Okay, so today I wanted to set up something I’ve been thinking about for a while – a “friendly debate opponent” using AI. Basically, I wanted a chatbot that could argue the opposite side of any topic I threw at it. Here’s how I went about it.
Finding the Right Tool
First, I needed to choose the AI model. I’m no expert, so I just went with one of the popular ones that everyone’s talking about. I’ve played around with it a bit before, so I had a basic understanding of how it works.
Setting Up the Prompt
This was the tricky part. I knew I needed a good “prompt” – that’s the initial instruction you give the AI. I wanted it to be able to handle any topic, so I couldn’t just give it a specific subject to start with.
I started with something super simple like:
- “You are a debater. You must always take the opposing viewpoint.”
I tested this by saying, “Cats are the best pets.” It responded with something like, “Dogs offer more in terms of companionship and loyalty.” Okay, good start!
Refining the Instructions
But it wasn’t perfect. Sometimes it would just agree with me, or the arguments weren’t very strong. So I added more instructions:
- “You are a debater. You must always take the opposing viewpoint, providing well-reasoned arguments.”
- “Consider different perspectives and present counter-arguments, even if you have to play devil’s advocate.”
- “Be logical, persuasive.”
I kept tweaking it, adding things like “be concise” and “avoid repetition.” It was a lot of trial and error, throwing different statements at it and seeing what it came up with.
Testing and Tweaking
I spent a good chunk of time just arguing with it! I tried some easy topics, like “Pineapple belongs on pizza” (it actually gave some decent arguments against it!), and then some more complex ones, like “Universal Basic Income is a good idea.”
It was fascinating! Sometimes it would come up with points I hadn’t even considered. Other times, it would get a little confused or repetitive. When that happened, I’d go back to the prompt and try to adjust it.
For example I found I had to add:
- “If the user changes the topic act like it is an entirely new debate.”
Because at one point I started a second debate, and it tried to incorporate points from the previous one, it got very messy.
The Result (So Far)
It’s definitely not perfect, but I’ve got a pretty decent debate partner now! It can handle a wide range of topics, and it usually comes up with at least semi-reasonable opposing arguments. It’s actually been pretty fun, and it’s even made me think more critically about my own views.
I’m still playing around with it, and I’m sure I’ll keep tweaking the prompt to make it even better. It’s a work in progress, but it’s a cool example of how you can use these AI tools for something a little more interactive than just asking questions.
