The Secret to Using Gen AI is Applied Improvisation (AI).
Created by Troy, Brad, Gary, and ChatGPT
You get it, AI for AI
You want to leverage the power of ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and other Gen AI.
Goal: Get better at using Gen AI.
Insight: The secret to using Gen AI is being able to improvise with it.
Action: Adopt an Improv Mindset (as you can imagine, we can help).
Working with ChatGPT should be co-creative, responsive, iterative, playful, and consistently surprising: Like two improvisers creating a scene together
Remember, the best improvisers are patient and collaborative. They don’t force their agendas, and they build stories collectively, with no one in charge.
In short, they are utilizing an Improv Mindset’s three key practices of “let go,” “notice more", and “use everything.”
On stage, improvisers generate something out of nothing. They listen, let go of their preconceived notions, and build on each others ideas.
Gen AI is a great improv partner because it immediately responds to your ideas by offering something new that directly builds on what you gave it. We call this “accepting the offer,” or more basically, “yes, anding.”
To be a good improv partner, your job is to do that too.
When collaborating with Gen AI follow the three keys of the applied Improv Mindset.
Let go — Release rigid expectations, so when AI responds in a surprising way, leverage it rather than becoming frustrated or stuck.
Notice more — Pay attention to the unexpected gems and dig into what’s working. Watch for patterns, tiny details and phrases.
Use everything — Ask a lot of questions. Make a lot of offers. Avoid shutting down ideas. Go back and forth with multiple “yes, ands”.
A final note:
As you can imagine, as we are writing this, we have been collaborating with ChatGPT.
We took its offers and yes-anded them with edits and many additions.
And like good scene partners, we thought we’d give ChatGPT the last word with a summary that it generated:
“Just like in improv, the quality of the scene depends on the interaction, not the cleverness of one performer.
The more you bring curiosity, specificity, and a willingness to build, the more meaningful (and sometimes magical) the results become.”
Learn more about the Improv Mindset, and a short sample of our AI for AI work here.
