ChatGPT as a Reflection and Extension of Curiosity

The root of originality is curiosity. Just as a good question is itself an essential component of the answer, curiosity is also a form of original power. — Paul Graham¹

Recently, I've been using ChatGPT extensively in my daily life—proofreading my articles, having it offer counterarguments when I take notes, and using it to further understand various questions that puzzle me. Of course, I also question its answers. The more I use it, the more I realize it's a kind of projection. It's like a knowledgeable dialogue machine that occasionally gets details wrong. But when you don't speak to it, it won't proactively solve your questions.

Only when you ask does this dialogue machine methodically organize its response.

In the interview "Naoki Urasawa × Mai Yoneyama Special Drawing Conversation," Naoki Urasawa shared his views on AI drawing tools. He mentioned that when creating an incredibly magnificent sunset scene in animation, hand-drawing would take an enormous amount of time, and AI drawing tools could help in such cases. However, before that, you must already have your own imagination of that magnificent scene in your mind to subsequently use AI drawing as an aid.

"If there's no image in your head, it won't work either," Naoki Urasawa said.

Coming back to my own use of ChatGPT, I also assign it roles. For example, the role I use for proofreading notes is "You are a strict editor who will offer counterarguments or criticisms to my notes and suggest how to revise the content." But when you set a role for it, you're imposing your needed functions and perspectives onto it. So you're conversing with an extended version of yourself—one that simply has a larger knowledge base. But you set its perspective, role, and tasks, and these settings are what truly provide originality.

As someone full of curiosity, I continuously ask it various questions. When facing difficulties, I dialogue with this extended role I've established, allowing myself to better understand my own views through iterative cycles. On the surface, I use ChatGPT to seek answers, but the underlying source of power is curiosity and questioning.

To me, ChatGPT is a projection and extension of curiosity. Ultimately, what matters is the person asking the questions.