Our Creative Writing Group met on Wednesday 02 April 2025 to read their work to the group and to discuss the value of AI (Artificial Intelligence) to the task of writing creatively.

We started with a new version of a pilgrimage by coach where various members of the group contribute from their activities in our u3a, with a wide range of contributions. Although one member had started the topic, it seemed to strike a creative chord with other members of the group who contributed additional ideas and material.

We then moved on to a tricky situation where our hero, an archaeologist, has fallen into an undiscovered burial tomb in a cave system, and does not have the necessary equipment to climb out through the hole where he fell. We are promised the next episode in our next session. We then reminisced over a night singing with a band in a local pub before moving on.

We were then introduced to the magic a W-A-L-K with a clever dog which has learned to spell the name of its favourite activity. We then moved on again to a poem describing the frustration of learning a difficult piece on the piano.

We then discussed the role of AI in creative writing and concluded that AI could assist in the process of unblocking the creative process for a writer, but that the material produced by AI could not really be treated as ‘creative’ as it is largely deduced from Large Language Models.

We quickly moved on the memories of a tree growing next to a house where several families have lived and closed with a piece explaining why the fear of spiders could be justified! Our next meeting will be on 16 April 2025.