Part 4 Prometheus U - "Ignite the Minds of Tomorrow"

Can chatGPT be authentically creative? Can it drive the creative process?

One of the most difficult parts of higher ed branding is uncovering the true value an institution provides. Everyone knows their institution is special and they're right. A university would not have stood the test of time if it didn't provide any value, what's tricky, however, is talking about these values in a way that feels original. Most often when I hear from schools about what differentiates them it boils down to, "we have great academics" or "we offer an experiential learning environment". And here's the thing, they're right. What differentiates one school from another is rarely huge. Yet there is significance in the minor distinctions.

See my other articles on Prometheus University

Take, for instance, the brand position statements I analyzed last week. Almost all of them were focused on "problem-solving" and "impacting society". Yet, these brands found unique stories to tell, even when the facts were similar. Most great higher ed brands find a recognizably authentic way to tell an old story.

That's difficult, especially for someone, like me, who doesn't have a lot of experience working on the creative side of brands. I consider myself a pretty good writer, but that's a whole different skill set than a great copywriter. I'm always amazed at our team's ability to distill powerful ideas into short memorable phrases. Brevity is not my strength. Could chatGPT help?

Experimentation

I started broad. I wanted to see if chatGPT could help me understand Prometheus University. I gave chatGPT the mission statement that I had developed earlier. I then asked it to explain why this would matter to:

• a child with a severe physical disability
• a scientist at the cutting edge of their field
• a prospective student who is looking at colleges around Prometheus University
• a migrant laborer working in a community far away from Prometheus University
• a reader of the new york times

The results were interesting, but not particularly helpful. For example, GPT suggested that PrometheusU had an accessibility office for the child with a disability or that Prometheus created citizens of the world for the migrant worker. The truth is, GPT didn't get at the "so what" for any of these people. It just kind of did a word association.

I decided to take another approach. This time I gave GPT my mission statement and asked it to shorten it. I wanted to see if I could squeeze out the most important parts. Here was its first response:

"Prometheus University empowers students to become leaders and agents of change through cutting-edge curricula, immersive learning experiences, and a culture of intelligence, equity, innovation, and creativity."

I continued to push, and asked it to shorten again:

"Prometheus University equips students for success through innovative education and a culture of excellence."

So far, still kind of bland, but I kept pushing

"Prometheus University: Innovative education for successful leaders"

...and pushing

"Leaders at Prometheus University"

Until finally, I said, give me one word

"Prometheans"

Where does the AI's creativity end and mine begin?

Prometheans. That's not what I had expected it to return. As I watched it get shorter and shorter I was expecting something like "leader" or maybe even "university". But Promethians? It sparked something in me. Seeing how GPT shortened the mission, I saw how it pulled out the most salient elements.

intelligence, equity, innovation and creativity -> innovative education -> leaders of tomorrow -> Prometheans

It's nothing novel to make your brand around the "mascot", something like "we are bulldogs" has probably been used by dozens of institutions. Prometheans, however, hit me because it connected some dots I had been struggling to connect on my own. I knew I wanted my mission to focus on problem-solving and impact on society. But how did I make it authentic?

When I started Prometheus University I chose the name Prometheus because it evinced what I was doing, taking an inaccessible and groundbreaking technology and making it accessible to the world. It turns out that even my fictional university had a unique brand proposition. Now, I just needed to draw it out.

I did something that AI is uniquely capable of, I totally switched directions on it and asked GPT to tell me the story of Prometheus.

The myth of Prometheus tells the story of a Titan who defied the gods by stealing fire from Mount Olympus and giving it to humans. In doing so, Prometheus gave humanity the ability to cook food, stay warm, and create new tools and technologies. As punishment for his defiance, Prometheus was bound to a rock and had his liver eaten by an eagle every day, only to have it grow back overnight, a punishment that continued for eternity. The story of Prometheus and the discovery of fire is seen as a symbol of the human spirit of rebellion and creativity, and the transformative power of knowledge and technology.

GPT does this fascinating thing when you switch gears mid-chat, it will perform your new command, but that command is heavily "flavored" by what came before. For comparison, I ran a little experiment. Here is the output for the exact same prompt in a new session of chatGPT.

In Greek mythology, Prometheus was a Titan who defied the gods by stealing fire from Mount Olympus and giving it to humans, who had previously been without it. This act enraged Zeus, the king of the gods, who punished Prometheus by having him bound to a rock, where an eagle would come to eat his liver every day, only for it to grow back overnight to be eaten again the next day. This punishment was meant to last for all eternity, but eventually, the hero Heracles freed Prometheus, ending his suffering. The story of Prometheus and the discovery of fire is often seen as a symbol of the human desire for knowledge and progress, and the risks that come with defying authority.

Note the differences. The structure is the same, but the tone is markedly different. The first focuses more on why Prometheus was important, the "so what". It almost feels like it's intentionally emphasizing the allegorical components. The second reads more like a Wikipedia article. It's much more factual and the voice is more informative. Finally, read the end where GPT describes the symbolism of the story:

Brand Position GPT: the human spirit of rebellion and creativity, and the transformative power of knowledge and technology

Blank Session GPT: symbol of the human desire for knowledge and progress, and the risks that come with defying authority

Again, the differences are subtle, but to me this was revelatory. Rebellion, creativity, transformation. The brand was starting to take shape - playful (and maybe a little mischievous), groundbreaking, innovative despite the danger, and a willingness to take on great personal risk to help others. Yes, we solve problems and care about our impact on society but in a way different from any of our peers.

Now, did I come up with this? Or did chatGPT? I have no idea. I can say, however, that it wouldn't have occurred to me without GPT. As a creative partner, GPT helped me critically examine my own thinking and ultimately helped me to develop the most salient parts of my school's brand.

The Brand

All I needed to do was tie it all together. How do I connect the myth and ideas I had developed in a way that anyone could grasp in a moment? For my final step, I asked chatGPT to take the story of Prometheus it had written and the mission statement and based on it develop a brand position statement.

Here's what I asked, and what GPT gave me:

Take Prometheus University's mission and symbols from the myth of Prometheus to create a brand position for Prometheus University. It should be no more than one sentence.

"Igniting the minds of tomorrow: Prometheus University empowers students to challenge the status quo and achieve their full potential"

"ignite the minds of tomorrow", I had it. I had my brand.