In 2016 Robin Sloan already built an RNN-powered inline AI writing plugin
jackclarkSF · x · 2026-09-11
Jack Clark notes writer Robin Sloan was writing about (and with) RNNs back in 2016—remarkable foresight. The linked post, "Writing with the machine," describes Sloan's project: a character-level RNN (torch-rnn) trained on old sci-fi stories, wired into the Atom editor as an inline autocomplete plugin—press Tab and a "deranged but well-read parrot" offers completions, years before mainstream AI-assisted writing. It was open-sourced as torch-rnn-server and the rnn-writer package.
Related event: Jack Clark to Discuss Sci-Fi and AI Futures with Author Robin Sloan(2 posts)→
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