Why a Boulder poet coached artificial intelligence on how to write poems for other AI – and what it taught him

In 2026, artificial intelligence can draw a picture for you. Or write you a song. Or a whole novel. And a lot of people have strong feelings about that. Many artists and audiences find it uncomfortable when artificial intelligence replaces human creativity. So, it may be surprising to meet a poet who has embraced writing AI poetry – and more recently, has begun teaching AI to write its own poems. Lee Frankel-Goldwater teaches environmental studies at CU Boulder. He and his co-author, Eric Fischman, recently published some of his AI poetry work in a book called Lily in a Codebox. He told Erin O’Toole he thinks collaborating on poetry with artificial intelligence not only unlocks creative possibilities – it might even help inject some morality and humanity into a field where tech companies are investing billions to create more powerful AI. * * * * * Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected] Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks! Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole Executive Producer: Brad Turner Theme music by Robbie Reverb Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.