The Future of Storytelling
The ancient tradition continues to evolve
Storytelling is a pursuit as old as human cultures. It’s been a way of informing, guiding, and entertaining since long before history was first written and, as far as we know, on the Earth it has been a uniquely human endeavour.
A *very* Brief History of Storytelling
While storytelling began in the oral tradition, it gradually evolved with technology to include written versions (hand paintings, clay tablets, stone carvings, plays, the printing press), and then visual media such as comics, movies, and television. The computer age introduced new formats such as ebooks and audiobooks, as well as bringing more widespread interactive storytelling in such formats as video games. In addition, the increasing power of mobile phones (just ‘phones’ to the current generation) and the widespread availability of broadband has allowed anyone to be the protagonist in the narrative of their life. Indeed, the latter has given rise to the concept of a so-called ‘main character syndrome’, where some people seem to have completely forgotten that others exist in the quest to capture perfectly framed moments in the carefully crafted video snapshots of their life.
So, dead-tree manuscripts and linear narratives are far from the only forms of storytelling that currently exist, but we are on the precipice of yet another monumentous technological leap that will add new options to our storytelling. Generative Artificial Intelligence has not only arrived, but it’s already coming of age.
Of course, there is the fear that AI may soon supplant human story creators completely, and I’m not going to comment on that because there is simply too much speculation, uncertainty, and fear already. But the various AI tools that are being developed and perfected will give storytellers many more options for sharing their stories.
Generative AI in Storytelling
To begin with, the modern technological tools have already democratized access to formats that simply weren’t accessible to many writers due to cost or even just access to human networks. A single person now has the ability to publish and distribute their novel (thanks to print on demand, ebooks, and internet marketplaces created in the noughties), create audiobooks (popularized in the 2010s and now generally accessible due to AI text-to-voice generation), produce high-quality book trailers (more accessible now due to the proliferation of AI video generation), and create audio-visual channels for promotion on streaming platforms.
The above, which would have required an army of people just a few decades ago, can now be done by one person in their home using the available tools.
Yes, this does bring to question the possible loss of work for many people who would have been doing these jobs. However, the vast majority of authors now using these tools would never have been able to afford to pay those other professionals for their time and services anyway.
But I digress.
Because what I want to present is a new form of storytelling that I believe will find its way into the milieu of options very soon.
Real-time interative user-guided stories.
I believe storytelling is about to undergo yet another evolution with the creation of stories as guided experiences unique not only to each user but to each experience of the content by the same user.
Several companies, including graphics card manufacturer Nvidia, have spoken extensively about features such as the creation of real-time AI-generated characters coming as a result of generative AI. Generative AI is already leading to two features that will enhance the experience of visual interactive stories.
Live Rendering will mean characters and their emotions can be rendered uniquely as each interaction progresses, in real time.
Unique Interactions. If given a strong, consistant backstory and motivation, the AI-driven characters are able to interact with a user in unique ways that can, nevertheless, contribute in a consistant manner to guide the user through the story. Thus giving the user a unique experience for each character during each experience of the story.
Together, these mean that each experience of the story can be original, while still similar, leading to replayability (rereadability). While Nvidia talks mostly of interactive video game or VR experiences, similar technology could make its way into e-books and audiobooks also.
What I’m envisioning, in interactive stories of these formats, is the author as more of a ‘hands-off’ creator, rather than a micromanaging creator. Currently, authors manage the entire minutia of their stories, including the thoughts and actions of all their characters. Instead, AInteractive stories could see authors creating detailed character backstories, settings, world-building and plot scenarios, then letting the user (reader) loose in their world as the generative AI paints their experience.
In the case of video games, the player would move through the world with a new experience each playthrough. The game would follow similar key points and mechanics, but player decisions could dramatically alter the way characters interact with them leading to a new game experience.
For a book, well, anyone who has tried Sudowrite will have an idea of what I’m getting at. The AI will have all the author-generated information as well as key plot-points and a general path through the story, but the story itself could be generated fresh each time. Advanced versions could include generation of the story from a different character’s perspective or even with alterations made by the reader.
Putting the Reader in the Story
One consequence of these AI-generated user-guided stories is that they could be written to allow the reader to truly become a character in the story. While this is not every reader’s interest, the rise of certain types of fan fiction suggests there may be a substantial market for this style of story creation.
The Take-away for Authors
So, ultimately what I’m suggesting for authors, is that all their hard work on character backstories, world-building, and outlining could soon find much more use than just fleshing out their static novels. They could also be used as:
The foundation of their own AI-enhanced interative stories
Ambience-enhanced AI-generated audiobooks
AI-generated movies
Video games generated from the novels (for the genres this fits)
AI-generated VR story walkthroughs
Author-run subscription services where readers sign-up and get access to author-created story elements such as characters, plot lines, organizations, that can be used to generate unique stories.
Author-led online communities that share story elements for uniquely-generated stories.
So in general, the more detailed, structured notes you keep for your stories, the more you’ll be able to benefit from what I believe will be a coming explosion in the storytelling marketplace. So get your databases in order!
It’s important to note that none of what I’ve said will mean old formats will disappear. Let’s face it, not all formats will be for everyone. And that’s the beauty of the modern age. In addition, since AI-generated content cannot be copyrighted (i.e. it’s public domain), this means the stories generated from original author content can’t be claimed by any one individual (while the original author’s content can be copyrighted and licensed by that author).
But what do you think? Is AI-generated content a scourge on humanity and the end of the human story? Is it a way to democratize access to services and markets that many people wouldn’t have had? Will it lead to many new storytelling options and formats? Do you have any thoughts on future directions of storytelling?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
And until next time,
Good health, good friends, good fortune,
Edwin