Turning the Tables on ChatGPT
Mastering the Art of AI Conversation
The potential of artificial intelligence (AI) has never been more palpable than when conversing with ChatGPT, an advanced language model developed by OpenAI. A casual exchange can lead to intriguing insights, amusing quips, and even instances that leave you awe-struck. No doubt, conversing with ChatGPT can be enjoyable and enlightening, and in many instances, highly practical.
For example, if you find yourself contemplating the age-old question, "What should I cook for dinner?" you might turn to ChatGPT with something like:
Dear ChatGPT – I have 2 eggs, an onion, 1 pound of ground beef, an eggplant, and various condiments in my kitchen. What’s a tasty meal I can prepare in 30 minutes or less in one pan?
And ChatGPT, ever the ready sous-chef, will whip up a response, detailing an easy and mouth-watering Eggplant and Ground Beef Skillet recipe.
Yet, while interacting with ChatGPT can be straightforward and fun, harnessing its full potential requires a shift in perspective. To truly integrate ChatGPT into your everyday productivity arsenal, you must effectively guide the AI, by providing context and structure. One might compare it to orienting a keen, albeit sometimes overeager, intern. Clear instructions and explicit guidelines are the way to go.
However, what if we could take this a step further? What if, instead of simply receiving responses from ChatGPT, we could make it an active participant in a dynamic dialog? What if ChatGPT could ask us questions?
Let's dive into an illustrative example. I’m going to stay with our recipe motif, but the process I’m about to describe is broadly applicable to many ChatGPT interactions, and I’ll summarize that process at the end.
Our first goal with an interaction is to set the context within which we want ChatGPT to act. The tighter this is defined, and the richer the description, the higher the output quality will be. An easy way to do this is to break our first interactions into a couple of steps defining the roles and then the scenario. We can do this rather explicitly:
Me: Your Role: I want you to play the role of an expert chef, dedicated to helping home cooks create innovative meals from common ingredients. Please reply just with "OK" if you understand your role.
*ChatGPT: *OK
Me: My Role: I am a home cook, looking for inspiration for recipes. Please reply just with "OK" if you understand my role.
ChatGPT: OK
Me: Context: I'm hosting a dinner party for 8 people. I need to plan an appetizer, salad, and main course (skip the dessert). All should be interesting, unique and should go together. Please reply just with "OK" if you understand the context.
***ChatGPT: ***OK
Let’s pause here for a moment of explanation. In this first section we’re setting the scene for the task. We want to be very explicit with setting “roles,” both ChatGPT’s and ours, as that will really help guide the form of the output. I use the above format – Your Role, My Role, Context.
But why am I adding the “Please reply just with "OK" if you understand the context.” ?
ChatGPT is like that annoying friend who will jump into a conversation before they know what you want, but it just can’t wait to start generating text. So, you need to restrain it – otherwise it is programmed to take immediate action, based on the prompt, and it will start babbling away before it has the complete picture of what you’re trying to accomplish. That’s a problem because everything in a conversation becomes part of the context for subsequent responses – so if the conversation is full of AI generated tangents we are going to get unfocused answers. OK, back to our script….
Me: Now, please ask me any questions about me, my guests, my kitchen, equipment, available ingredients, or anything else you need to know to plan the menu for this dinner party.
**ChatGPT **could fulfill our task without asking us any questions. But to get better results we want it to have as much information as possible. Rather than trying to anticipate what the AI needs, we can just instruct ChatGPT to ask for the information it needs and answer its questions.
ChatGPT:
Great, I'd be happy to help you plan this dinner party. Here are some questions I have:
1. Are there any dietary restrictions or preferences among your guests (vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, allergies, etc.)?
2. What level of cooking skill would you say you have? Are you comfortable with complex recipes, or do you prefer simpler ones?
3. Do you have any particular cuisine you and your guests love or want to avoid?
4. What kind of equipment do you have in your kitchen? Do you have any special equipment like a slow cooker, sous-vide machine, or stand mixer?
5. Do you have a preference for any specific proteins, vegetables, fruits, or other ingredients that you'd like to use in the meals?
6. What is the season or weather like? Some dishes are better suited for certain times of the year.
7. How much time do you have to prepare and cook before the party?
8. Lastly, what's your budget for this dinner party?
An efficient way to answer multiple questions like this is to number your answers to match the numbered questions - you don't have to do this, but it will make it clear which sentence answers which question. You can hit Enter/Return while holding the shift-key to format your response on separate lines before finally submitting it with an Enter/Return without holding down the shift-key.
Me:
1. Yes, one person is allergic to dairy.
2. I’d say advanced amateur, I’m comfortable with somewhat complex recipes.
3. I think we’ll avoid seafood for this party.
4. I have a pressure cooker, sous-vide and a slow cooker.
5. I really dislike peas!
6. This will be summer and it will be quite warm.
7. I can spend all afternoon on this.
8. $200
ChatGPT:
Fantastic, thanks for the detailed answers. I'll craft a menu that is summer-friendly, avoids dairy and seafood, keeps within your budget, and showcases your advanced amateur cooking skills. Also, no peas, I promise!
Appetizer: Spiced Carrot and Lentil Soup
A warm, flavorful soup can be a great way to kick-start your dinner party. It's not too heavy and packs a punch of flavors.
Salad: Grilled Peach and Prosciutto Salad
This is a classic summer salad. The grilled peaches add a wonderful smoky-sweetness that complements the salty prosciutto. Mixed with fresh arugula and balsamic vinaigrette, this salad is sure to impress.
Main Course: Sous-Vide Chicken Breasts with Herb Gremolata and Roasted Summer Vegetables
Chicken breasts, when cooked sous-vide, can achieve a level of juiciness you can't get through traditional cooking methods. Pair this with an aromatic herb gremolata, and serve with a side of mixed roasted summer vegetables (think bell peppers, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, and eggplant). For the dairy-allergic guest, you can use olive oil instead of butter when cooking.
Each of these recipes can be prepared ahead of time to some extent, freeing you up to mingle with your guests. I hope this menu sounds appealing to you! If you need more details on these dishes, please let me know.
Me:
Thanks... can you give me the recipes for all of the dishes?
ChatGPT:
Of course, I'd be happy to provide the recipes! Here they are:
1. Spiced Carrot and Lentil Soup
Ingredients:
· 2 tablespoons olive oil
· 1 onion, chopped
· 2 cloves garlic, minced
· 2 teaspoons ground cumin
· 1 teaspoon turmeric
· 1 pound carrots, peeled and chopped
· 1 cup red lentils
· 6 cups vegetable broth
· Salt and pepper to taste
· Fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions:
1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, cooking until they are soft and fragrant.
2. Stir in the cumin, turmeric, and carrots, cooking for another 2-3 minutes.
3. Add the lentils and vegetable broth. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 25 minutes, until the carrots and lentils are tender.
4. Using an immersion blender (or a stand blender, in batches), puree the soup until smooth.
5. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and garnish with fresh parsley before serving.
2. Grilled Peach and Prosciutto Salad
Ingredients:
· 4 ripe peaches, halved and pitted
· 8 thin slices of prosciutto
· 4 cups arugula
· 2 tablespoons olive oil
· 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
· Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
1. Preheat your grill to medium heat.
2. Grill the peach halves cut-side-down until they're nicely charred, about 5 minutes.
3. Arrange the arugula on a serving platter. Top with the grilled peaches and prosciutto.
4. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, then season with salt and pepper before serving.