This is my second poem for Dan’s Thursday Doors Writing Challenge. Today, I’ve used a photograph contributed by Maureen from https://oddments70.wordpress.com/2026/04/30/april-30-26-coping-but-barely/
You can join in TDWC26 here: https://nofacilities.com/thursday-doors-writing-challenge-2026/
Nothin’ but a hound dog
young people
hypothetical cannon fodder
lead the charge
with artificial intelligence
rushing in
where angels fear to tread
experimenting
summarising
capturing ‘its’ version
of salient details
embellishing the written word
with the soul of the soulless
creating gutless art
purpose of essential organs
missed entirely
by the mindless digital mind
photographs enhanced
excluding the unnecessary
floating heads and hands
by accident not design
mistakes will be made
some doors will open
only to be firmly closed
In the end
progress will continue
some will grasp it firmly
using it to hoist themselves
further up the ladder
others will fall
lying broken and bleeding
at the feet of the demigod
On reflection
isn’t the digital revolution
just a rewrite
of Hound Dog?*
*Hound Dog by Elvis Presley is considered to be his most controversial song. It stands out from all his music, marking a pivotal, rebellious moment in rock ‘n roll history that changed music forever. Elvis Presley’s music was criticized by establishment figures, media commentators, and religious groups as being dangerous, vulgar, and lacking artistic merit. Many condemned his music as immoral and a catalyst for juvenile delinquency. Now, Elvis Presley is considered to have fundamentally changed music for the better by breaking racial barriers in radio and merging country, gospel, and blues into popular rock ‘n roll. He is said to have revolutionised the music industry by linking image and sexuality to sound, creating a youth-orientated culture, ad setting the stage for global rock stardom.
AI is controversial and many people are resistant to its implementation in its current form. I have some reservations about how AI will impact young people and the growth of their mental abilities. You have to exercise the brain if you want it to grow. The fate of the Eloi from HG Wells clever story The Time Machine always comes to mind for me when I think about how AI is currently being utilised. If you are interested in my thoughts on this book and the Eloi, you can read my review here: https://latinosenglishedition.blog/2026/04/30/the-time-machine-by-h-g-wells-by-robbie-cheadle/
AI is a topic of many blog posts. All of the posts I’ve read about AI have interested me deeply. Here are a few links to interesting posts about AI I’ve read recently:
Thomas Wikman from Super Facts – https://superfactful.com/2026/03/21/large-language-models-is-just-one-branch-of-artificial-intelligence/
Grant from Grant at Tame Your Book – https://tameyourbook.com/dont-confuse-ai-with-a-benign-tool/
Rebecca Budd from Rebecca’s Reading Room – https://rebeccasreadingroom.ca/2026/04/28/ai-and-humanity-reflections-from-a-modern-reading-room/
Laura Lyndhurst of Books That Make You Think – https://booksthatmakeyouthink2.co.uk/2023/12/13/prophet-of-old/
Audrey Driscoll of Audrey Driscoll’s blog – https://audreydriscoll.com/2026/04/26/is-this-the-end-of-the-golden-age-of-indie-publishing/
Meeks from acflory blog – https://acflory.wordpress.com/2026/05/01/i-hate-what-ai-is-i-love-what-it-could-be/
Progress shot – Mona Vervet acrylic painting
Meeks asked for a progress shot on my latest painting so here it is … Mona Vervet!
roberta-writes.com 
Those are all interesting posts about AI that you linked to, and thank you for including mine Robbie. I agree with you that AI is different from previous improvements in technology. It seriously threatens to replace our creativity and ingenuity. AI was a tool but it is becoming something more the a tool. You beautiful poem illustrated the wellfounded fear of many.
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Thanks, Thomas. The last lines referencing hound dog intended to indicate it may turn out well in the future.
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you are well read , Robbie, a thoughtful, thought provoking poem — and images. Yes, I have my reservations about AI. But no reservations about Elvis. Stll love his music —
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Thank you, John. I love reading. It is my first love in life. I just subscribed to Speechify so I can read more and faster. Hound dog turned out to be a good thing so AI might too.
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let’s hope so —
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💝
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Your poem about AI is so intriguing. “Creating gutless art” and “the mindless digital mind” stood out to me. I am undecided about AI. Maybe it’s from watching Sci Fi movies. Communicating with a computer seems strange. Believe it or not, I saw Elvis on tv in his first performance on the Ed Sullivan show. I can’t recall how old I was, probably 8 or 9. He was an amazing dancer also. My favorite song was “Jailhouse Rock.” I saw The Beatles too on Ed Sullivan. Seems like a hundred years ago!
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Hi Kay, how exciting that you saw Elvis and the Beatles in live broadcasts. I never listened to their music when I was growing up, it was more about Michael Jackson and Madonna. I do love Hey Jude. I was trying to be optimistic about Ai in this poem.
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That’s a gutsy poem, Robbie, and I absolutely love that photo. I’ve already been playing with it in my mind xx
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That is great to know, Jo. I was trying to be optimistic that AI would turn out well.
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An interesting poem and comparison, Robbie. “Hound Dog” has a complicated history, and there are people throughout time who have been revolutionary in their fields. I’ve never used AI for anything–writing or research. I’ve turned it off on my Word program because it was so annoying. Most publishers will not take poetry or books using AI. But I suppose it is here to stay now. Hopefully, it will become a useful tool. I remember way back when my dad couldn’t see the point of computers when there were typewriters. Things change.
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Yes, that is what I was trying to say. Thank you, Merril 😃👌
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I love your poem, Robbie. It expresses so much about AI that others have taken pages to do so; of course, that’s the magic of poetry.
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Hi Priscilla, I do like poetry to convey a strong and sharp message. Thank you.
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A very good poem, Robbie and a very real fear. I love The Time Machine, and I’ve have those same thoughts about the Eloi. AI is amazing, in many ways, as it creatively repackages what is known. But the human mind is capable of so much more. But you’re right, it needs regular exercise. There hasn’t been another, but so many were influenced by his music and they created so much more.
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Brilliant poem Robbie.💖
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Fascinating poetry with referrals to AI and Elvis Presley, Roberta! 😍
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Some of your reading list is synonymous, there’s site (haven’t bothered to check it, but it made me smile) called AI Slop because, it is sloppy! So love the painting – wow.
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Most of the people criticising AI are not able to use it beyond its clichéd use in fantasy. To use AI in a clever way needs a lot of practise and learning. It lifts creativity f.e. in photography and writing on a higher level. It helps the artists to express themselves much better than before. We live here surrounded by people who are digital artists. To use the modern tools in a clever way needs at least two to three years of learning working these tools. But it’s nothing new as David Hockney shows in his book “Secret Knowledge” where he writes about the techniques of the old masters. Then it was Camera Obscura f.e. To us, the fear of AI seems to be a manifestation of the fear of not being able to cope with this new tool.
The word ‘soul’ is often used in the discussion about AI, like in this poem. ‘Soul’ is a completely undefined term used to describe something entirely vague.
The Fab Four of Cley
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
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