I have a confession to make: this is an entirely self-indulgent blog. The sheer delight of conceiving the heading ‘Withnail and AI’ meant I then had to write a post to go with it.

Which leads me to my second confession:  I didn’t write it. Genny – AutogenAI’s Large Language Engine – wrote it. In 10 seconds flat. It’s extremely good at writing very quickly. It’s imaginative, creative and grammatically and linguistically precise.

I asked Genny how Withnail and I could be improved with AI. These are some of the ideas it came up with:

  • AI could generate new dialogue and scenes based on the viewer’s input, giving them more control over the film’s narrative.
  • AI could be used to provide an interactive experience for viewers, allowing them to explore the world of Withnail and I in greater depth.
  • AI could be used to create an interactive game based on Withnail and I, allowing players to explore the world through the eyes of its characters.
  • AI could be used to generate an interactive, branching narrative, allowing the viewer to explore alternative storylines and outcomes.
  • AI could be used to create virtual versions of the actors from the film, allowing viewers to interact with them in a realistic way.
  • AI could be used to create an interactive quiz based on the film, allowing viewers to test their knowledge of the story and characters.

Now as much as I love Genny, I love ‘Withnail and I’ much more (I am, after all, a girl of the 80s).  And so I end this post with one of my favourite quotes from the film – one that highlights, I think, the power of language that AI is still a million miles away from creating:

‘I loathe Russian plays. Always full of women staring out of windows, whining about ducks going to Moscow’.

Indeed.