I talk about how Taiwan's education system and ineffective attempts to incorporate AI into it will make the unemployment problem worse.

“You know how I know we're made of prompts? Because nothing makes sense anymore. We used to have seven fingers per hand. I remember it clearly."

But it’s easy to forget that we’re also being prompted, too—by feeds, by filters, by algorithms. Like the AI-girl says, “Wake up, man.”
Even Al-Ghaili’s AI-comedian at the end of the film is having its own identity crisis, aware it’s losing its own identity as the uncanny:

But he doesn’t write what he wants. He doesn’t have free will. He’s following a prompt.
Are we much different--us true, authentic, non-AI humans?
AI simulations and deepfakes are a real concern. It is a real danger that AI can fool us, and even replace us, especially for things that matter.

The characters in the “Prompt Theory” film are smooth, stylish, and sure of themselves. Just like real influencers, actors, and politicians.
Just like AI.
As the AI-writer admonishes: “I write what I want. I have free will. Remember that.” His indignation really looks and sounds convincing.

To paraphrase the human-prompted AI, does it really “hurt when we lose” … ourselves?
We increasingly trust fluency more than facts. If it sounds right, it feels true. If it looks real, we stop asking if it is. And if we know it’s AI generated, we increasingly accept it.

But it’s not just funny, it’s a parable.

We’re living in a time of post-truth, post-authenticity, and slowly entering into post-AI—where digital intelligence is shaping what we think before we even know it.
It’s hard to tell what’s real. And more importantly, it’s becoming harder to care.

“You still believe we're made of prompts? Anyone who tells you we're just ones and zeros is delusional. If that's all we are, then why does it hurt when we lose someone?”
But they were made of prompts. Every word, every stress and intonation, every blink, every joke.
Of course, that’s the joke.

with lifelike movement, lighting, and voice.
The film is called Prompt Theory.
It’s funny-funny. Then, it’s funny-strange. Then it’s …. Hmmm?
In the video, AI-generated characters deny they were created by prompts.
With passable empathy and depth, one character says, ...

Therefore, GenAI—when thoughtfully integrated—can enhance not only how we work, but how we think and feel about work, provided we develop the right cognitive, collaborative, and ritual training practices.

link to my article with more details: nickpotkalitsky.substack.com/p/from-work-...

Here's the argument:
1. Tools that increase both task performance and emotional engagement foster more sustainable and fulfilling work environments.

2. Generative AI (GenAI), when used as a co-pilot in knowledge work, significantly improves both performance and emotional experience.

Conclusion...

To unlock them, we need to rethink training: it’s not just about better prompts, but also about reflection, collaboration, and even embodied rituals that anchor our AI use in healthy practice. If we do this right, AI won’t just change how we work—it will change how we grow.

With 600+ projects and 5,000+ papers since 2019, TMU is proving that AI isn’t just a tool—it’s a connector of people, disciplines, and ideas. Its Office of Data Science is a blueprint for how Taiwan can lead the next wave of AI-driven innovation.

This article shows how OpenAI’s 8-step prompting method doesn’t just improve AI outputs. It can also improve cognitive fitness by sharpening systems thinking skills and by protecting against the mental shortcuts AI can encourage.

CROSSFIT prompting.

article: open.substack.com/pub/nigelpda...

Haha ... Yes, that resonates. It does feel a bit like chatgpt-4o. No surprise there, it kept referring to itself as Chatgpt in early trials!

Loved the article - as interesting as it was informative. Especially the AI personality assessments. :)

I would love to hear your take on the Chinese rebel with a cause, DeepSeek. Have you used it enough to get a sense of its personality?

Interesting. Thanks for the luminescent observation.

This can lead to cognitive amplification, but also cognitive atrophy.

I recently wrote about the implications of this for education and educators in my guest post “Educating for AI fluency” on Nick Potkalitsky’s terrific Substack Educating AI. bit.ly/3EFrd80

System 1 (intuitive, fast thinking) and brain System 2 (reflective, slow reasoning).
This interface works like a bridge that enables humans to fluidly incorporate AI-generated insights into our intuitive and reflective processes.