Ep 88 - The Near Future Of Conversational Technology

Tue Sep 30 2025

Episode Summary In this solo episode, host Cary Weston shares his vision for the future of "conversational technology"—a shift from static, click-based interfaces to dynamic, two-way conversations with the tools we use every day. From Netflix...

Summary

The ChatGPT Experiment – Ep 88: The Near Future Of Conversational Technology

Host: Cary Weston
Date: September 30, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, host Cary Weston explores the imminent transformation of how we interact with technology—moving from click-driven interfaces to true conversational experiences. He emphasizes how conversational technology, particularly tools like ChatGPT, will soon be omnipresent in our daily lives, fundamentally changing platforms like Netflix, Amazon, and travel apps. Cary shares thoughtful perspectives on preparing for this shift and demystifies the process, inviting listeners to use ChatGPT as a safe practice ground for the coming two-way conversations with technology.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Big Shift: Conversational Technology is Coming

Cary opens by expressing excitement (and urgency) about the near future:

“Something that I think is going to fundamentally change, or I know it's going to fundamentally change how we interact with technology and tools... Your apps are about to start talking back, and ChatGPT is your practice space for that conversation.”
(01:16)
Examples of Potential Changes:
- Streaming (e.g., Netflix): Apps might begin asking about your current mood or context instead of relying solely on algorithms.
- Online Shopping: Envisioning a virtual personal shopper that considers real human dimensions and feedback—conversing about fit, styles, and even analyzing real-user reviews.
- Travel Tools: Travel planning made less risky and more personal, by apps asking about your family’s preferences and travel anxieties.

2. From Clicks and Filters to Conversations

“We're shifting from this click-driven, this filter sort kind of thing to conversation driven technology. And I know it might sound a lot like tech speak, but stay with me here for a second.”
(05:54)
Cary encourages listeners to imagine technology not as a cold, automated series of menus, but as a tool that interacts naturally—asking follow-up questions and responding to your answers.

3. Why Now? The Technology is Already Here (Just Not Everywhere)

The power for such two-way interfaces exists, but hasn’t been rolled into the most common consumer apps yet.

“This isn't science fiction. This technology exists. It just hasn't been woven into the everyday apps that we use yet. But it's coming, coming fast.”
(07:30)

4. Changing Mindsets: ChatGPT is Your “Amazing Intern”

Cary reframes AI as a helpful assistant, not just “intelligence”:

“I've started calling ChatGPT an amazing intern... I see people relax, their shoulders drop. They stop worrying about the perfect prompts, and they start thinking about how to talk to it and work with it.”
(08:00)
Key Practice: Don’t overthink prompts—focus on communicating clearly, providing context, and being open to follow-up questions.

5. Practical Guidance: How to Practice Conversational Skills with ChatGPT

Cary suggests using ChatGPT to hone your skills for the future:

“ChatGPT isn't a perfect tool, but it's a fast, capable assistant. It can be incredibly helpful if you give it context, direction, space to ask questions, right?”
(09:10)
He references his prior “four part formula” for enhancing AI responses (see previous episodes).
Example: Instead of “best family places in Italy,” share your concerns (nervous about driving, picky eaters) and let ChatGPT ask more questions, co-creating your plan collaboratively.

6. The Core Lesson: Don’t Wait—Start Practicing Now

Cary urges immediate, low-pressure practice:

“You can wait until every app starts talking to you and figure it out then, or... You can get comfortable with it now. And there's no pressure.... just have the conversation like you would somebody that's eager to help you, right?”
(10:45)
Key Point: Every conversation with ChatGPT is “practice for a world that's coming and it's coming fast.”
(11:27)

7. No One is Behind—Join the Experiment

Cary reassures listeners:

“Are you behind? Should you have figured this out already? Absolutely not. No. No one's behind. This is real time, right? We're all right on time.”
(11:46)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On the Relatable Struggles of Today’s Apps:

“Netflix doesn't know if you're watching alone tonight or with your whole family. It doesn't know if you've had a terrible day or just want something light.... 30 minutes later, you're either suffering through it or you just give up, right?"
(02:20)
On Personalization in Shopping:

“I'm 6'3” 250... and everything these days is not built for me. So I have to go on this exploration, this safari of trying to buy and return because I don't know if the sizes are real anymore, right?”
(03:24)
On Tech Anxiety:

“This tech thing is real, this anxiety thing is real. Being frozen with tech is real."
(08:57)
Reframing Website History as a Precedent for ChatGPT:

"But a website isn't a computer problem, is it? It's a sales tool, it's a conversation tool, it's a marketing tool.... Well, the same thing is happening now with ChatGPT."
(09:30)
On the Importance of Curiosity:

“The most important thing I always share is your curiosity. So go have some fun. Be curious. You can't break it. Talk to it. See what happens, right?”
(11:53)

Timestamps for Major Segments

00:00 – 01:16: Cary introduces the episode’s focus on conversational tech and the coming changes.
01:17 – 04:56: Real-life frustrations with current streaming, shopping, and travel apps.
04:57 – 07:29: Vision for apps starting to have real conversations; "this tech already exists."
07:30 – 09:10: Introducing ChatGPT as an “amazing intern;” reducing tech friction.
09:11 – 10:45: Practical tips to practice with ChatGPT: focus on conversation, not prompts.
10:46 – 11:46: Why to start practicing now; reassurance about “not being behind.”
11:47 – 11:58: Closing encouragements and call to stay curious.

Resources & Further Exploration

Cary highlights his four-part formula for context-rich prompts in a previous episode.
Additional articles and in-depth content available at chatgptexperiment.com.

Final Note from Cary:

“The shift to conversational technology—it’s here. It’s here in small doses... Practice with it. Don’t just use ChatGPT like Google or give it simple tasks. Don’t treat it like software, right? Start practicing the conversation. Because soon, more tools that you use every day... are going to be ready to have a conversation with you. And I want you to be ready.”
(11:34)

Stay Curious, Practice Conversational AI—It’s Your Advantage for the Near Future.

Transcript

A (0:00)

Hey, it's Cary. This episode is about something that's been in my head for a while called conversational Technology. I want to share with you what I see coming. Having two way conversations in apps like Netflix and travel, shopping and food, and how you can practice, how you can prepare, how you can use ChatGPT to be ready for the things that I see coming down the pipeline. Okay? So if that's curious to you, if it sounds interesting, stay with me and I'll see you on the other side of the music. Hey there. Welcome to the ChatGPT experiment. This is the podcast designed to help people better understand what ChatGPT is and find a nugget or two that you can use in your personal or professional life. My name is Kerry Weston. I'm your host. I'm glad you're here. And today I want to talk about something that's kind of been on my mind for a while. Something that I think is going to fundamentally change, or I know it's going to fundamentally change how we interact with technology and tools. And it's not just about AI taking over or robots or any of that scary stuff. This is about something way more interesting and really way more personal. Your apps are about to start talking back, and ChatGPT is your practice space for that conversation. So let me get out of my head what I've been talking about. Our streaming platforms, shopping sites, travel tools, they're all packed with information, right? But they. They still leave a lot of heavy lifting to us, don't they? Netflix doesn't know if you're watching alone tonight or with your whole family. It doesn't know if you've had a terrible day or just want something light. So it recommends something based on your past algorithm, based on something that you could have watched, your family could have watched, your kid. You watch, right? And you try it and whatever, and 30 minutes later, you're either suffering through it or you just give up, right? And go to bed. Does that sound familiar? You've been there. Because I know I have. And what about shopping online? I don't know about you, but one of the most dangerous things you can do these days is actually either look at an ad or buy something from Facebook. You're inundated with 175 other options. And listen, I'm 63250 and there isn't a slim fit, modern fit piece of my body and everything these days is not built for me. So I have to go on this exploration, this safari of trying to buy and return because I don't know if the sizes are real anymore, right? So you order all these things, you return things. You know, I had someone tell me the other day that Amazon's return Center knows me by name, right, Whatever that, you know, the Staples or the Kohl's or wherever you're going. You know, we can all relate to this stuff and travel planning. You know, you want to try stuff and travel, but what if it's a mistake, right? So the opportunity cost of traveling, the opportunity cost of going somewhere painful because if you have a bad experience or you miss something or you didn't go to the tips, the local things, you missed something out. How many times have we gone, listen, how many times have we gone somewhere and said, next time we come back, we got to make sure we do that because we didn't know about it this time, right? Or we all fall into going to where we know that comfortable known place because we don't want to spend the time and the money, quite frankly, to make bad decisions and go somewhere that we're not going to like it, right? But if you knew, maybe you'd risk trying something different if you had more information, right? And so that's kind of what I want to share with you. I want to give this thought provoking thing on where we're going. We're shifting from this click driven, this filter sort kind of thing to conversation driven technology. And I know it might sound a lot like tech speak, but stay with me here for a second. Instead of scrolling through endless options and filtering and clicking and hoping, we're moving towards tools that will actually talk with you, have conversations. Okay, so imagine opening Netflix and instead of seeing the rows of thumbnails that ask you, rough day? Good one. You want to try something new? Do you want to try something familiar? Do you want to think or do you want to just laugh and leave it light? What happens if that has a two way conversation and it's reacting to the answers that it's giving you, right? And here's the kicker, you know, shopping, right? Let's talk about fit. It could be you could have a personal shopper. Now there are personal shoppers people, right? Maybe you've seen Stitch Fix and others. You can fill out a survey and then an actual person sends you stuff and then maybe some of it stays, maybe some of it doesn't. Stores have personal shoppers. But why not on your phone, right? Why not have a two way conversation? It can ask you about fit. It can ask you about does the is the medium or extra large from this Company the same as the medium extra large. And it can be looking through reviews. It could be doing all that background work, right? It could be doing all the detective work, scanning thousands of reviews from people with your body type. It could be spotting the run small comments or analyzing real photos. All that stuff that you wish you had time to do but really can't. And this isn't science fiction. This technology exists. It just hasn't been woven into the everyday apps that we use yet. But it's coming, coming fast. Now, if you've heard me talk here before, you know that I use the phrase amazing intern, right? Instead of artificial intelligence for AI. You know, I started calling ChatGPT an amazing intern because every time I would teach, I'd get that technology friction, that roadblock, that anxiety, right? And I'm telling you, every time when I use this term in person and workshops and training, I see people relax, I see their shoulders drop. They stop worrying about the perfect prompts and they start thinking about how to talk to it and work with it, right? Because here's the thing. ChatGPT isn't a perfect tool, but it's a fast, capable assistant. It can be incredibly helpful if you give it context, direction, space to ask questions, right? A few episodes ago I did my four part formula. If you haven't listened to that, go check it out. My four part formula that helps you give ChatGPT details and context and paint the picture of what success looks like and give her permission to ask you questions, right? So I went through that. Check it out, it's extremely helpful. But what I'm saying is the ability for the two way conversation to happen is going to take place in much more place, in many more places than just ChatGPT, right? And this tech thing is real, this anxiety thing is real. Being frozen with tech is real. And it reminds me of something. You know, years ago, companies would treat their website like an IT project, like a computer project. They'd hand it to the tech team because it involved coding and computers and hosting, right? But a website isn't a computer problem, is it? It's a sales tool, it's a conversation tool, it's a marketing tool. It's your front face, it's your conversation to people you haven't met yet, trying to attract new people to your business, right? To understand, to educate, to teach, to inspire, to get them well. The same thing is Happening now with ChatGPT. Too many people are seeing it as technology and they think it belongs to tech teams or tech people, right? But really, ChatGPT and tools like it, you know, it belongs wherever you're trying to think better or communicate more clearly or make smarter decisions, right? And it belongs on your desk, it belongs in your phone. Not just the tech. This is a tool that is there for everybody, right? So let's get to the heart of the matter. Why am I telling you all this? You know, why does it matter today? Well, because the scenarios that I'm describing, Netflix, asking about your mood, travel apps helping you feel confident about trying something new, shopping sites that actually understand your style, your body, right? It's not some far off fantasy. The technology exists, exists right now. And it may be rolled out in small spaces, but it hasn't been fully integrated into the apps that we use the most, like Netflix and Amazon and all these things, right? Which means you've got a choice. You can wait until every app starts talking to you and figure it out then, or, and this is what I'm suggesting, and this is why this podcast exists. You can get comfortable with it now and there's no pressure, right? You can practice. So think of ChatGPT, if you need to, as your practice space. Remember, you know, when you first started learning anything, it gets weird, right? But then it becomes second nature. And the same thing is here. There's. There's a fog that lifts when you learn how to talk to it, when you learn to use ChatGPT like your amazing intern, you're practicing something. You're learning to share the whole picture and not just keywords, right? You can practice. I want to explore Italy, but I'm nervous about driving and my kids are picky eaters. And just instead of saying best family places in Italy, right, you can get into the context. You're letting it ask you questions back. You're going back and forth until you get what you need. And going deeper, you're having a conversation. And that's the beauty about what's here right now. And that's the simplest way to start. And it's where I tell everyone to start in my workshops and training here on the podcast. Talk to it. Talk to ChatGPT the way you wish your favorite apps or your favorite guides would talk to you. Give it permission to ask you questions that you wish people would ask you if they were helping you make a decision. And that's it. Don't worry about the perfect prompt. Don't stress about doing it wrong. Just have the conversation like you would somebody that's eager to help you, right, that wants to give you direction, it needs to get that information from you, right? Because here's what most people don't realize. Every conversation you're having with ChatGPT now is practice. It's practice for a world that's coming and it's coming fast, right? And so, you know, you've probably heard me say this on the. On the podcast before. You know, are you behind? Should you have figured this out already? Absolutely not. No. No one's behind. This is real time, right? We're all right on time. But you've got an amazing opportunity to practice and dig in and use the benefits of ChatGPT for what it does today. It's going to look different in a year from now. I think the idea in the near future that there's a standalone app like ChatGPT is going to look silly. I think this is just going to be in our normal everyday lives. But for right now, this is the way it is. And there's some amazing things here that we can do, right? And you get to practice. So the shift to conversational technology, it's here. It's here in small doses. And I want you to understand what conversational technology is and why it matters, right? So practice with it. Don't just use ChatGPT like Google or give it simple tasks. Don't treat it like software, right? Start practicing the conversation. Because soon more tools that you use every day, the big ones that we talked about and everything else you're going to touch are going to be ready to have a conversation with you. And I want you to be ready. I want you to be ready. So practice today. Okay? So conversational technology, that's what I want to get out of my head. Right? That's it for today. I got the an article that goes into this deeper@chatgptexperiment.com as always, I've got some other articles there in the past episodes of the podcast, so check it out. And if you want to have a conversation or do some training yourself or your pen business, or you got a workshop or a seminar, reach out. You can get a hold of me@chatgptexperiment.com but the most important thing is not the prompts and the tools and recognition. The most important thing I always share is your curiosity. So go have some fun. Be curious. You can't break it. Talk to it. See what happens, right? And until we talk again soon, do stay curious. Okay? Bye. Bye.