Crochet and... AI??
Crochet and... AI??
Can artificial intelligence create crochet patterns?
Amigurumi is one of the most beloved forms of crochet. I recently came across a story about a crocheter who used ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence chatbot, to create crochet patterns for amigurumi animals.1 The results are very entertaining, and also enlightening about the limits of AI in creative spaces.
@generatedcrochet, an account ran by Alexandra Woolner, went viral on Tiktok earlier this year when she challenged ChatGPT to create a crochet pattern for a narwhal (pictured above). The results led to social media users calling the narwhal ‘cursed’ and a ‘monstrosity’. While hilarious, other users lovingly came to its defence and dubbed him ‘Gerald the Narwhal’. Discover more from Generated Crochet, whose bio reads ‘I make AI designed crochet monstrosities’, by clicking here.
There have been many subsequent attempts from crocheters all over the world to see what bizarre concoctions ChatGPT can turn out. From disastrous granny ‘squares’ to owls without wings, these handmade projects are bound to give you a laugh.2
Crochet Concupiscence challenged ChatGPT to make the owl pictured above. Originally, the pattern did not include wings, but after she asked it to modify the pattern, it came up with these wings which were twice the size of the owl itself.3
She also asked ChatGPT to create a granny square, and on the first round of the pattern it only made 3 corners…
The general consensus seems to be that artificial intelligence isn’t that good at maths yet and, as crochet patterns are a numerical based format, it struggles to create a design without any flaws. This is good news for those in the pattern designing business as AI has long been a threat to creative industries. Writers and artists are, in some ways, being outplayed by AI; it has an ability to churn out content and replicate well documented styles at a rate that the human race just cannot contend with.
I did find one maker who has had some success by asking AI to create crochet flower patterns. These are available for free from Happy Berry - click here to take a look.
Even with their deformities, AI generated amigurumi animals are becoming popular for their humour and uncanny cuteness. But, until the technology progresses, don’t rely too heavily on ChatGPT’s instructions. That being said, it does look like good fun. If I give it a try, I’ll be sure to share my results!