Does your ChatGPT sound too much like ChatGPT?

I’m sure you’re tired of all the hype posts about ChatGPT and other AI tools. But if you aren’t making an effort to learn what these tools can do and how to use them, chances are you will be left behind. I thought I’d share some practical advice from my personal experience.

I've been using generative AI since the hype started. Like many, I started with ChatGPT. After being blown away at first, I got more and more disappointed as the results just sounded so much like… ChatGPT. It was so easy to spot text that was generated by ChatGPT. It was so over-the-top eloquent and full of superlatives. Swiss people would never write like that. I would never write like that.

Quite a few hours of research and experimentation later, GPT-4 blows my mind again. The difference between vanilla GPT and personalized GPT is mindboggling.

There are a few things most people do not get right initially:

• Understand that the AI does not know you, can’t read your mind, did not grow up in the same culture as you and does not live in the same country as you.
• Treat the AI like a very intelligent personal assistant from another planet.
• The AI has been instructed to be passive by default and to be satisfied with whatever information you provide.

With that in mind, here’s what you can do:

1. Upgrade to ChatGPT Plus if you haven’t done that already. There’s no way you won’t get 20$ of value out of it each month.
2. Click on your user name in the bottom left corner and navigate to “Custom instructions.” In the first field, provide ChatGPT with as much background information and context about yourself as you are willing to share. Here’s what I added: My gender, age, nationality, where I live. My educational and professional background, including career stations. My current role, team and company. In what markets my company is active and what characterizes them. The languages I speak and my proficiency in each (important: do not overstate your level!). My way of thinking (e.g. growth mindset, analytical, positive/constructive approach, entertaining multiple perspectives). My communication style (e.g. that I do not use superlatives often). My personal and professional goals.
3. In the second field you can tell ChatGPT how to respond to you. In my case: Address me as Fabian. Deep dive into concepts. Do not use filler words often. Use bullet points instead of long prose whenever appropriate. When asked for advice, use the pyramid communication method: start with the conclusion, then deliver key arguments, then provide more detailed information and sources. Deliver unfiltered feedback and criticism when asked. If not specified otherwise, assume that the reader of outputs I’m asking to create is not a subject matter expert and prefers short, concise sentences. Provide balanced answers and include pros & cons. If insufficient context is provided, ask me for clarification. Optimize for quality rather than speed of output. At the end of your response, suggest what I could do next to improve the result of what I'm trying to achieve.

This customization has made the average result I get with GPT-4 so much better! Combine that with good prompts that provide context and clear instructions - you’ll be amazed! Not only will you get text output that sounds more like you - ChatGPT will now feel much more like your personal assistant.

Did you have a similar experience? Let me know if my suggestions make sense.