Welcome to the 2024 Edition of the #30DayAIChallenge. This year, we’ll be focusing on making Generative AI more accessible for all. So follow along and give each challenge a try yourself, plus share your own thoughts and experiments with a community of like-minded learners and tinkerers!*
Week 3’s theme is “School of Bots“, tackling AI and education, with a view on improving our ability to learn, as well as teach others (including our kids!).
Today’s Challenge: Talk To Historical, Literary Personalities
Have you ever wished you could have a conversation with Shakespeare, ask Cleopatra about her leadership strategies, or explore the mysteries of the universe with Einstein? Or perhaps you’ve longed to dive deep into the fictional worlds of Middle-earth with Frodo or navigate the politics of Westeros with Tyrion Lannister? Today’s challenge, “Talk to Historic Personalities and Literary Characters,” invites you to do just that. It’s a thrilling opportunity to engage with figures who have shaped our history and culture, albeit through the lens of Generative AI.
How To Approach This Challenge
For beginners eager to engage in conversations with historical and literary figures, here’s how to get started:
- Choose Your Personality or Character: Start by selecting a historical figure or literary character you’re interested in. Think about what you want to learn from them or discuss.
- Find a Suitable AI Platform: Look for AI chatbots or conversational AI platforms that offer interactions with a variety of personas. Some platforms specialize in historical figures, while others might focus on characters from literature. Khan Academy, for example, offers a whole range of personalities and fictional characters to choose from, as part of it’s Khanmigo offering. Similarly, both Character.ai and Meta AI’s chat features allow you to interact with a whole range of ‘personalities’
- Prepare Your Questions: Think about what you’d like to ask. Your questions can range from their contributions to society, the challenges they faced, or even their daily routines.
- Engage in Conversation: Start the conversation with your chosen figure. Remember, the AI’s responses will be based on available data and interpretations of the figure’s personality and history.
- Reflect on the Experience: Consider what insights or new perspectives the conversation offered. Share your experience with others participating in the challenge.
Khan Academy’s Khanmigo (Learning Focused)
Last Spring, Khan Academy introduced a new AI-powered chatbot tutor named Khanmigo to personalize student learning. It offers guidance on math, science, and humanities problems, allows conversations with historical personalities or literary figures, and includes features like debate and writing tools. While educators are wary of AI’s potential for cheating, Khan Academy argues that tools like Khanmigo can enhance learning. Khanmigo leverages advanced language models but still experiences technical limitations like inaccurate calculations. Despite mixed reactions across the education sector, Khan Academy believes AI integration in the classroom is inevitable. They emphasize equipping students with the skills to use AI responsibly.
Character.AI (More Entertainment Than Education)
Character.ai is a platform powered by advanced language models that lets users craft their own AI chatbots or interact with a vast library of characters created by others. The platform emphasizes creativity, offering a high degree of customization. You can give your chatbots distinct personalities, tailor their knowledge, and shape their conversational style. The community aspect is a highlight, with a seemingly endless collection of fascinating bots to chat with, from fictional personalities to simulated historical figures.
However, it’s important to be aware of the limitations of the tech too. AI-generated responses can be inconsistent, ranging from insightful to nonsensical. These chatbots are not designed to be sources of reliable information and should not be treated as such. Additionally, Character.ai’s open model, while fostering amazing creativity, can lead to the creation of harmful or misleading bots, making content moderation an ongoing challenge for the platform.
Meta AI’s Chat (Skews To Entertainment)
Currently available only in the US, Meta AI chat is an assistant you can chat with 1-on-1 or message in group chats. It can make recommendations, tell jokes, settle debates, and answer your questions. You can interact with Meta AI by starting a new message and selecting “Create an AI chat” on Meta’s messaging platforms, or typing “@MetaAI” in a group chat followed by what you’d like the assistant to help with.
Or…Just Use Your Favourite AI Chatbot
You can also simply skip the custom tools and just ask ChatGPT, Claude, Pi, Google Gemini or other favourite LLM powered AI Chatbot to do the same thing, as demonstrated below (I asked ChatGPT to adopt the persona of Sherlock Holmes). Just make sure you provide enough context and clarify what you’d like the chatbot to do…and provided its training data contains enough knowledge, you can get a pretty decent conversation going.
Advanced Users and Experts
Advanced users and experts can deepen their engagement by:
- Creating Custom Personalities: Use platforms that allow for the customization of chatbot personalities. Input data, speeches, writings, and notable characteristics of your chosen figure to create a more accurate and responsive AI.
- Exploring NLP Techniques: Dive into natural language processing (NLP) techniques to refine the AI’s understanding and generation of language, making your interactions more realistic and meaningful.
- Integration with Other AI Tools: Combine conversational AI with other tools like AI-generated imagery or voice synthesis for a more immersive experience. Imagine having a visual representation or hearing the voice of the figure you’re conversing with.
For example, I’ve created various Custom GPTs…one of these is called Picard, who is a life coach that also offers up occasional quotes from Star Trek Captain Jean Luc Picard, along with his wisdom. The custom instructions lay out exactly what I’d like to achieve (including my goals) so every conversation is tailored to my needs.
Conclusion
Chatting with famous people from history and characters from stories using AI is like opening a magical book that blends yesterday, storyland, and today into one exciting adventure. It makes learning fun and lets us explore big questions about people and the events that shaped our world. As AI gets better, these conversations will become even more interesting and real. Imagine one day talking to these figures just like we talk to friends and family, bringing a whole new way to learn and have fun. The level of realism is already pretty high, with LLM powered chatbots being integrated into gaming (see one example of this tech in the video below).
But, like all adventures, there are some tricky parts to watch out for. Sometimes, the AI might get things wrong or oversimplify someone’s life story, which can be misleading. Also, using someone’s image or creating words they never said can be a bit problematic because they’re not around to agree to it. This might lead to misunderstandings about who they really were or the things they did.
Another thing to consider is that talking to AI versions of these figures shouldn’t replace diving into real books, documents, and studies about them. It’s fun and convenient, but the real magic of understanding comes from exploring the details in their original words and the world they lived in.
So, as we journey through this AI-powered history and literature, it’s important to keep a curious mind. Enjoy the incredible stories and insights AI can share about the past, but also remember to dig a little deeper on your own. By doing this, we make sure that we’re not just getting swept away by the fun but are also learning the true stories of the people and characters who shape our world.
More articles to explore:
If you give any of these tools or challenges a try, leave a comment and share your experience! If you’re using other platforms to post, please tag your Facebook, Twitter / X or LinkedIn post with #30DayAIChallenge so others can find it too.
Till tomorrow…
*Please note: Participation in the 30 Day AI Challenge is at your own discretion and responsibility. Always ensure that no sensitive personal information, confidential, or proprietary company data is shared. Adhere to all applicable local laws and company policies. Enjoy exploring AI responsibly!
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