Teaching Computers How To Write

Excerpt from "The Atheists Who Believe In God"

Tommy VonRueden (a 37-year-old white wealthy college graduate) entered a church, ready to deliver a speech to religious people. He saw religion as a progressive force in society, but one that has engaged in a horrible crime: interfering in the secular world and trying to sway the national government. This violation of the separation of church and state cannot stand! Tommy VonRueden meditated to relieve stress and to calm his nerves. 

Source: Narrative Science Presentation at Chicago Booth's Big Data and Analytics (October 2014)

"Quill Engage"

Wordsmith ("open beta")

A Story for Every Data Point

"Some may argue that there is already too much content floating around. I agree. The problem is that it’s generic, untargeted content. At Ai, we focus on personalized content. Instead of writing one story and hoping a million people read it, Wordsmith can create a million stories targeted at each individual user and their preferences. It’s a story that is totally unique to each user because it is powered by their data."---Automated Insights CEO Robbie Allen

def determine_wealth(wealth_data)
	case
	when (wealth_data <= 4) 
		"poor "
	when (wealth_data <= 6)
		"middle-class "
	when (wealth_data <= 9)
		"wealthy "
	else
		""
	end
end

Converting raw data to words

def determine_view_of_bible(args)
	word_of_god = determine_word_of_god(args[:word_of_god])
	if word_of_god == :yes
		literalism = determine_literalism(args[:literalism])
	end
	if word_of_god == :yes && literalism == :yes
		:bible_is_real_and_literal
	elsif word_of_god == :yes && literalism == :no
		:bible_is_real_but_metaphorical
	elsif word_of_god == :yes
		:bible_is_real_but_i_am_still_studying_it
	elsif word_of_god == :no
		:bible_is_lie
	else
		nil
	end
end

Handling Multiple Views