AI Tartan: Kiltmaker Blown Away by ChatGPT's Intelligence
Key Highlights :
Kiltmaker Steven Sim, based in Arbroath, Scotland, was 'blown away' by the intelligence of the ChatGPT artificial intelligence (AI) tool when he used it to design a new tartan. The tartan, which features prominent gold to reflect the 'brilliance AI brings to the world', has already been accepted onto the official Scottish Register.
Mr Sim, 52, a former graphic designer, was amazed by the chatbot's intelligence and the detailed and vivid rationale it provided for the design. The creation features prominent red, to represent the 'passion that drives AI development, and gold for 'the brilliance and illumination AI brings to the world'. It also includes several hidden references to AI and science fiction, including 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'.
According to its notes of registration, the tartan was created 'to celebrate the dawn of artificial intelligence' and honour one of the 'founding fathers' of the field, computer scientist John McCarthy. Its colours – navy blue, bright gold, two shades of grey, red and green – collectively represent 'mankind's vast knowledge, enlightenment, impartiality, journey of learning, creativity and innovation, and the environmental impact of AI's evolution'.
One of the other colours is green which it included to mark 'the significance of AI in mankind's journey in the wellbeing of the planet'. Mr Sim said he was simply 'blown away' by the chatbot's intelligence and that he 'made sure the colours used had meaning relevant to the invention of AI'.
42 is a significant number in the tartan's thread count and a nod to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, the acclaimed 1979 novel by English author Douglas Adams. In the book, the answer to the 'Ultimate Question to Life, the Universe and Everything' is 42 – although Adams meant this as a joke with no great meaning. Other significant numbers in the tartan's thread count respectively nod to computing bytes and the year of the Dartmouth Workshop.
Mr Sim also used ChatGPT to create sci-fi-inspired images of robots wearing the new tartan among 'electronic cities' that look like circuit boards. 'The additional circuit board images of red and green electronic cities which I asked ChatGPT to create to enhance the idea of this circuit board in the Tartan,' he said.
Kilts using the design are in the works and Mr Sim is not the only one recently who has taken inspiration from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy to bring an idea to life. X owner Elon Musk has just unveiled a new chatbot called Grok that has been modelled on the novel, one of the tech billionaire's favourites.
The tartan is intended to capture the essence of AI development, its impact on the world while also warning about its potential risks and unintended consequences. With ChatGPT's help, Mr Sim has created a tartan that celebrates the dawn of artificial intelligence and is sure to be a hit in the world of kilts.
