FUKUOKA - An experimental event introducing a unique AI-based haiku experience was held at Fukuoka Institute of Technology in Fukuoka City, where participants tested an application that reviews and refines their original poems.
The app, named CHAT-BASHIRA, was developed by graduate student Iina Izaki, a second-year master’s student in information engineering.
Izaki’s laboratory had previously worked on artificial intelligence for detecting duplication and indexing in haiku contests sponsored annually by beverage makers. Building on that experience, Izaki designed a chatbot that can advise haiku writers who may hesitate to share their work on social media, providing a safer way to take the first step into haiku composition.
Reporters who tried the app submitted seasonal haiku and received advice from the AI, such as emphasizing emotions more strongly. For example, an initial haiku about lingering heat in September was revised into a version highlighting autumn harvests, resulting in more expressive imagery.
One participant, Sakiko Aramaki from Fukuoka’s Higashi Ward, said she was experiencing haiku for the first time. Guided by the AI, she experimented with incorporating summer seasonal words, such as “crepe myrtle,” into her poem. “I was really happy when the AI encouraged me to add a touch that made the haiku feel more exciting,” Aramaki said. “On my own I wouldn’t know how to improve it, so I thought this was really helpful.”
The AI haiku application is scheduled for public release later this year. Future plans include working with publishers to release collections of AI-assisted haiku and further refining the app’s features. Izaki said the next goal is to host digital haiku gatherings online, connecting participants in care facilities or communities through poetry.
The AI haiku app, with its ability to guide both novices and seasoned writers, is opening the door to a new world of poetic expression.
Source: FBS福岡放送ニュース
