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Using ChatGPT's Advanced Voice Mode as an intellectual laxative

We've all trained ourselves to be intellectually constipated by default. (I know, I know. Hear me out.)

A woman talking to a robot

A big realization I've had using a lot of ChatGPT Voice Mode is that we've all trained ourselves to be intellectually constipated by default.

It's almost impossible for me to ask Voice Mode a question and then listen to the answer without asking yet another question, recursively. Basically like an annoying child who asks "why" on an infinite loop.

Today I paused an audiobook to ask Voice Mode about the Copenhagen Revolution, and 45 minutes later the unbroken chain of questions and answers got us talking about how the Parsi people of India are the descendants of the world's oldest monotheistic religion.

It's not that talking to Voice Mode makes me more intellectually curious than when I talk to other humans. It's just that I suddenly have permission to follow my curiosity wherever it leads. No embarrassment, no fear of being pushy or annoying or repetitive or politically incorrect. Just pure, playful, childlike learning.

Turns out we don't "grow out of it" so much as we learn to suppress it. And now we don't have to anymore.

Photo of Channing Allen Channing Allen

Channing Allen is the co-founder of Indie Hackers, where he helps share the stories, business ideas, strategies, and revenue numbers from the founders of profitable online businesses. Originally started in 2016, Indie Hackers would go on to be acquired by Stripe in 2017. Then in 2023, Channing and his co-founder spun Indie Hackers out of Stripe to return to their roots as a truly indie business.

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  1. 1

    Such a fascinating perspective! The idea of 'intellectual constipation' really resonates. ChatGPT’s Voice Mode seems like a great way to rediscover that pure, curious mindset.