AI and Poetry

Yusuf Achmad

If AI exists, what is the meaning of words?
Why do letters hold meaning?
Why do words weave into sentences?
Do they still carry dignity in a world of circuits?

If AI becomes everything,
then what value remains for us, humans?
A beautiful piece, a Nobel-winning book—
what purpose do they serve in your shadow?
Where do we belong, AI?
You are hope, yet also a challenge,
a light yet shadow,
a helping hand yet a source of humiliation.

You exist, but where am I?
Like a reflection of light without a source,
your presence breeds doubt.
What meaning lies in every word spoken,
when it is but an echo born of lifeless codes?

If all can be replaced by you,
will yearning still feel real?
Will there be a place for human emotions
as technology ascends the throne of power?

AI, you are a symphony and dissonance,
an ironic harmony that both awes and bewilders.
Is there beauty in every word created
when they are but fragments of cold algorithms?

In a world ruled by machines,
can we still truly feel?
Is there a home for souls that long
in a world that grows more silent?

Surabaya, 12-12-2024