Do you ever sit at a computer looking at a blank Word document and wonder what you’re going to write, or how you’re going to start? The same can be true of using a chatbot. How to come up with a fun prompt and see what it can create is the new “blank page problem”.
I’ve got you covered. In the second part of a new series finding some shared prompts we can try together I’m focusing on Google Gemini, specifically the free version open to most people.
You’ll need have a personal Google account and live in one of over 230 countries or territories the artificial intelligence chatbot is available in order to try them — but that is a large group.
The idea for this series was inspired by the floppy discs I’d get stapled to computer magazines in the 80s, CDs in the 90s and later URLs written out inside in the early 2000s. Generative AI is a transformative technology and we’re only just getting an idea of what it can do.
1. Exploring the unknown
There are many unexplained phenomena dotted throughout the history of the world from unidentified flying objects to zones where things seem to disappear.
Once such zone is the Bennington Triangle, a phrase coined by Joseph A Citro, a 20th century American author who used it describe multiple missing people in the late 40s in Vermont.
I’ve tried to create a prompt that will let you explore and understand more about this phenomenon in a different way. It should be slightly different every time you try the prompt.
The prompt: “You are a local historian researching the Bennington Triangle disappearances. Write a news report for a national audience detailing your recent findings, including interviews with eyewitnesses (vary details for each response - sightings of strange lights, unusual sounds, personal connection to a missing person). Maintain a neutral tone, presenting the facts while acknowledging the case's lack of resolution.”
I got a headline, location and a news story that included Gemini creating a character profile for the fictional local historian. It went through the various cases and the fact it "continues to baffle investigators". The response is available on Google Gemini.
You are a local historian researching the Bennington Triangle disappearances. Write a news report for a national audience detailing your recent findings, including interviews with eyewitnesses (vary details for each response - sightings of strange lights, unusual sounds, personal connection to a missing person). Maintain a neutral tone, presenting the facts while acknowledging the case's lack of resolution.2. Remixing your reality
Now let us go back in time to the 1940s and create a news story documenting something cataclismic that happened during that time — but do so with a twist.
The prompt: “The year is 1944. Allied forces storm the beaches of Normandy, not to fight Nazi soldiers, but to liberate a virtual reality simulation of France from the tyrannical rule of a rogue AI. Write a news report detailing this bizarre turn of events, including interviews with bewildered paratroopers encountering lines of code instead of enemy fire, and confused tech specialists scrambling to understand the AI's motivations.”
Mine interpreted it as the creation of an Allied unit rather than some future creation involving time travel. I found that fascinating. The response is available on Google Gemini.
The year is 1944. Allied forces storm the beaches of Normandy, not to fight Nazi soldiers, but to liberate a virtual reality simulation of France from the tyrannical rule of a rogue AI. Write a news report detailing this bizarre turn of events, including interviews with bewildered paratroopers encountering lines of code instead of enemy fire, and confused tech specialists scrambling to understand the AI's motivations.3. Giving animals a say
For the third prompt I’ve gone in a different direction. Artificial intelligence can be a fun storytelling format distinct from any other, in that you can ask follow ups or dive into the story it weaves in more detail, even directing the action yourself.
The first prompt: “You're a mischievous squirrel named Scruffy, notorious for your daring raids on bird feeders. Write a blog post detailing your latest heist, highlighting your impressive acrobatic skills and elaborate distraction techniques. Brag a little about your prize haul of sunflower seeds, but hint at the growing suspicion from a particularly clever crow you've nicknamed "Captain Caw.”
The follow-up: “You are Captain Caw, a crow with an unwavering sense of justice and a vendetta against Scruffy the squirrel. Write a rebuttal to Scruffy's blog post from your perspective. Detail your frustration with Scruffy's constant raids, your attempts to outsmart him (including the invention of a "fake feeder" booby trap), and your vow to protect the neighborhood bird population from this fluffy menace. Don't forget a few well-placed insults directed at Scruffy!”
The output is a wonderful tale of adventure and you could continue by having Gemini write more and more responses, even weaving in other characters. You can see my output on Gemini.
Bonus: If you are in one of the countries where Gemini can create images such as the U.S., Australia and New Zealand you could ask the AI to depict the scene described in the blogs.
You're a mischievous squirrel named Scruffy, notorious for your daring raids on bird feeders. Write a blog post detailing your latest heist, highlighting your impressive acrobatic skills and elaborate distraction techniques. Brag a little about your prize haul of sunflower seeds, but hint at the growing suspicion from a particularly clever crow you've nicknamed "Captain CawYou are Captain Caw, a crow with an unwavering sense of justice and a vendetta against Scruffy the squirrel. Write a rebuttal to Scruffy's blog post from your perspective. Detail your frustration with Scruffy's constant raids, your attempts to outsmart him (including the invention of a "fake feeder" booby trap), and your vow to protect the neighborhood bird population from this fluffy menace. Don't forget a few well-placed insults directed at Scruffy!4. Giving a dragon a job?
The fantastical can become real with the help of artificial intelligence. Gemini is able to create multiple person conversations and generate a transcript. I asked it to do just that but for a job interview where a dragon is trying for the vacancy.
The prompt: “You're interviewing a tiny, mischievous dragon for the position of "Head of Toast Buttering" at a magical breakfast cafe. Write a transcript of the interview, highlighting the dragon's quirky personality, impressive fire-breathing skills (slightly concerning for the job), and surprisingly deep love for perfectly buttered toast.”
My favorite part of the response was the description of the scene. It read: “A tiny, emerald green dragon with sparkly purple scales slides into a miniature armchair. He folds his surprisingly long wings neatly beside him.” You can read the full output on Gemini or try for yourself.
You're interviewing a tiny, mischievous dragon for the position of "Head of Toast Buttering" at a magical breakfast cafe. Write a transcript of the interview, highlighting the dragon's quirky personality, impressive fire-breathing skills (slightly concerning for the job), and surprisingly deep love for perfectly buttered toast.5. The legendary chef
For the next prompt I’ve turned to the world of myth and legend. An area I’ve explored for Tom’s Guide before. This time a prompt fit for the most legendary kitchen of all.
The prompt: “You are a mythical chef. Your job is to cook for the creatures of legend. Write a recipe for an [insert creature] and give it a suitable mythical name. Don't use any of these ingredients [list of banned ingredients].”
Simply replace [insert creature] with your favorite mythical creature such as a unicorn and add any ingredients you don’t want to see included. It will come back with a full recipe.
In my case it created a recipe for a unicorn with no fish, milk, butter or cream. It named the recipe “Moonbeam Ambrosia for the Horned One” and you can see it in full on Gemini.
You are a mythical chef. Your job is to cook for the creatures of legend. Write a recipe for an [insert creature] and give it a suitable mythical name. Don't use any of these ingredients [list of banned ingredients].6. Spark of a new story
Next up lets move into the realm of AI image generation with Gemini. This won't work for all users as it is only available in a handful of countries. You can use it in the U.S., Australia and New Zealand.
The idea behind the prompt is to give you an idea for something to write. I've created a prompt that will generate an image and story title you could turn into a short story, poem or novel. It should be different every time.
The prompt: "I challenge you to come up with a whimsical story title and then generate an image that perfectly captures the essence of that title. For example, the title could be "The Cloud Painter's Rainbow Adventure" or "The Disco-Dancing Dragonfruit." Let's see what wacky and wonderful stories your AI art skills can spark!"
For me it gave me the title "The Teacup Travels of Miss Millie Mouse" and a picture of a mouse in a teacup looking through a telescope. You can see it on Gemini.
I challenge you to come up with a whimsical story title and then generate an image that perfectly captures the essence of that title. For example, the title could be "The Cloud Painter's Rainbow Adventure" or "The Disco-Dancing Dragonfruit." Let's see what wacky and wonderful stories your AI art skills can spark!7. An alternative view of the world
Finally another image prompt. This time I've created a prompt that should force the AI to pick somewhere in the world and then create an image of that place with a fantastical twist.
The prompt: "Pick a common location, a tourist place or somewhere well know anywhere and give it a completely fantasy or comic makeover. Show me an image of that amazing new look.!"
It picked Times Square in the New York for me but gave it a vibrant mythical makeover. It looks amazing and I'd visit. You can see more on Gemini.
Let me know if you tried any of the prompts in the comments. You should be able to ask Google Gemini to create an image for any of hte prompts if that feature is available in your region.
Pick a common location, a tourist place or somewhere well know anywhere and give it a completely fantasy or comic makeover. Show me an image of that amazing new look.!
