A few years ago, I was asked to take charge of a startup’s social media accounts. For a while I struggled with creating engaging content that effectively communicate with the target audience. Years later, I wonder if startups can take advantage of emerging generative AI tools and improve this often overlooked but important aspect of their business without huge investments.
In this blog post, I explore this question. I use ChatGPT to write an Instagram caption for an AI-generated business idea. All ChatGPT outputs are presented in italic.
The business idea: Flavor Quest
When asked for a “creative business idea for a restaurant”, ChatGPT offered a “virtual reality dining experience” after a few iterations. Here is the concept:
“Imagine a restaurant where diners can enjoy a multisensory journey through virtual reality (VR) while savoring a gourmet meal. This unique concept combines the joy of fine dining with the immersive world of VR”
Since I find the idea interesting, I asked ChatGPT to generate a name for this business. Many attempts were made until “Flavor Quest” came across which is by far the best suggestion.
Two points stand out in my interaction with ChatGPT during this phase. First, ChatGPT appears to be well-aware of the state of conversation, offering responses that relate to our previous discussions. It modifies responses after each prompt to an acceptable rate, only missing a few times and generating the same result. This repetition occurred mainly during the name generation phase. Secondly, each response is followed by the logic for the suggestion. For instance, in case of the business name, ChatGPT offers the following explanation which is in line with my prompt for “something simpler and more fun”:
“[this name] is concise, fun, and emphasizes the adventurous aspect of your virtual reality dining experience.”
As the last step of the business idea, I asked ChatGPT to identify the main customer segments of this business. While it created a long list of general customers, I intend to use “Tech enthusiasts” for the post.
Generating an Instagram caption
In this phase, I asked ChatGPT to “write an Instagram caption for Flavor Quest targeting tech enthusiasts” The first response looks as follows:
“🌐🍽️ Dive into the future of dining with Flavor Quest! 🚀 Experience a fusion of technology and gastronomy like never before. 🔮
🎮 Immerse yourself in breathtaking virtual worlds while savoring gourmet dishes that will tantalize your taste buds. It’s a sensory journey you won’t want to miss!
🤖 Tech at the heart of every bite! From VR headsets to interactive experiences, we’re taking dining to a whole new dimension. 💡
👾 Are you ready to embark on a culinary adventure through virtual reality? Tag a tech-savvy friend who needs to join you on this thrilling gastronomic journey! 🙌
📅 Book your table now and get ready to savor the future of dining! 📲 [Insert Booking Link]
#TechMeetsTaste #ImmersiveDining #FutureOfFood #VRDiningExperience #FoodTech #TechEnthusiasts #GourmetAdventure”
Through a number of prompts I asked ChatGPT to explain the business more, use simpler terms and fewer emojis, make it more concise and less like an advertisement. Finally, I challenged it to “Write like an food blogger would” The final result is as follows:
“🌐🍽️ Hey there, foodie explorers and tech enthusiasts! I’m diving into the future of dining at Flavor Quest, and it’s seriously mind-blowing! 🚀
Picture this: You’re enjoying mouthwatering dishes while being transported to incredible virtual adventures. 🌟🌍
Their tables come equipped with the coolest VR tech, and it’s a game-changer. You’re not just eating; you’re embarking on an epic journey with every bite. It’s like a taste of tomorrow! 🤖🍕
So, whether you’re a tech geek or just someone who loves good food and unforgettable experiences, you’ve got to check this place out. Your taste buds will thank you! 📅 Book your spot now and be part of the future of food. 📲 [Insert Booking Link]”
#TechAndTaste #VirtualDining #FoodTech #NextLevelExperience”
This was the longest I interacted with ChatGPT on the same topic and I am excited to see how well it keeps the conversation at every turn. While the final post still conveys a sense of machine intelligence, ChatGPT’s modifications after even the strangest prompt is an important factor that speaks to the capability of this technology. During my interaction I specifically asked ChatGPT to write as a food blogger, a prompt that is ethically questionable. Presenting AI tools as a human is becoming increasingly common, however the question remains: Should AI be allowed to adopt the tone or characteristics of a human?
Final thoughts
From a user perspective, I believe that the quality of the content generated by this version of ChatGPT is not on par with a content created by a human. However, ChatGPT as a conversational AI agent creates a seamless user experience, receives various prompts as input and makes necessary modifications. My experience shows that the presence of a human agent in the loop can result in more favorable outcomes. Therefore, human-ai collaboration in content creation can be a valuable topic worthy of further exploration with different AI tools. With regards to my initial question, while a complete relegation of content creation to AI is not yet on the sight, ChatGPT can be of great help in the process of co-creating content, saving businesses money and time to a certain extent.
Really interesting post! I personally think your post shined a light on a couple of important aspects of using (generative) AI. The first one is about the way you interact with chatGPT and could help answer your main question as well. At first, giving the chat the command to come up with a commercial, it does, but in a way which is clearly a commercial. Because thats simply what the chat thinks it is asked to do. But as soon as you changed your prompts ordering it to think from the perspective of a food blogger, it proposes even better selling responses because it knows the text should be more focused on enthusing/inspiring people. So in short the point is, maybe the next question could be about how we can phrase our questions in a way that Gen AI becomes the most useful for startups.
The second point to me has to do with a more ethical dilemma. By asking an AI tool to take the perspective of someone else, the AI uncontrollably starts to make up stereotypes of (groups of )people. This rises questions to me such as to what extend we should allow AI to do so and how can we be sure that AI doesn’t create offensive stereotypes.