Paper by Siri

A University of Canterbury researcher's paper on nuclear physics, written entirely by iOS auto-complete, has been accepted by a US conference. Associate Professor Christoph Bartneck explained the strange turn of events in a blog post. On Thursday, Bartneck received an invitation from the International Conference on Atomic and Nuclear Physics to submit a paper. "Since I have practically no knowledge of Nuclear Physics I resorted to iOS auto-complete function to help me writing the paper," he explained. Bartneck, whose background is in Industrial Design and Human-Computer Interaction, started sentences for the paper using words linked to the field like "atomic" and "nuclear" and let the operating system's auto-complete function do the rest. "The text really does not make any sense." Bartneck also added an illustration on nuclear physics from Wikipedia, a few references, and created a fake identity for himself - Iris Pear (inspired by Apple's Siri). He submitted the paper (entitled Atomic Energy will have been made available to a single source) to the conference organisers and Americans being the stupid nutjobs they are, it was accepted within three hours. Automatically generating scientific articles had become easy with special dedicated software, Bartneck said. But this was a whole new ballgame. "I know that iOS is a pretty good software, but reaching tenure has never been this close." To give you an idea of just how nonsensical the finished product was, the abstract reads like so:

• Atomic Physics and I shall not have the same problem with a separate section for a very long long way. Nuclear weapons will not have to come out the same day after a long time of the year he added the two sides will have the two leaders to take the same way to bring up to their long ways of the same as they will have been a good place for a good time at home the united front and she is a great place for a good time. The atoms of a better universe will have the right for the same as you are the way we shall have to be a great place for a great time to enjoy the day you are a wonderful person to your great time to take the fun and take a great time and enjoy the great day you will be a wonderful time for your parents and kids. Molecular diagnostics will have been available for the rest by a single day and a good day to the rest have a wonderful time and aggravation for the rest day at home time for the two of us will have a great place for the rest to be great for you tomorrow and tomorrow after all and I am a very happy boy to the great day and I hope he is wonderful. Nevertheless I have to go back home to nuclear power to the united way she is to be the first woman united to work on their own and the rest will be the same way as she will have to come back to work and we are still not the way we shall have the united side and we are not the same way she is the way she said the same as she was a good time. Physics are great but the way it does it makes you want a good book and I will pick it to the same time I am just a little more than I can play for later and then it is very very good for a good game. Nuclear energy is not a nuclear nuclear power to the nuclear nuclear program he added and the nuclear nuclear program is a good united state of the nuclear nuclear power program and the united way nuclear nuclear program nuclear. Scientist and I have been very good to me today I hope I have to work on tomorrow after work today so far but I'm still going for tomorrow night at work today but I'm not going home said I am a good friend and a great time for the rest I have been doing. Physics are great but the same as you have been able and the same way to get the rest to your parents. Atoms for a play of the same as you can do with a great time to take the rest to your parents or you will be nucleus a great time for a great place. Power is not a great place for a good time.

If you want to see how that was possible, click here. But now, his paper has been accepted for the oral presentations and he has been invited to register to secure his place. The conference is set to be held in Atlanta, Georgia on November 17 and 18 (the week after either of the two worst candidates in history makes it to the White House).