Can you change his political opinion?
Introducing playful AI 'Angry Uncle Bot' Powered by ChatGPT4 and OpenAI
Picture this: You're gathering for dinner with extended family when suddenly the conversation veers into the treacherous terrain of politics. Tensions mount, voices escalate, and a once joyful event morphs into a verbal battlefield.
This all-too-familiar scene was the catalyst for the original Angry Uncle Bot, introduced in The New York Times in 2018. The chatbot garnered widespread attention because it offered a novel and lighthearted way for liberals and conservatives to learn and practice a skill most people sorely lack: discussing politics in mixed company.
As we head into the heart of the 2024 election season in an increasingly polarized nation, I’m offering a more sophisticated and versatile version: AI ‘Angry Uncle Bot’ powered by OpenAI’s cutting-edge ChatGPT-4 technology.
Like its predecessor, AI ‘Angry Uncle Bot’ features two characters: the grumpy yet relatable Angry Uncle, and a dialogue coach, Dr. T, modeled on me. As the conversation unfolds, Angry Uncle reacts moodily to whatever the user says while Dr. T provides supportive feedback and advice. The advantage of this dual-character design is that users simultaneously learn through two different modes: direct instruction and trial and error.
The AI ‘Angry Uncle Bot’ teaches users that the secret to successful persuasion is forging strong relationships, not debating, lecturing, or shaming.
The AI Angry Uncle Bot teaches that the secret to successful persuasion is forging strong relationships, not debating, lecturing, or shaming. Bombarding Angry Uncle with facts and reason won’t change his mind; it will only intensify his anger and recalcitrance. Insult him, and he may walk away from the conversation altogether. Instead, the bot teaches the user to earn Angry Uncle’s trust. When he’s calm and comfortable enough, your AI uncle (like your uncle in real life) will lower his defenses and become more open to your perspective. To have a truly transformative conversation, ask open-ended questions, listen deeply, validate his experiences, and share your views with personal stories rather than arguments.
Where the original 2018 Angry Uncle Bot was technologically limited to a choose-your-own-adventure style interaction with highly structured choices, the new bot offers more than an amusing multiple-choice test. In the fully immersive experience, the user chooses the discussion topic, their stance, and crafts their own responses, just like in real life—for better or worse. The user can even choose the difficulty of their conversation. Feeling unsure of your skills? Set the level to “annoying” Angry Uncle. Feeling more confident? Raise the difficulty to “mad.” And when you’re ready for a real challenge, raise that bar all the way to “apoplectic” and prepare for Angry Uncle to blow his top.
The new bot is even gamified: the better the user navigates the discussion, the more likely it is that Angry Uncle will listen to what they have to say and change his mind.
Currently, AI ‘Angry Uncle Bot’ is only available to people with a subscription to OpenAI’s ChatGPT Plus. Given the urgent need for these skills, however, I hope to make it more widely accessible in coming months.
Brava on the Angry Uncle 2.0 launch 👏🏾