AI beats George R.R. Martin to writing the latest ‘Game of Thrones’ novel
When it comes to information processing, computers tend to be way faster than we are. The same thing may be true when it comes to generating new plotlines for A Song of Ice and Fire, the series of novels better known to TV fans as Game of Thrones. After all, with six years having elapsed since his last book, 2011’s A Dance With Dragons, was published, author George R.R. Martin certainly appears to be in no rush to publish its follow-up - which is why the producers of the TV show are currently coming up with their own storylines.
That’s where the work of one computer science-savvy fantasy fan enters the picture. Colorado-based software engineer Zack Thoutt has trained a recurrent neural network (RNN) to predict events for the as-yetunfinished sixth novel in the series, The Winds of Winter. As with the real-life writers on the TV show, the data set the RNN is gleaned from the roughly 5,000 pages of existing novels in the series. It was then set to generate chapters, with Thoutt kicking each one off by giving the AI a “prime word” to riff on, before letting it go off in its own direction.
The results read like a fascinating - oftentimes weirdly nonsensical - parody of Martin’s own style. For example, here’s an excerpt from chapter four (the network has so far generated five chapters in all):
“The great sept of old wyk had set around the King’s gate back, and blackened arms but the direwolf in its fork. A hundred yards east, Ser Jorah lingered to where the banners wending their descent down a long ways of rain. The marsh was ladling out beef-andbarley stew, cold as shy of three colors, chunks of butter.”
It also suffers a few chronology errors, such as writing in characters who have already died in previous books. Nonetheless, the generated chapters are intriguing examples of computational creativity in action. And there are enough murders along the way to keep even the bloodthirstiest Game of Thrones fan happy! before pressing the green button, his eyes still on Falmata.
He speaks for a moment over the phone and when he finishes, he shakes his head and says, “I have to go. There has been a blast in the city.”
Falmata says nothing. She tries out a faded smile to reassure him that she will be okay. She quickly turns away from where they stand and walks slowly towards a block of classrooms that now serves as their bedrooms. She does not look back, even when the urge to do so grows with every passing second.
Faruk stands and watches as she walks away. He takes a sigh, shakes his head and begins to walk toward the exit gate, his mind weaving thoughts.