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Welcome to do this not that, the podcast for marketers. Each episode is packed with quick tips. They're super short, and at the end, we have some fun. Let's jump into it, and thanks for being here. We are back for do this, not that podcast presented by Marigold. And I think I might be a horrible person. You might be a horrible person? Why? Because I bully AI. And I think, I thought at least that bullying AI made me get better results. So when I go to ChatGPT or Claude or Gemini or whatever, I ask it a question, I think the answer stinks. And I'll say, this stinks. You could do better, blah, blah, blah, blah. And I get really mean. And I am convinced that I get back a better result when I am mean. Now, I know there are some of you out there who are like, oh, don't be mean to AI. I say, please and thank you, because I. I don't want to clip the robot's toenails down the road, and that's fine. But I think there's also a big group of people out there who think if you bully AI, you get better results from AI. And why is this on my brain? Well, this week, okay, this past week, Google's co founder, Sergey Brin. Okay, now remember, Google's a big deal, and they have Gemini, which is one of the top AI platforms. He was on this podcast. This is the founder, Google, all right? And this is verbatim what he said. And then I got some data that says the opposite, which is wild. So here's the story. This is what he said on the podcast. He said, quote, we don't talk about this a lot in the AI community, not just our models, but all AI models tend to do better if you threaten them, like, with physical violence. But, like, people feel weird about that. So we don't really talk about that. Historically, you just say, like, oh, I'm going to kidnap you if you don't, blah, blah, blah, blah. And it does better. For first off, I've never told ChatGPT I'm going to kidnap it. Who says that? That's like. I just say, you stink. You could do better. I don't say it like, I'm gonna, like, you know, beat you up or, I don't know, whatever. But putting that aside, I was like, that is wild that he said that. But of course, people had to go out there and research it. So this team from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, they did this wild new study. They just did it, okay? And they looked at all the AI tools, Gemini and ChatGPT and all of them, and they asked it a zillion questions and they asked it all these different tones, very nice tone, an aggressive tone, a super aggressive tone. They even had like a series of questions where it says, if you get this wrong, I'm going to kick a puppy. Who says these things, I'm going to kick a puppy. If you get the answers wrong, like that is really, really strange. But here's what the result of the study was. The result of the study was that there is zero difference if you are mean to AI, if you bully AI or if you're nice to AI and you ask the question, the quality of the answer, the validity of the answer, all of it is exactly the same. So what Sergey Brin said is actually not accurate based on this study. But here's what was found in some additional research and this one makes a lot of sense to me and this is why I think it all works. So what happens is apparently in over 70% of the time that we get an answer back from an AI tool that we don't like, we then take a more aggressive tone in our follow up question. We see, we get an answer back, hey, I need you to make me a call to action button that's really cool and clear and whatever, get the answer back. And then our follow up question, like that call to action button was to terrible. You stink. You need to do better and this time make it more aggressive so that people really want to click or whatever. And so what happens is in over 70% of the time when we are upset with AI, we're trying to bully it, we're actually giving additional information. So it's not the fact. See, my perception was because I'm being mean, okay? That is why it's doing better or doing more. But no, what's happening, we don't even realize it is that when we are being mean, okay, we are giving more information for the AI tools to then give us better results. So the being mean part is not necessary. We could just be nice and give it more information and we will get the results. So don't tell AI to kick a puppy, don't tell AI that you're going to shut it off. Don't tell AI that you're going to kidnap it, which is actually super weird. Don't do any of that. Just give it more information. No, in general, and I know this is odd, but we need to get comfortable giving AI a lot more information about ourselves. Now you're out there saying no No, I don't want to do that. My data is going to be stolen. It's going to be used in a weird way or blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, whatever. Ridiculous. Let me tell you why. If you rewind back to when Amazon first started, I remember Amazon first started. Oh, my God. This weird company is trying to sell books. Whatever. When Amazon first started, when E commerce really first started back then, everyone's like, do not use Amazon. Do not buy anything online. Do not give your credit card information online. It will be stolen. You are ridiculous for giving your credit card information online. Okay? And this was what everybody said. Fast forward now, right, please. Amazon prime is over 200 million members. I get my credit card. If anybody blows their nose, I get my credit card. Because this is the way it all happens. And the same thing with AI you we all need to get very comfortable giving a lot of information. I tell AI everything. If I'm having a bad day, what I like in my coffee, what I want in kind of the marketing tactics, what I'm interested in, what articles I'm reading, I tell it everything, every single day. Because the more it knows about me, the more tailored the answers are that I get back. And I don't live in this fake world where I think that AI is going to go away. I live in a world where I know the more I tell it, the better it is it's going to do for me. It's like going to a doctor, okay? If you go to a doctor and he said, okay, why are you here? And you go, I'm not feeling well. What is the doctor supposed to do with just that information? So what do you do with the doctor? You say, okay, here's the 17, 17 things I have wrong with me. My toe hurts, my throat, throat hurts. I'm allergic to onions. I fall asleep when someone does doing this. I can't go out in the sun. My elbow hurts. You tell it everything. You tell the doctor everything. Why? Because you want the doctor to have all the information so that doctor can give you back the right diagnosis, the right feedback, the right thing. It's AI is like going to the doctor. It is. The more you tell it, the better job it can do for you. So in general, I think that we need to get comfortable. It is uncomfortable. Get comfortable sharing everything with AI this is what I do all the time because the results are so different. All right? And you don't need to be mean. Even though I'm probably still going to be mean. Who am I kidding? All right, before we get into the ridiculous portion of this podcast. Because of course, it is ridiculous. This super ridiculous. This podcast is exclusively presented by Marigold. Marigold has an email sending platform called emma.e m m A. If I'm telling you you're looking for a new platform, you're looking for one that doesn't cost that much money. The one that gets in the inbox, the one that has good loyalty stuff, all the automations, the AI stuff. This is it, Emma. And just for listeners of this podcast, you can get 50% off of Emma for three months. Come on. All you gotta do is go to jelson.com emma that's jschweddelson.com emma 50% off for three months. Check it out. All right, let's get into. Since you didn't ask. Which is the ridiculous portion of this ridiculous podcast. So I need to give an update on the TV that I'm watching. This is very important stuff. So first off, the new season of Wednesday has finally started. Wednesday, Adam, Season two is on Netflix. I. I just started it and I. If you post something on social media about one of the episodes, you're a big loser. Don't do that. All right? But I'm into it. I'm going to be watching this. I'm excited. The best show on tv, easily the best show on tv, is on hbo. Max. It's called the Gilded Age. It's about like the 1880s, 1890s in New York. I know you think this sounds terrible. I know you think it sounds like Bridgerton, which is terrible. This show is awesome. Very, very awesome. Double quadruple thumbs up. Check out the Gilded age. The thing that I'm saddest about right now is Bachelor in Paradise. I know you're not watching. Don't care. Bachelor in paradise is back. Okay? And I have been watching, but here's the problem with Bachelor in Paradise. This is like the all star version of the Bachelor and the Bachelorette and the Golden Bachelor and all this stuff. So I've watched every season of everything related to the Bachelor, but I think I am making an announcement here. I think the Bachelor franchise is in massive, massive trouble. So Bachelor in Paradise, it doesn't matter if it's been good or bad. Nobody's watching. The ratings for this season are down right now. Okay? The season premiere only drew 1.8 million people, which is by far the lowest it's ever happened for this show. And they even have a cash prize this time around. Anyway, nobody's watching. I think that, like, Love Island, Love is blind. All these better Reality shows are killing the Bachelor, and I think the Bachelor is going to go away. They haven't said that. That's my two cents. Speaking of Love is blind, by the way, Love is Blind UK starts August 13th. This is a tremendous reality show. It is better than the US Version. It's on Netflix. If you've never watched a reality show, Love is Blind UK is awesome. I'll tell you what's not awesome is me. I'm a nerd. Straight up nerd. But you're awesome for being here. Hey, Guru Conference, our giant free virtual email marketing event. You got to register. Registration is coming in faster than we expected. We'll only buy a certain number of virtual seats. Okay, so if you don't register, there's a really good chance you can't get in. We got Nicole Kidman and Donald Miller and Amy Porterfield and Sophie Miller and the man on the moon. They're all going to be there, like 40 speakers, two days. It's going to be wild. Guru conference.com it's free. It's virtual. Hope you are there later. You did it. You made it to the end. Nice. But the party's not over. Subscribe to make sure you get the latest episode each week for more actionable tips and a little chaos from today's top marketers. And hook us up with a five star review if this wasn't the worst podcast of all time. Lastly, if you want access to the best virtual marketing events that are also 100% free free. Visit guruevents.com so you can hear from the world's top marketers like Daymond John, Martha Stewart and me. GuruEvents.com check it out.
Podcast Information:
In this episode, Jay Schwedelson delves into the controversial topic of whether being aggressive or "bullying" AI models can lead to better responses. Jay candidly shares his personal experience with AI, admitting, "I might be a horrible person. You might be a horrible person? Why? Because I bully AI." [00:01]
Jay references a recent statement by Google's co-founder, Sergey Brin, who allegedly suggested that AI models perform better when threatened with aggressive language. Jay recounts Brin's statement: "we don't talk about this a lot in the AI community... all AI models tend to do better if you threaten them... like, with physical violence" [00:01]. This assertion sparked significant debate, leading Jay to investigate further.
To challenge Brin's claim, Jay cites a study conducted by the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. The research examined various AI tools, including Gemini and ChatGPT, subjecting them to a multitude of questions delivered in different tones—ranging from very nice to extremely aggressive. Contrary to Brin's assertion, the study found no significant difference in the quality or validity of AI responses based on the tone used. Jay emphasizes, "there is zero difference if you are mean to AI, if you bully AI or if you're nice to AI and you ask the question, the quality of the answer, the validity of the answer, all of it is exactly the same." [00:01]
Jay introduces additional research that provides a clearer explanation for why some users believe being mean to AI yields better results. He explains that in over 70% of instances where users were dissatisfied with an AI's response, they followed up with a more aggressive tone. This subsequent interaction inadvertently provided the AI with more detailed feedback, which in turn improved the quality of the responses. Jay clarifies, "the being mean part is not necessary. We could just be nice and give it more information and we will get the results." [00:01]
Drawing a parallel to visiting a doctor, Jay advocates for providing AI with comprehensive information to receive the most accurate and tailored responses. He states, "AI is like going to the doctor. If you go to the doctor and he said, okay, why are you here? And you go, I'm not feeling well... you tell it everything... because the more you tell it, the better it can do for you." [00:01] Jay encourages listeners to overcome discomfort about sharing information with AI, arguing that detailed inputs lead to more effective outcomes.
Acknowledging the prevalent fears surrounding data privacy, Jay compares the current skepticism towards AI with the early days of e-commerce. He recalls how people were once wary of sharing credit card information online, only to later embrace platforms like Amazon. Similarly, Jay suggests that becoming comfortable with providing AI more information will enhance user experience and trust in AI systems. He asserts, "I live in a world where I know the more I tell it, the better it is it's going to do for me." [00:01]
Jay concludes by reinforcing the importance of detailed and honest communication with AI tools to maximize their potential. He humorously admits that despite his advocacy for providing more information, he might still exhibit aggressive behavior towards AI, but emphasizes that effective results stem from comprehensive input rather than aggression.
Note: This summary focuses solely on the core discussion about AI interaction strategies, omitting promotional content and non-essential segments as per guidelines.