Note: This post began when I jumped on a recent trend and asked my ChatGPT AI assistant to turn me into a sketchbook character. The illustration was generated by ChatGPT. The self-reflection, however, is entirely mine.
The Prompt
(Upload a picture of yourself)
Please draw the character in the image, "<your name>", in a free and stripped sketch style. On a bright white background, freely distribute full-body drawings, face close-ups, small scribbles, full-body sketches and chibi/deformed versions so that the page conveys the character's humour and personality. Don't do it like an organised character sheet, but like a sketchbook full of information drawn at will by an illustrator and then stacked. Use everything ChatGPT knows about me from our conversations, including my personality, habits, strengths, quirks, profession, and overall vibe, to imagine how an illustrator would interpret me as a character.
The Character AI Thought I Was
The sketch included notes such as:
- Systems thinker who happens to care deeply about people 🤔
- Curious under pressure (definitely not calm all the time) 🧐
- Can turn a simple question into a three-hour research project 🤯
- Little patience for nonsense 😤
- Gets irritated by avoidable inefficiency (workflows, people, systems) 😠
- I may overthink, but I also over-deliver 🤩
- Curious under pressure (definitely not calm all the time) 🧐
- Can turn a simple question into a three-hour research project 🤯
- Little patience for nonsense 😤
- Gets irritated by avoidable inefficiency (workflows, people, systems) 😠
- I may overthink, but I also over-deliver 🤩
ChatGPT didn't pull these observations from a personality quiz. It synthesised them from hundreds of conversations so far, including every random question from me that began with, "I have a question..." Apparently, my AI assistant had been observing and taking notes.
The Parts That ChatGPT Got Inaccurate
Before the version above was finalised, the initial generation wasn't entirely accurate.
The first inaccuracy was that ChatGPT drew me as noticeably slimmer than I actually am. Apparently, even AI is biased: apparently a professional working woman should look tall, lean, and elegant. 🙄 For the record, I'm neither tall nor lean.
Next, ChatGPT described me as "calm under pressure". That made me laugh. Well, I'm not naturally calm.
Ask anyone who has witnessed me dealing with unnecessary bureaucracy, inefficient people, or a process that requires seventeen approvals for something that should take five minutes.
The more accurate description was something we eventually revised together: Curious under pressure. This one felt right.
The Tiny Detail That Felt Most Accurate
Oddly enough, the line that felt most true was this: "I may overthink, but I also over-deliver."
Sometimes I do worry if I ask too many questions or if I analyse things too deeply. Sometimes I disappear down too many rabbit holes. But I guess perhaps that tendency isn't entirely a flaw.
Perhaps it is simply how my brain works: I explore, connect dots, form ideas, and eventually I build something useful from them.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I can now see the core reason behind all my thinking and questions. The older I get, the more convinced I become that systems matter because people matter.
For example, better healthcare systems help patients; better communication helps people understand; better education helps people grow; better technology helps people solve problems.
The systems have always been interesting, but the people have always been the point.
After analysing years of conversations, my AI assistant concluded that I'm a curious person trying to understand how the world works and how things can work better. Honestly, that's a character description I'm quite happy to keep.
