The Hottest New AI Chatbot Is Just a Guy Answering Your Questions
WIRED spoke with Tucker Bryant, an artist and former Google employee who created ChatTJB to get people to reflect on the “strange moment” we’re in.
ChatTJB is an AI chatbot created by 32-year-old Tucker Bryant, a public speaker, artist, and former Google project manager. Unlike other AI chatbots, ChatTJB is not powered by artificial intelligence but rather by Bryant himself. He answers user prompts directly, whether it's generating an image of a skunk wearing sunglasses or providing advice on how to become a morning person.
The idea for ChatTJB originated in April, but it gained traction in July when Bryant installed a $6,000 billboard in San Francisco, which led to widespread news coverage. As of August 6, ChatTJB has received over 30,000 queries, with about 5,000 prompts per hour during peak times. Bryant considers ChatTJB to be an art project and an opportunity to comment on the current moment.
He is concerned about the risk of "cognitive surrender" to AI outputs and encourages critical thinking. Bryant has enlisted the help of 10 volunteers, but the project remains a long-term endeavor. Despite the billboard costing $6,000, about four people have paid the $5 per month fee for ChatTJB Pro, so Bryant has not yet recovered the cost.
However, he created ChatTJB not to make money but to encourage people to reflect on their relationship with technology.
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