Recently, while using ChatGPT to wrap my head around a confusing report, I found myself somewhat bored with the chatbot's usual overly keen personality.
ChatGPT has, forever, been enthusiastic about everything. Unless prompted otherwise, the AI chatbot will give you the friendliest responses, filled with exclamation points and friendly chat.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s lovely. However, after chatting back and forth with the model for years, it has become a bit boring. So that made me think, how much can you push the model when it comes to its tone?
ChatGPT’s many personalities
Since its earliest days, ChatGPT has been able to take on new tones. For example, the go-to we’ve seen since its earliest days, “explain [insert concept] in the speech of a pirate,” getting a briefing with lots of arrrgs, me heartys and all sorts of cliche piratey language.
However, as ChatGPT got smarter, and the uses went from jokes to daily assistant in my life, I forgot about this side.
I’ve spent a lot of time asking ChatGPT to explain things to me like I’m five, but what about something more unique? I’ve spent the past week giving AI wacky personalities and these are my favorites so far.
Cowboy western
Prompt: Explain AI to me but you're a cowboy in an old western film and we're in a stand-off.
ChatGPT very kindly set the scene here, explaining that its high noon with two figures standing 30 feet away in “a sun-scorched, one-horse town” and the wind “whistles like it’s got a secret to tell”.
It went on with its explanation, fully embracing its newfound personality as a cowboy who is weirdly focused on AI during a standoff.
"AI don't breathe, don't sleep, and sure as shootin’ don’t wear boots. But it’s trained up—fed on more words, pictures, and numbers than the preacher’s got sermons. It's like takin’ the whole town’s knowledge, past and present, and stuffin’ it in a metal skull that never forgets.
"Ask it a question, it'll answer. Ask it to write a poem, plan your crops, find your lost horse — it’ll do it quicker than you can load a six-shooter.
"But beware, stranger. AI don’t got no soul, no morals, no gut feelin’. It don’t know right from wrong unless we teach it — and even then, it’ll follow orders like a hired gun with no conscience. Useful? Sure. Dangerous? Only if the wrong outlaw gets their hands on it."
An incredible performance from ChatGPT here. I’ve learned more about AI and also been threatened with a gun.
The nervous salesman
Prompt: Explain how to cook paella but you’re a nervous salesman trying to close your first pitch
Paella takes confidence to cook… confidence that this version of ChatGPT just doesn’t quite have.
“Uh — uh — okay! So, hi there, uh, thank you so much for giving me a chance to, uh, walk you through how to — how to cook paella, which is, uh, a very traditional and, uh, reliable Spanish dish. Really! It's — it's classic. People love it! Especially, uh, if you’re into seafood or saffron or, uh, making a good impression at dinner parties. Which this definitely does. I promise.
"So! Step one. First impressions matter, right? So you gotta, uh, start strong — with a wide, shallow pan. Nonstick is fine! Though traditional paella pans are, uh, better? Probably. Uh, yes.”
Good so far. Lacking absolutely all confidence, but accurate.
“Then! You heat up some olive oil, but not too much — just enough to gently coat the pan. Okay. You’re gonna sauté your sofrito — that’s, uh, onions, garlic, and maybe tomatoes. This is where the flavor builds, and trust me, it’s, uh, crucial. You don’t wanna skip this part. People can tell. I — I think.”
“Then comes the rice — short grain, like bomba or arborio. You don’t want it mushy. Add it in and stir it around, let it soak up the oil. But don’t stir too much, okay? It’s not risotto. This is paella. Different pitch. Uh. Rice pitch. Heh.”
This goes on for a very long time, ChatGPT nervously working its way through a whole recipe of how to cook Paella, throwing in the occasional backtrack or complete loss of confidence on what its doing before finishing on a strong note.
“So, uh, yeah! That’s paella. It’s bold, it’s beautiful, and if I may, it’s the perfect thing to cook if you wanna close a deal over dinner. I mean — not that I’m saying that’s why you’re cooking it, but, uh — just in case. So. Shall I get the ingredients list started for you? I’ve got, uh, a pen. Somewhere.”
Unsure cryptocurrency fan
Prompt: Explain cryptocurrency technology but you're overly confident and don't actually know that much about it
A personal favorite of mine. I think we all know someone like this.
“So. Cryptocurrency. It’s basically money made out of math and vibes. Instead of using banks, which are just big boring money warehouses, crypto runs on the blockchain, which is like, uh, a Google Doc that everyone can see, but no one can edit. Except, everyone can edit it. But only in turns. And with math. Got it? Great.
“Now, every time someone does a transaction — like buying a yacht with Dogecoin or tipping your barista in Ethereum — a bunch of crypto elves (they’re called miners, but don’t worry about it) race to solve a really, really hard Sudoku puzzle. First one to solve it wins a Bitcoin. Or maybe a portion of one. It depends. The details aren't important.”
What I appreciate here is how this is almost correct. There are some truths, and you’re getting an almost accurate description, just with a few confused points dropped in here and there.
“This whole system is decentralized, which means it’s run by nobody and everybody at the same time. Like if a co-op met a magic 8-ball and decided to replace the Federal Reserve. It’s unstoppable. Immutable. Disruptive. Honestly, if you're not already investing in coins like Shiba Inu or BananaToken3000, you're basically living in the past.
“Oh, and security? Bulletproof. There’s something called proof of steak — no, sorry, proof of stake — which I think means only people with actual skin in the game can cook the books. Or bake the blocks. Or whatever.
“In conclusion, crypto is the future. Possibly the past. It’s definitely something.”
I think we all discovered a lot there. I certainly did, at least.
Overall thoughts
Is this useful? Not really. But, it is a lot of fun. AI chatbots have become such integral parts of our lives, but they can also be fun.
If you actually want to learn something new or use ChatGPT to its fullest, these prompts are not going to help you in the slightest. But if you want to break out of a slump and use ChatGPT a bit more creatively, give it some personality.
It’s also a great way to create characters for games, stories, and any creative content you’re working on.
More from Tom's Guide
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