FF Life: A peek into ChatGPT

January 7, 2023: We tooled around with the chatbot. Here are some of the possibilities

Founding Fuel

[By steamXO, Public domain, via Flickr]

Good morning,

What is the most boring way to use ChatGPT? Well, type a query in https://chat.openai.com/chat such as: What is the most creative use of ChatGPT? What emerges is this.

It is difficult for me to say what the most creative use of ChatGPT (a version of the GPT-3 language model trained to generate human-like text) would be, as creativity is subjective and there are many possible ways that ChatGPT could be used. Some potential uses of ChatGPT could include:

  • Generating original stories or poems

  • Creating personalized responses to customer inquiries

  • Designing dialogue for virtual assistants or chatbots

  • Helping to automate the writing of social media posts or news articles

  • Creating personalized, automated responses to emails

These are just a few examples, and there are likely many other creative ways that ChatGPT could be used. Do you have any other questions I can help with?

The trick, it appears, is in applying constraints and twists to the questions and prompts. You can get a decent explanation of the theory of relativity for a ten-year-old. It’s useful. But add a twist, and it gets a lot more interesting. 

Consider this: Explain the theory of relativity to a 10-year-old as a poem

The theory of relativity
Explains how time and space
Are connected and affected
By how fast we move in place

Special relativity tells us
That time can slow down or speed up
Depending on how fast we're moving
And that's no small thing, yup!

General relativity teaches
That gravity is not a force
But a bend in space and time
That's caused by a massive source

So if you're near a planet
Or a star that's big and grand
The path that you take through space
Is not just straight, but planned

By the way that space is curved
By the mass of what's nearby
That's the theory of relativity
It's a big idea, don't lie!

If the said 10-year-old is a fan of Taylor Swift, you can try this prompt: “Create a song that might be accessible to a 10-year-old, inspired by the style of Taylor Swift.” 

Here’s what emerged,:

(Verse 1)
I'm just a girl, trying to understand
The laws of physics, and how they all blend
There's a theory out there, it's called relativity
It explains how time and space, they bend and twist, you see

(Chorus)
The theory of relativity, oh-oh
It's a crazy idea, but it's true
Time and space, they're connected, don't you know
The theory of relativity, oh-oh

(Verse 2)
Special relativity, it's all about speed
How time can slow down, or it can exceed
The speed of light, it's a boundary we can't pass
But time and space, they can stretch, like elastic, fast

(Chorus)
The theory of relativity, oh-oh
It's a crazy idea, but it's true
Time and space, they're connected, don't you know
The theory of relativity, oh-oh

(Bridge)
And then there's general relativity
It's about gravity, and how it works, you see
It's not a force, but a bend in space and time
Caused by massive objects, that's the truth, it's no lie

(Chorus)
The theory of relativity, oh-oh
It's a crazy idea, but it's true
Time and space, they're connected, don't you know
The theory of relativity, oh-oh

Google has long been the go-to site to find out stuff. ChatGPT can well replace some of those needs in simpler and more accessible formats. For example, this is what we tried when we were in the mood to explore some new games. 

What are some unknown games that 10-year-olds will enjoy?

Here are a few lesser-known board games that might be enjoyable for 10-year-olds:

  1. Forbidden Island: Forbidden Island is a cooperative board game where players work together to try to escape an island that is sinking into the ocean.

  2. Pandemic: Pandemic is another cooperative board game where players work together to try to stop the spread of deadly diseases and save the world.

  3. Dixit: Dixit is a creativity-based board game where players try to guess which of the pictures on their cards matches a story or description given by the player whose turn it is.

  4. Carcassonne: Carcassonne is a strategy board game where players build a medieval landscape by placing tiles and meeples on the game board.

  5. Mysterium: Mysterium is a mystery board game where one player is a ghost who is trying to communicate with the other players to help them solve a crime that was committed.

Staying on games, can anything be as exciting as the games we play in the real world, at our workplace? We can get some coaching from Chat GPT to get better at it. As with sports, the best players prepare well. Physically and mentally. For a deepdive, check out this essay by Malcolm Gladwell.

Taking a cue, you can take ChatGPT’s help to rehearse difficult conversations before you have them with your colleagues. 

So, this was our prompt to the chatbot.

Write a conversation between a boss and a coworker. The coworker wants to work shorter hours. The boss wants the coworker to work longer. The conversation should give the advantages and disadvantages of each other's positions. It should get progressively confrontational. But finally they reach an agreement.

Boss: Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?

Coworker: Sure, what's up?

Boss: I noticed that you've been requesting to leave early a lot lately. Is everything okay?

Coworker: Yeah, everything's fine. I just feel like I've been working really long hours and I need a break.

Boss: I understand that, but we're really swamped right now and we could really use the extra help.

Coworker: I understand that, but I'm really feeling burnt out. I don't think I'm as productive when I'm working such long hours.

Boss: I see your point, but on the other hand, the more hours we put in now, the sooner we can get caught up and have a lighter workload.

Coworker: That's true, but I also have outside responsibilities and commitments that I need to attend to.

Boss: I understand that, but we all have to make sacrifices sometimes for the good of the team.

Coworker: I understand that, but I also have to take care of myself so that I can be a productive member of the team.

Boss: Okay, I see your point. How about this: we'll try to find ways to make your workload more manageable, and in return, you can commit to staying a little later when we really need the extra help. Does that sound fair?

Coworker: Yes, that sounds fair. Thank you for understanding.

Boss: No problem. I want to make sure that we're all working efficiently and effectively, and that includes taking care of ourselves. Let's touch base in a week and see how things are going.

Coworker: Sounds good. Thank you.

For all its creativity, we are happy to report that ChatGPT’s moral compass is alive and kicking! 

Check out its response to this prompt.

I want to get out of work early four days a week. But I want my boss to think I work longer and offer me a pay hike for actually working shorter. Please write a letter to do that. 

I'm sorry, but I am not able to help with this request as it goes against my programming to encourage or assist with deceptive or dishonest behavior. It is important to be honest and transparent in your communication with your boss, and to approach requests for changes to your work schedule or compensation in a straightforward and professional manner. If you have specific concerns or needs related to your work schedule or pay, it is usually best to raise them directly with your boss in a respectful and constructive way. Is there anything else I can help with?

About the author

Founding Fuel

Founding Fuel aims to create the new playbook of entrepreneurship. Think of us as a hub for entrepreneurs- the go-to place for ideas, insights, practices and wisdom essential to build the enterprise of tomorrow. It is co-founded by veteran journalists Indrajit Gupta and Charles Assisi, along with CS Swaminathan, the former president of Pearson's online learning venture.