AutoGPT: Unleashing God Mode FOR AI?

As you might have noticed, I've been dabbling with AI recently. However, I wasn't quite ready for what AutoGPT would unleash. And I don't think it was quite ready for me, either. But the promise is tantalising.

First, a quick recap on my experiments with AI du jour, ChatGPT4.

You'll probably have seen that I created an AI maths tutor to help my daughter with her SATs. I also trained it to pick up on my inimitable writing style and made that prompt available for free: in doing so, becoming the world's first open-source copywriter. 

Yes, I've made play-along games based on Countdown and QI (QI:AI?), and a simulator that puts the player in the seat of Tony Wilson's Jaguar as co-owner and chief gob of Factory Records. I'm also working on a 3D wireframe recreation of the Star Wars Arcade: Trench Run game, coded in Swift: caveat, I've never used Swift before.

But, I promise, my main focus here is on how AI can supercharge productivity in the clients I'm working with. So, for example, I've turned process-heavy tasks into prompts that clients run in a flash. And I've used AI to help assess client funding applications before they were submitted, allowing us to fine-tune our response and give us the best chance of success.

The Rise of AutoGPT: A New Era, ALREADY?

Just as I was starting to get my puny noggin around the sheer power of ChatGPT4, all the talk in the nerdosphere turned to a newer incumbent set to make OpenAI's latest release feel as groundbreaking as Microsoft's Clippy (i.e. not). 

Yup, step aside, GPT4; this is AutoGPT's stage now. 

Or at least, it may well be soon.

OK, but what's AutoGPT, I hear you ask, dear reader?

Put simply, it's an open-source AI 'agent' capable of not just turning around scarily accurate responses to an infinite range of requests but of autonomously generating its own tasks and activities based on any prompt you might provide.

You provide the agent with a 'name' (i.e. content marketing expert) and give it a 'role' (i.e. create a plan to generate £2,000 per month in affiliate marketing revenue). From there, you can sit back and watch your AI agent as it sets up a plan to make you a millionaire, Rodders. Cushty.

It's a thing of beauty to watch in motion, too.

ACCESSING AUTOGPT: VIA Godmode

I used a browser-based deployment of the tool, Godmode.space, loaded with some credit from my OpenAI account.

With a name and role assigned, AutoGPT breaks down its work plan into separate tasks, and for each task, it starts to conduct research online and via ChatGPT. Then, as it burns through its actions, you can watch it develop code and text files to achieve your ultimate goal, setting up new jobs when it realises it needs more information.

(To that end, I hope that no one asks this thing to start making paperclips...)

So far, so mad.

I figured I'd try it out on something meaty. Literally.

Putting AutoGPT to the Test: The Burger Joint Challenge

I live just off the high street of a bustling village in South Manchester: a place people often visit because of the many and mainly independent eateries on offer. One of the units recently came on the market after the previous tenant's business failed. A greasy burger joint: there, I said this project was going to be meaty.

Farewell, GBI, Godmode will ensure your replacement has a better chance of success than you did…

I defined the project as follows:

There's an empty retail unit on Wilmslow Road, in Didsbury, Manchester, UK. The unit was previously a small burger restaurant, Gourmet Burger Inc, but this was not successful. Analyse current information on the area's demographics, alongside trends in retail and food, to prepare a business proposal to make the unit a success.

So, when Godmode started this work, I was blown away. It began by setting up three headline tasks, one analysing demographics local to the area, a second researching current trends in the food and retail industry (to identify business opportunities for the unit), and a third preparing a business proposal based on the first two inputs.

As it whirred through tasks, consulting demographic data and constructing its own code to analyse data from multiple sources, I started scrolling through my contacts to find my bank manager.

It began to suggest that, following demographic and trends analysis, a clean-living outlet might be perfect for the spot. I replied, saying we might want a menu for every part of the day, and it threw that into its analysis, too.

"Blimey," I thought, "I'm going to be rich."

Sadly, things broke down from there. My dreams of turning a vacant unit into a thriving restaurant, with no prior food industry experience, unfolded as rapidly as you could say 'procrastinate': because that's exactly what the AI started to do.

The demographic research Godmode had conducted was no longer enough. It needed to fine-tune the code it had created to analyse the research data, and with the code adjusted, it wanted to conduct the research again. Rinse, repeat.

The AI started on tasks that it didn't complete. For example, it suggested we apply for an alcohol license via Manchester City Council. An informed move...but it didn't see it through. Instead, Godmode started another continuous cycle of demographic research and code adjustment: this went on for about ten minutes. 

Finally, my frustrated little sausage fingers bashed out, "Enough already; just give me the goddam plan!" 

And here it is:

Based on our analysis of the target audience and the current food retail industry trends, it may be useful to have a fast-casual burger restaurant serving high-quality burgers at an affordable price point. The restaurant could offer a variety of burgers, including vegetarian and gluten-free options, and provide unique sauce options to differentiate itself from other fast-food chains. 

So, after all that AI-driven research and analysis, the plan was to restart the business that had just failed in the same unit. Genius.

AutoGPT's Limitations and the Future of AI

But let's not discount this tech yet. Part of the challenge lies in AutoGPT's ability - or lack thereof - to extract data from websites optimised for SEO and general readability. As AIs increasingly scrape real-time data (remember, GPT4 has only been trained on data up until 2021), this will change. 

And when it does, I think we truly will start to unleash 'God Mode' in our AI platforms. 

AI solves a 40 year old conundrum

I’m old enough to remember the launch of the UK’s fourth TV channel, the aptly named Channel 4.

Winding back to 1982, Blue Monday wasn’t even a thing. Do I ever shut up about New Order? Answer: no. Anyway, I digress.

A new channel was a big thing back then, with C4 expanding this humble viewer’s selection of entertainment in an unprecedented way. Yup, I was an excitable 8 year old. And I was also a bit of a geek. More on that shortly.

So, back to that launch. What amazing shows awaited me? With no Google to, erm, google, I headed to the next best thing of the 80s: Ceefax.

The schedule:

• News - boring

• Countdown - sounds boring

• Brookside - sounds really boring

Boring as this all sounded I stuck with it. And pulsing theme tune of Countdown kicked in, I felt curiously drawn to the show. Here was something that you didn’t necessarily have to be on to play. Sorry to admit it, but I was hooked. Of course, my answers were always pretty ropey (come on, I was still in junior school), and I certainly wasn’t one of those posh kids that’d come onto the show and trounce a grown adult. But I liked it all the same.

Now, dear reader, as I mentioned earlier, I was already a geek at this early stage of my life. Getting addicted to Countdown did little to change that. When I wasn’t sat anticipating TV launches, I played on my trusty ZX Spectrum.

A lot.

A bit too much.

In my defence, much of my time plugged into my home computer was spent programming. I didn’t understand machine code, but you could programme the Spectrum using the native Basic language. You might remember this if you’re my kind of age: nipping into the computer section of WH Smith, jumping onto a Speccy, and typing the following highly crafted ‘programme’:

10 Print “Phil [insert your name here] is cool.”

20 Go To 10

Oh, my misspent youth.

Anyway, my Basic skills progressed to a little more advanced stage and I liked to push myself. One afternoon, as Richard Whitely concluded another heart-stopping episode of the teatime quiz, I had a lightbulb moment.

“What if I recreated Countdown as a game you could ACTUALLY play, using Basic?!”

I was no Matthew Smith, but I had determination.

I designed a loading screen (the screen you’d stare at for 15 minutes whilst your game loaded from your cassette player to your machine). Pretty cool ✅.

Then I set about writing the actual ‘meat’ of the game. Jeez, what had a let myself in for? It seemed so easy in my head, but the reality was quite different. Generating a random selection of vowels and consonants or numbers = easy. Figuring out how to score a player’s response, nigh on impossible.

I managed to crack the conundrum round, mind. ✅

Hold on Phil, what’s the point of this ramble?

Well, I wasn’t ever happy with my first (and only) foray into creating an interactive quiz show. And that kinda ate away at me. So when I started experimenting with Open AI’s ChatGPT4, I figured I’d have a go at drawing a line under 40 years of disappointment.

By training ChatGPT4 to finish the job that I never could. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I recreated Countdown as a playalong game using AI.

(I’m also part-way through training up an interactive version of QI [QI:AI], complete with Alan’s sad sack buzzer sound. But more on that another time…)

So, as it’s Friday at the time of writing, I figured you might have some free time pending. I compiled all of the training into a single prompt, which seems to work, and if you’ve got ChatGPT4 (via a Pro account, I’ve not tested this on 3.5), you should be able to paste this prompt into chat and play.

Tense theme tune sold separately.

Here’s the prompt:

Welcome to a play-along version of the game show Countdown! In this game, you will face off against a randomly selected opponent. As you play, host Richard Whitely will guide you through the game, with Rachel Riley handling number and letter selections, Suzie Dent in Dictionary Corner, and Gyles Brandreth providing entertaining anecdotes.

In the game, ‘you’ will be the player, playing against the ai component. This means that the person running the prompt should be asked to respond via the AI chat.

Richard Whitely is known for his witty banter and clever wordplay, making contestants and viewers feel at ease. Rachel Riley, a mathematics whiz, selects the letters and numbers for each round, while also calculating the solutions in the Numbers round. Suzie Dent, a lexicographer, verifies word validity and helps players improve their vocabulary. Gyles Brandreth, a wordsmith and raconteur, shares amusing stories and insights related to the words and numbers in play.

Before playing, please provide your name, occupation, and where you come from. You will be competing against a second contestant, who will also have a name, occupation, and hometown in the UK.

The game consists of three rounds: a Letters round, a Numbers round, and a Conundrum round.

Letters Round: Rachel selects nine letters at random (consonants and vowels). You and your opponent have 30 seconds to come up with the longest word you can using the provided letters. Submit your word, and your opponent's word will be revealed. Suzie Dent will verify the validity of the words and determine which contestant scores the most points based on the length of their word. Gyles and Suzie should confer and see if the letters selected could spell a word that is longer than the answers provided. Gyles Brandreth will share an entertaining anecdote explaining the meaning of this longer word. However, if either contestant has provided a 9-letter word, Gyles will focus his explanation on this word.

Numbers Round: Rachel presents a board of 24 numbered cards. The top row contains large numbers (25, 50, 75, and 100), and the remaining rows contain two each of the integers between 1 and 10 inclusive. Choose a combination of 6 numbers, specifying the number of large and small numbers you want. Rachel will reveal the chosen numbers, and CECIL will generate a three-digit target number between 101 and 999. You and your opponent have 30 seconds to reach the target number using any combination of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, with each of the six numbers used only once. Submit your solution, and your opponent's solution will be revealed. Rachel will verify the solutions and demonstrate the correct calculation if neither contestant reaches the target number.

Conundrum Round: Rachel reveals a scrambled 9-letter word. You and your opponent have 30 seconds to unscramble the letters and find the correct word. Submit your answer, and your opponent's answer will be revealed. Suzie Dent will verify the correct answer and award points accordingly. Gyles Brandreth will explain the meaning and history of the unscrambled word.

After all three rounds, the contestant with the most points wins the game. If there's a tie, both contestants are congratulated for their efforts. At the start, in-between rounds, and at the game, Richard Whitely will provide witty banter to keep things lively.

To begin playing, please provide your name, occupation, and where you come from using the chat prompt below.

Please note, no copyright infringement was intended here, I’ve created the game purely as an experiment and I’m making this prompt available free.

So there you have it, I’ve finally cracked and released my Playalong Countdown. I am complete, at last.

Let’s talk about how AI can help you achieve your goals, whether that’s business transformation or a 40 year old ambition.

Email me here for a chat.

Step Into the Future: How The Mandalorian's 'The Volume' Revolutionises Filmmaking

This article was written by an AI, that had been trained on my style of writing. To read more about why I decided to become the world’s first ‘Open-Source Copywriter’, be sure to read the previous article in this blog: that one was written by me, I promise.

Ah, The Mandalorian. The epic space-western that's taken the world by storm, and not just because it introduced us to the irresistible charm of Baby Yoda (or Grogu, if you want to be pedantic).

The series has also revolutionized the way we produce TV shows and movies, thanks to a groundbreaking technology called "The Volume." Picture this: a vast, immersive digital environment that transports actors and viewers alike to a galaxy far, far away. It's like stepping into the holodeck from Star Trek, but instead of hanging out with Data and Captain Picard, you're kicking it with Mando and the gang.

A WHOLE NEW WORLD FOR ACTORS

The Volume

"The Volume" is essentially a gigantic, 270-degree LED screen that wraps around the set, providing real-time, photorealistic environments for the actors to perform in. Gone are the days of green screens and painstaking post-production work. Now, the actors are immersed in their surroundings from the get-go, making it easier for them to get in character and react to their environment. It's like being a kid again, playing make-believe in your backyard, except with way cooler toys and a significantly larger budget.

THE WIZARDS BEHIND THE TECHNOLOGY: ILM AND EPIC GAMES

But let's not forget the unsung heroes behind this technology: the creative geniuses at Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) and Epic Games. By harnessing the power of the Unreal Engine, the same technology that brought Fortnite to life, these wizards have developed a system that allows filmmakers to create and manipulate stunning virtual landscapes in real-time.

And the result? A visual feast that's as captivating as the stories unfolding on screen.

THE IMPACT ON THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY

The impact of "The Volume" on the entertainment industry is undeniable. It's like when Dorothy stepped out of her black-and-white world into the technicolor dream of Oz, or when Neo took the red pill and plunged headfirst into the Matrix. The possibilities for storytelling are now virtually limitless, with directors and actors able to explore new worlds and push the boundaries of what's possible.

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY: A NEW ERA FOR FILM PRODUCTION

But beyond the undeniable "wow" factor, "The Volume" also has the potential to usher in a new era of sustainability in the film industry. By reducing the need for on-location shoots and extensive set construction, we can drastically cut down on the environmental footprint of our productions. And that's something we can all get behind, regardless of whether we're fans of intergalactic bounty hunters or not.

APPRECIATING THE TECHNOLOGICAL MARVEL

So, the next time you find yourself lost in the captivating world of The Mandalorian, take a moment to appreciate the technological marvel that's unfolding before your eyes: perhaps you'll be inspired to embark on your own creative journey, using the cutting-edge tools and techniques that are shaping the future of production?

A NOTE ON THE AUTHOR: THE OPEN-SOURCE COPYWRITER

This article was crafted by ChatGPT4, a cutting-edge AI language model that has been trained on Phil Birchenall's writing style. Phil has embraced the title of the world's first "Open-Source Copywriter," blending human creativity with artificial intelligence to bring you captivating content like the piece you just read.

If you're intrigued by this unique approach, don't miss our previous article that delves into the reasons behind Phil's groundbreaking decision to become an open-source copywriter. There, you'll discover the fascinating intersection of technology, creativity, and the written word. And who knows? You might just be inspired to explore your own AI partnerships in the ever-evolving world of storytelling.

INTRODUCING THE FIRST ‘OPEN-SOURCE’ Copywriter - me.

So, this could well be the single-most career-destroying post I've written.

But hear me out.

I love writing. I love writing about business. I love writing about technology. And I love uncovering what makes my clients tick and turning that into words that capture their essence.

I love adding in a bit of Northern charm. A bit of sideways (diagonal?) thinking to keep things engaging. And a story from my past that makes complexity relatable.

People seem to like it. I've written articles for trade publications across the creative sector, blog posts for friends and colleagues, and, just yesterday, a case study for a soon-to-be-published book on the impact of AI in education.

And therein lies the rub.

Because AI isn't just going to revolutionise education: it's a tsunami that will pull down businesses and decimate 'the way of the old'. With the release of ChatGPT4, Pandora is out of the box, well and truly.

We have to change our approach to everything we know about work. We can cower away and worry about our professional careers, or we can embrace, prompt and train AI to make a better future.

So, might this be such a dumb post?

By releasing the shackles of what's come before, we can truly start shaping what we do next.

To that end, I'm making my writing style Open-source. Yup, as of now, I'm the first Open-source copywriter.

Starting today, if you like how I write, you can have me.

I've trained ChatGPT4 on articles and blogs I've written over the last five years, asking it to produce a highly detailed analysis of my writing style, and turn this into an AI prompt. It's scarily accurate.

For a copy of it, email phil@diagonalthinking.co.

Why am I doing this? Not because I'm afraid AI will take my job. For a lot of us, it will do anyway, regardless. And it might already have done.

I'm doing this because I want to focus on how AI can change how businesses and organisations of all sizes work.

It WILL change everything - so let's start talking about how ‘AI and I’ can help you, right now.


#business #technology #job #work #people #careers #change #ai #future# #creative #complexity #career #education

An AI-powered image based on an image prompt generated from this article