10 Experiments With Google's TextFX That Can Boost Your Creativity ✍️

EDITOR’S NOTE

Dear Readers,

The past 18 months have witnessed a seismic shift in the AI landscape. Google Labs, a powerhouse of innovation, has not only kept pace but has actively shaped this transformation, consistently pushing the envelope of what AI can achieve.

Their philosophy? Put technology into the hands of real people and see what happens. They've been collaborating with creators across various fields for years, shaping AI to meet unique needs.

In the next few editions of Nanobits Product Spotlight, I will cover one such tool from the Google Labs kitty and share my experience with it.

This week, we're diving into TextFX, an exciting AI experiment born from Google Labs' collaboration with the GRAMMY® Award-winning rapper Lupe Fiasco.

This tool isn't about AI writing for you; it's about AI empowering your writing. In the newsletter, I'll be explaining each of TextFX's ten unique tools, one by one, so you can truly harness the power of AI in your own creative process.

Lupe Fiasco + Google Labs: The Story Behind TextFX

The creation of TextFX was a journey of discovery. Google Labs researchers immersed themselves in Lupe Fiasco's creative process, observing his unique way of "tinkering" with language. This led to the development of custom AI tools that mirrored his linguistic techniques.

The result? TextFX, a tool that empowers users to explore literary devices in ways they might never have considered.

Here’s what the homepage says about the project:

It is incredibly easy to use. It's web-based, so there's no need to download any software. Simply visit the TextFX site and start experimenting with the different tools.

How TextFX Came to Life: Building with the PaLM API

Under the hood, TextFX relies on Google's powerful PaLM 2 language model, accessed through the PaLM API. This is the engine that drives the creative magic.

Here's a simplified look at how it works:

1. Prompt Storage: Each of the ten TextFX tools has its own unique prompt, carefully crafted and stored as a string in the app's code.

2. User Input: When you enter your word, phrase, or concept into a TextFX tool, it's appended to the end of the corresponding prompt.

3. Sending to PaLM 2: This completed prompt is then sent to the PaLM 2 model through the API.

4. Predicting Output: PaLM 2 analyzes the prompt and predicts the most suitable output(s) based on its vast language knowledge and the patterns it learned during training.

5. Post-Processing: The results from PaLM 2 are then processed and refined by the TextFX app.

6. Presenting Results: The final, polished output is displayed in the TextFX interface, ready for you to use or explore further.

This seamless integration of user input, powerful AI processing, and intuitive presentation is what makes TextFX such a dynamic and user-friendly tool for creative exploration.

HOW TEXTFX WORKS?

TextFX offers ten unique AI-powered tools, each designed to spark imagination and help you play with language in new ways:

SIMILE

This writing tool helps you craft creative similes for any word or concept.

There are two user guides on the left to help you understand how to use this tool effectively — “watch Lupe use it” & “look under the hood.”

I entered the word biscuit and at a 0.7 temperature setting this was the result:

A little bit about temperature setting:

TextFX's Temperature setting controls the "creativity" of the output. A lower temperature (e.g., 0.2) produces more focused and predictable results, while a higher temperature (e.g., 0.8) generates more diverse and surprising responses.

Example:

• Prompt: "Write a sentence about a cat."

• Temperature 0.2: "The cat sat on the mat, purring contentedly."

• Temperature 0.8: "The feline overlord, a symphony of fur and mischief, surveyed its domain from atop the antique armoire."

Seems like the tool got stuck on the idea of a cloud and a warm hug. So, I asked the same question to ChatGPT and Gemini. Let’s see the results:

I was not too happy with the ChatGPT results; Gemini, on the other hand, had some better, less robotic answers. So, I upped the temperature to 1 in TextFx, and here’s what the result says:

It’s still stuck on certain words, and hence, I would declare Gemini as the clear winner here.

This tool can be used for writing poetry/song lyrics and creating product descriptions.

EXPLODE

This tool breaks down words into similar-sounding phrases.

It can be super useful while writing clever copies for ads.
I entered the word donut; I guess I was hungry 😅 

I think this tool will make a lot of sense in songwriting, creative writing, or while naming a business!

UNEXPECT 

This tool injects unexpected twists into a scene or idea.

I am a sucker for thriller and horror stories.
So, I entered the scene: “old watchman with lantern.“

Only one of them was spooky, but as the name suggests, the rest of the answers were quite unexpected.

I can imagine using this to introduce plot twists or surprising elements, adding unexpected punchlines or humorous details to jokes, or creating unique scenarios or challenges for players in game design.

CHAIN

This tool builds chains of semantically related words.

Ever thought that a watch and a galaxy can have something in common? The Chain tool helps you discover unexpected connections between concepts. This is called lateral thinking.

You can use this tool in mind mapping and discovering new words related to a central theme. This process comes in handy while creating ads and writing stories.

POV: 

This tool helps you explore different perspectives on a given topic.

I grew up listening to stories from Indian mythology from my grandfather and hence thought this would be a good topic to get different POVs. These are the results:

This tool will be helpful while brainstorming on character development, writing an essay, and gaining a deeper understanding of opposing viewpoints.

ALLITERATION 

This tool generates a list of words starting with a specific letter, all related to your chosen theme.

You can use this tool to brainstorm blog topics like the 5 Ps of Product Marketing. Or, you can simply use it to write catchy taglines.

ACRONYM 

With this tool, you can turn any word into a clever acronym.

I tried generating outputs with different temperature settings — it seems like lower temperature generated saner results, closer to the actual meaning of the word.

One may use this tool to create brainteasing puzzles, invent funny acronyms for everyday situations, and create campaign slogans and headlines.

FUSE 

This tool blends two unrelated concepts into a surprising new one.

This tool can be used for lateral thinking as well. Think about it — you are tasked to come up with out-of-the-box, crazy ideas for the next ad campaign for Cornflakes.

This is the first time I was disappointed with the results. Even with a lower temperature setting, I didn’t get very compelling results.

Nevertheless, one can experiment more with this tool to generate new product ideas.

SCENE

This tool generates a vivid scene based on a single word or phrase. This is my favorite tool of all.

I was working with a client who wanted to visualize the opening scene for a coffee shop ad. Both of us did an exercise in creative writing where we had to explain how we felt when we entered a coffee shop.

I used TextFx for the initial brainstorming. This is how it went:

There were a lot of ideas that were repetitive as well, so I have pinned only the ones that I liked. Here is the final setting from the writing exercise.

UNFOLD 

You can use this tool to nest your chosen word within other words and phrases.

I was not very clear about how to use this tool. But I checked the “look under the hood“ section and tried to make some sense. Here are the results:

The tool felt somewhat similar to chain and alliteration, but one can use this to experiment with nested structures and wordplay.

One of my favorite designers, Khyati Trehan handled the branding, landing page, and video graphics for the TextFX interface, while José Guizar crafted the sleek UI. I am sure you will love the thoughtful details, such as the background color change for each tool.

NANOBITS OPINION

After experimenting with the tool, I was thoroughly impressed. Because in an ocean of copywriting tools that generate robotic results — yes, I mean ChatGPT as well, TextFx is a breath of fresh air. As Lupe rightly said:

TextFx is very helpful when it comes to brainstorming new ideas, exploring unique angles, and crafting compelling comparisons. This tool is a game-changer for copywriting. You might want to use other AI tools for content writing, which is a longer and more comprehensive format of writing.

It’s a free tool and can be accessed on both laptops and mobile phones. So, go ahead and give it a whirl!

Let me know in the comments or the mail some interesting ways in which you would want to use this tool.

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