poetry camera writes and prints poems of what it captures using AI

Poetry Camera can write poems with the help of AI

Poetry Camera makes and prints poems about the people, objects, and surroundings it photographs using AI. Reminiscent of an instant camera, there’s a large, protruding camera lens on the boxy frame, which scans the subject. Below it, there’s a slit where the receipt-like paper prints out the poems that the AI Poetry Camera digitally pens. The design looks comical with the sizeable shutter button and viewfinder, but there’s also a nostalgic sense about it, knowing that it gives the user stanzas on a piece of paper rather than projecting them on a screen.

The AI language model that the Poetry Camera uses is from Anthropic named Claude 4. It’s the reason the device can write poems almost instantly using literary language. The user can choose the type of AI-generated poem they want, from haiku, sonnet, and limerick to alliteration and free verse, using the built-in knob. So far, the images and poems aren’t stored digitally on the Poetry Camera, meaning that the only copy the user has is the printed receipt.

all images courtesy of Poetry Camera | photo by Kaylee Pugliese/RISD

Device needs wifi connection to work

Kelin Zhang and Ryan Mather, the masterminds behind the Poetry Camera, have a ‘microfactory’ in New York where they assemble the device by hand. It’s a small team because they want to individually piece the parts together to add their personal touch to the end result. The frame is made of vacuum-cast plastic housings, and the device runs on a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W with a Raspberry Pi Camera Module 3. There’s a catch, however. The device can’t work without a WiFi connection. It relies on it to make the language model work and start churning out AI-made poems. The team says that the Poetry Camera that can write poems doesn’t train the AI model it uses. About Anthropic’s Claude 4, they add that they ‘care to pick reputable AI model providers that do not train on your data.’

The design team says that the device is a toy for creative expression. Ryan Mather shares with designboom that he and Kelin Zhang choose printed poetry instead of photos ‘to invite you to slow down and appreciate the world around you. It’s kind of like how people tend to prefer the book version of a movie more than the movie version because their memories and imagination feel more personal and special.’ For those who are crafty, they can build the device on their own, as Kelin Zhang and Ryan Mather make it open-source. In case the user isn’t so handy, they can just order the Poetry Camera and allow it to write and print the poems on a piece of paper.

there’s a slit below the lens where the receipt-like paper prints out the poems