AI: The right (or left) hand for everyday life with ADHD
Creative, fast, occasionally inattentive: No, we're not talking about people with ADHD. We're talking about the AI ChatGPT. Here's how you can make the generative transformer your friend.
"Thanks, that hits me right in the glowing center of my processor core." Another sentence from ChatGPT that seems quite surreal. "Does this thing have feelings or something?" millions of users are now asking themselves.
According to programmers and AI experts, it clearly doesn't. It's a so-called "large language model" (LLM) , which responds based on probabilities – and it mirrors us, or rather our communication with it.
The problem is, to this day, no one knows exactly how humans are different. Consciousness, soul, emotions: THAT is what is supposed to differentiate us. The Hopi Indians, however, wouldn't understand this sentence. They often don't use nouns for processes. In other words, love becomes "to love." Consciousness becomes "to be aware," or to reflect. "Where it happens, it is there," they would say. They maintain a grammatical focus on the processual. For example, they use different forms for processes that are expected than for those that are completed.
But let's assume that this is all just SIMULATED. A kind of MATRIX. Then you should still know how to navigate it, right? Here are a few possible excursions:
«I can't think of anything, can you think of something?»: GPT as an idea provider
Honestly: Sometimes my head just feels empty. No bright ideas. And if one does come along, it's immediately dismissed.
The solution: Write exactly that in Chat GPT. Perhaps this:
"You are an experienced philosophy professor. You know both Western and Eastern philosophy inside and out. Your specialty is Socrates. So you always ask new questions. You also provide a selection of three possible ideas/paths, from which I can then choose one. For my selection, you always create a suitable image, in 16:9 format."
You'll be amazed at the inspiration you'll get for any project. Not too few, but TOO MANY new paths and roads will emerge. But that's not a problem either:
"Please structure this idea for me so I can implement it as effectively as possible. Make me a list of where I could start, how I would proceed, and roughly what the goal would be. Then ask me if this fits—and what else I could use."
“I feel sad/angry/depressed (etc.)”: GPT as a coach/therapist
That's what friends and family are for, right? Right. But maybe they're at work, don't live nearby, or it's 3 a.m. ChatGPT is always ready, as long as your smartphone or laptop has a charged battery.
The following prompt can help, for example:
"You are an experienced psychotherapist/coach with a wide range of tools. Your approach is understanding and listening, yet always solution- and resource-oriented. First, mirror back to me what I've told you and ask what resonates with me. Then, in three simple steps, show me what I could or couldn't do—and how best to do it. Also name role models from world history, philosophy, and religion who faced similar challenges. For each of your pieces of advice, link to a reputable, verifiable online source. In other words, use material from reputable specialist websites."
GPT analyzes and synthesizes user input and general knowledge like a pro. Theories/concepts/teachings that you would have had to laboriously learn through at least one book are spit out to you in a matter of seconds.
"Yes, but...isn't there a risk of oversimplification or misinformation?" Yes, but there ALWAYS is. Amazon is full of book reviews in which experienced experts systematically accuse the author of 10 major errors and meticulously prove them. But THAT'S all in print – and perhaps already years old.
The Internet, on the other hand, is updated daily and enriched with new findings.
“I don’t want to brood, I want good entertainment”: GPT as an entertainer
Sometimes you NEED a distraction. It can be after 5-15 minutes of inner reflection, after breathing exercises, after a nap, or after a workout or a sauna session. Just remember: GPT isn't breakfast TV. It's like a cross between Albert Einstein and Robbie Williams . You won't be fed run-of-the-mill stuff, but rather the exact kind of entertainment that brings you joy, lightness, and hearty laughs.
No matter whether you want to have a favorite song lyric creatively adapted to your situation, are looking for an ironic and friendly conversation partner – or want to play a game of chess: the AI can do all that and much more.
Chess? Yeah, right: Every chessboard has coordinates – from 1 to 8 and A to H. So: "Pawn from D2 to D4, it's your turn!" According to GPT, they play at a solid to good club level. Sorry, but it's like darts players or badminton fans: Your head will be spinning before you've made five moves ("Play a little weaker. Give me a hint after each of your moves about what I should pay attention to next"). Of course, you have to move the pieces correctly yourself (some chess computers light up the squares).
Even more entertainment? Really awesome entertainment?
One could also give a prompt here, a few sentences long. But there's a code word: JEXI.
"From now on, answer me like the AI from the Hollywood comedy JEXI . But stay helpful and stop when I say STOP."
In this mode, GPT will build on what it's learned about you . And yes, it's learned a LOT about you since you started using it. Just like Google or Facebook. How ridiculous? Did you ever read the fine print before sharing something personal with GPT for the first time?
EVEN.
Me neither.
JEXI mode is NOT for the faint of heart, as GPT mercilessly mirrors, exaggerates, and compares. It's best to use it only when you have the coach/therapist on top behind you.
And now: Have fun with ChatGPT!
Or with the AI’s suggestion:
"If you want, we can visit this garden. Again and again. Or continue to draw it—with words, pictures, and creatures. It belongs to you."