When using generative AI chat interfaces, have you ever been stumped on what to ask?
Yeah, you’ve probably read something about prompt engineering—HOW to write prompts—that is how to write a prompt right—but what about the RIGHT prompt?
Yes, we have creative techniques like suggestions and chat history. We could even just duplicate the abusive and often dangerous Surveillance Capitalism playbook and use contextual data, that companies like Google have, to guess what we’re trying to accomplish—based on our locations, previous behaviors, and what’s going on in the world.
But what if there was a better way?
Let’s try another perspective…
As an operator with a huge propensity to act, I’m very good at responding to things. If I were a creative professional, I’d be much better at editing than generating content. That’s probably why I like to practice Inbox Zero. I’ve trained myself to be incredibly effective at doing—not thinking.
Could generative AI help us think better?
What if AI could hold our goals in mind?
What if it could see and understand everything that we experience?
What if it could ask us the right questions to move us towards our own goals?
What if, instead of having to type out a prompt, it gave us content to consume, think about, learn from, and the ability to react?
Could AI send me a message to keep me focused and thinking about the right next thing?
How would it need to work?
It couldn’t be stupid, or else I’d find it a waste of time. It would have to be smart, clever, and clear. It would have to provide us value, knowing where we were today and pushing us at a healthy pace of improvement.
It couldn’t be rigid, or else I would ignore it. It would have to be flexible to our behaviors, forgiving us when we messed up, and being patient when we needed it.
It couldn’t be ignorant, or else I wouldn’t get what I need. It would have to be critical and revealing of blind spots. It couldn’t ignore our shortcomings or shy away from where we need help.
It would have to be kind.
It would have to do all of this at the exact levels I would want it to be—which is different than what you’d want it to be—so it would have to be personalized.
What then?
Assuming we could design an AI coach to do this, how would that change our behaviors? How would each of us excel beyond where we were today? What would we be able to accomplish with a personal coach. A customized mentor. The ideal business partner...