arduino, which simulates key presses.
Arvind runs a full-time hardware startup, Lumen World, of which he is Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer. It is currently developing a mixed reality flashlight, which provides a combination of physical and virtual realities. Although this technology is still being used in India, the technology is being tested in entertainment venues and museums in Europe and America.
Arvind, who worked in Sweden right after his Masters, says pushing the boundaries of technology to solve real-world problems is what gets him hooked.
He says the Ghostwriter could be the world’s first AI-powered typewriter. After repairing and testing the typewriter, he installed two hardware units – a small computer board, the Raspberry Pi, which talks to chatGPT and the Arduino, which simulates key presses.
Arvind runs a full-time hardware startup, Lumen World, of which he is Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer. It is currently developing a mixed reality flashlight, which provides a combination of physical and virtual realities. Although the technology is still being used in India, the technology is being used in entertainment venues, museums and gaming centers in Europe and the US.
Arvind, who worked in Sweden right after his Masters, says that pushing the boundaries of technology to solve real-world problems is what keeps him engaged.
Can AI replace you?
“It was always assumed that AI would replace blue-collar jobs, which involve repetitive tasks. But it has started to replace creative jobs,” says Arvind, “at the end of the day. , it lacks emotional intelligence. A human being who is comfortable with AI and uses it in daily life stands to benefit.
Arvind says he has always been fascinated by technology, tinkering with gadgets and creating his own, even as a student of Electronics and Communication Engineering at TOKH Institute in Arakannam, Kerala. Arvind has conducted technical workshops in colleges across India and partnered with the Government of Kerala on a project to distribute Raspberry Pi kits to school students. They believe that the first step to embracing change is to understand it. “AI experiments help people consider the relationship between man and machine”.
