My last post generated so much email that I thought I’d better answer some of the questions here.
I Hate AI
Not a question, but I understand. If you don’t join the Beta program, you’ll never see the AI button, and everything you do see will be generated by real humans.
Why, oh why, are you doing this?
I’m interested in crosswords, and I’ve been able to look at them in many statistical, mathematical ways, but the core of what makes crosswords interesting is that they are an artform, designed to twist your brain, and then give you an endorphin rush when you figure them out.
How would a non-human “brain” experience this puzzle designed to deceive and delight humans? The answers say something interesting about both computers and humans.
The good news is that AI does a poor job of extracting the elements that make crosswords most enjoyable. But now and then, it comes up with ideas that at least appear to be surprisingly insightful.
How do I join the Beta?
You no longer have to send me mail. Once you’re logged in to your XWord Info account, you’ll see a link at the top called something like Your account. You’ll see a checkbox. If you’re at the Angel level, you can check or uncheck that to join or leave the program.
I may extend that to all users later, depending on feedback.
What can I do when I join?
When you look at any puzzle back to January 1, 2025, you’ll see a new View AI Analysis button. (I will probably extend further back.) Click that to see a summary of the theme, notable entries, clue highlights, construction notes, and overall assessment.
Beta constructors can also get the same information on their unpublished puzzles by uploading them here.
How reliable is this?
It varies wildly. Go for the entertainment and stay for the occasional useful gems.
AI has a tough time picking up some themes. Sometimes it completely nails a complex theme, and sometimes it complains about things it doesn’t understand. Themeless puzzles do better.
In either case, there is often useful information. Its opinions should be taken with a grain of salt, but they’re often justified. It tries to fact-check clues. You’ll need to check the accuracy yourself.
Here’s a recent check that amused me:
40-Across MERLOTS, “Sémillon rouge and Médoc noir”: this appears incorrect on its face (Sémillon is a grape, Médoc is a region; neither naturally maps to “Merlot(s)” in the way clued). Even if there’s a wordplay angle, it’s not coming through, and it risks feeling like a mistake rather than a trick.
Are you trying to be a blog?
Not at all. Only humans can judge the merits of a crossword. Besides, my focus is different. Blogs look at crosswords from the perspective of a solver. I’ve asked the AI here to think of itself as a constructor looking for advice and suggestions.
Constructors have long been able to share their uploaded crosswords and generate a private online solving link to share. That’s the best way to get useful feedback, but now they can get an additional level of support by asking AI for ideas for improvement.
How should I interpret the results?
Complaints on the published puzzles are often unfair. After all, they’ve been professionally edited and fact checked. They’ll still point out difficult crossings or loose clues, but you can assume they are intentional or at least needed to support other elements in the grid.
For uploaded puzzles, especially themed ones, it depends on how well the AI can figure out your trickery. Even when theme detection fails, there are still often useful ideas. A few constructors have already told me they wished they had this capability before submitting puzzles for publication.