There were a two points that stuck out with me about this talk, each of which I'll go over below:
- Relating generative language to exploration. I really liked Parrish's theme of space exploration throughout the talk, partially because it gave an exciting tone to the lecture, but mostly because it alluded to how much we can learn from generative writings. Parrish was astute in observing that since bots aren't constrained to norms the way that humans are, they can come up with things humans would be unable to in their current state.
- What is known and unknown is in the eye of the beholder. I really liked how Parrish talked about how what we deem as nonsense or sensical depends on who we listen to. Recent movements such as as #MeToo or Gay Marriage Equality would have been completely dismissed 100 years ago. Conversely, we now look back certain midcentury opinions that were held as facts and gawk. This shows the importance of both lending a voice to people that have none and maintaining an open mind.