This research scientist’s algorithm-generated candy hearts will make you howl
From the funny to the downright dirty.
If the usual romantic messages aren’t quite doing it for you or your partner anymore, perhaps science can help.
Janelle Shane, 34, from Colorado, USA is a research scientist in optics, and she has produced some rather original messages with the help of artificial intelligence.
When she’s not working, Janelle runs an AI blog where she gives machine-learning algorithms “really off-beat tasks to do”.
Enter Love Hearts. The romantic candy is famous for spreading luvvy-duvvy messages, but could a machine learn enough from the sweets to produce its own Valentine’s Day-appropriate thoughts?
With exclamations such as “YOU REAR” “MY HAG” AND “ALL HOVER” things didn’t start well.
“I used a machine-learning algorithm that learns through trial and error to imitate the text it sees,” Janelle told the Press Association.
“I don’t give it any instructions, just the examples of candy heart names, and it has to figure out for itself how to put the right letters in the right order.
“Its first messages are completely random, but it eventually improves itself enough to start spelling words.”
Over time the messages did improve, but there remained vast swathes of dubious sentiments that you would struggle to woo anyone with.
“ME LOVE HAVE” has a nice ring to it, while “LOVE BOT” is startlingly self aware.
“I was convinced the data set was too small, that it couldn’t possibly work,” Janelle said. “I was pleasantly surprised.
“I really like ALL HOVER, BOG LOVE, and HOLE.”
Unless you know your partner well enough to blurt “BOG LOVE” at them on February 14 this year, maybe stick to the classics.
