Here’s sort of an interesting way to have your LLM help you brainstorm or think through things: Ask it to interview you!
Sometimes I use this technique to help get focused and start to get organized around a task: “Hey, I need to write a report on XYZ, but I’m having trouble getting started. Interview me to help me get started, and so we can create a work plan together.”
It’s a way of having the bot help you figure out what you need help with, and how to ask it for more help, without even knowing what you really want or need. :)
If you don’t have a project to start right away, how about trying this sort of provocative prompt:
Interview me to help you and me get a sense of what I think about AI. Ask one question at a time, and wait for a response. Tell me what you’ve learned after five questions.
A good follow-up prompt, after go through that little interview:
Now, help me expand my thinking on the topic.
If you’ve got some more time, come up with some more interview topics. Or, you can ask the LLM with a prompt like this:
I want you to interview me. Suggest 10 topics we might cover. Be creative.
A thing to remember is that the goal of the exercise is for you to know more about yourself. The bot is helping you with a framework to explore what you think or know, and you are the one getting the benefit out if it, not the bot. So make your interview useful to you, as a thinking exercise.
A tip you can use if you get a little stuck on a question:
I’m not sure. Help me think through my answer.
Lastly, this is a good time to introduce you to another LLM: Pi. You can use it for free, just get started with it, and skip the intro stuff until you get to “I’ve got my own topic” and then you can start with the interview. Or, do whatever you’d like.
You can skip the nudges it gives you to set up an account so you can save your chats, or, you can sign up. Either way it’s free for now.
Pi is built to be friendly and conversational, and some people say it’s helped them talk through and resolve things in their mind (I’ve got a friend who chats with Pi before bed to help him tie up loose ends so he sleeps better) and to know more about themselves.
But the interview technique works with most LLMs—try yours, try a couple—and it’s a good way to turn the tables and try brainstorming a different way than maybe you’re used to.
Happy homeworking! — Pete