How Deep Research Can Change Your Life
Plus, the Library of Everything You Need to Know
Dear Prompt Experimenters,
Lots of likes on that last post! I think there might be a some interest in Deep Research?
Here’s what I’ve been thinking:
Now that all this Deep Research is available, how do we actually use and apply it to our lives? (Shout out to Julie for raising this point in community chat. Thank you!)
There are so many AI tools we’ve explored: promptcraft, Deep Research, custom GPTs, AI-enabled introspection, etc. How do we put them all together to create something truly special?
And here’s where all that thinking led me: Would you be up for a challenge? A pretty big one?
I challenge you to build the most powerful AI tool that you’ve ever experienced. Powerful because it’s personal, purpose-built at every step, just for you.
It will include two components:
(today) The Library of Everything You Need to Know: Meticulously assembled by using Deep Research like it’s never been used before.
(next Thursday) Your Personal Expert: A PhD in the study of “Everything You Need to Know,” available 24/7 to support your journey, whatever it takes.
It seems like a big ask, but we can do it!
I will explain the overall concept in this post. For paid subscribers, we’ll continue on to a very detailed step-by-step playbook with all of the prompts and tools you need to accelerate the process. This will begin today, and conclude in next Thursday’s post.
Free subscribers, about half of the content on this site is and will continue to be free, always. If you would also like to explore some of our premium content, such as the playbook we’ll be discussing today, all of our custom GPT tools, etc., please use the link below to explore subscription options.
What do you think? How about a quick warm-up, and then let’s jump in?
LIGHT AND EASY PROMPTS TO START YOUR DAY
Prompt: If I Were a Knowledge Index
📜 Instructions: Cut and paste the italicized prompt below into ChatGPT to begin.
"Imagine I’m a custom knowledge index—like the S&P 500, but for my brain. Ask me which five concepts, skills, or obsessions would be tracked in this index. Then, create a short report showing how each one has risen or fallen over time, and what’s currently in my intellectual ‘buy zone’."
Prompt: Deep Research in Your Head
📜 Instructions: Cut and paste the italicized prompt below into ChatGPT to begin.
"Pretend I had a version of ChatGPT’s Deep Research built into my brain—something I could activate for just 30 seconds when I needed insight fast. Ask me: what are two moments from the past week where I wish I had that? For each one, show me exactly what I would have asked—and what it might have uncovered."
Prompt: Weird but Worth It
📜 Instructions: Cut and paste the italicized prompt below into ChatGPT to begin.
"Can you help me imagine five of the weirdest—but actually conceivable—Deep Research reports someone could run? Not satire or parody, but things that would genuinely yield useful insight or unexpected entertainment. Ask me to pick the one that intrigues me most. Then, help me write a full Deep Research prompt that could generate a killer report in that area."
THE AI PERSONAL ENLIGHTENMENT CHALLENGE (AIPEC): Introduction
I challenged you to build the most powerful AI tool you’ve ever experienced. A bit aggressive, right? Kind of ambitious? Totally insane?
Perhaps.
Here’s the path I’m imagining:
Use AI to create a rich, deep, and meaningful profile of yourself: Based on your past conversations and favorite prompts, we will construct a detailed profile of what makes you tick, what your personal journey looks like, and what you need to unlock the full potential of your greatness.
Develop a highly targeted and customized Deep Research itinerary: Using this profile as an input, we will ask AI to generate a Deep Research itinerary derived completely from “what you personally need to know.”
Construct the library: We will run all of these Deep Research reports, making sure they are tailored to your personal needs.
Build your Personal Expert: Our library needs a librarian. More than that. A Personal Expert, constructed entirely based on “what you need to know.” We’ll create a custom GPT entirely bult just for you to be your advisor, teacher, coach, guru, or whatever you need in the moment.
I always try my crazy ideas on me first, before sharing them with you. As such, here’s the library I’m building for myself through this process:
🎯 Top 10 Deep Research Report Concepts for You
1. The Future of Playful Philosophical Platforms
Why this? You’re building one. Let’s dissect competitors, parallel experiments, and relevant trends.
Operationalization: AI Building — refine DOT and TOD’s roadmap.
2. The Psychology of Reflective Engagement: Why People Share, Comment, and Connect
Why this? You’ve cracked acquisition, but engagement lags. This reveals the “why” of interaction.
Operationalization: Systematic Application — inform community and interface design.
3. Digital Campfires: Models of Intimate Scalable Online Communities
Why this? You don’t want just followers. You want a movement.
Operationalization: Creative Production + AI Building — design the social layer of Thought Experiments.
4. The Substack Growth Canon: What Actually Works (and for Whom?)
Why this? You have traction. Now it’s time for compounding.
Operationalization: Systematic Application — test and implement non-sleazy growth playbooks.
5. When Fiction Teaches Better: Case Studies of Literary Approaches to Philosophical Ideas
Why this? Thought Experiments = “Harry Potter meets Being and Nothingness.” Let's find your peers across time.
Operationalization: Pure Learning + Creative Production — inspire narrative technique and structure.
6. AI as Muse: How Creators Are Building and Branding with Custom GPTs
Why this? DOT and TOD aren’t gimmicks. But how do you frame them to others?
Operationalization: AI Building — sharpen your GPT strategy and public positioning.
7. The New Alchemy: Transforming Addictive Traits into Creative Superpowers
Why this? This is your personal mythology. Let’s back it with real models.
Operationalization: Pure Learning + Self-Mastery — design a more deliberate transformation arc.
8. Hyperpersonalization at Scale: How AI Can Deliver Uncannily Human Experiences
Why this? DOT/TOD should feel alive. Let’s see how others are achieving this.
Operationalization: AI Building — elevate the emotional intelligence of your GPTs.
9. The Philosophy of Gaming the Self: Life Experiments, Habit Loops, and Meaning
Why this? You’ve already designed your life as a psychological gameboard.
Operationalization: Creative Production + Self-Frameworks — codify and export this for others.
10. New Enlightenment Models: Who’s Actually Helping People Live Better (and How)?
Why this? “Thought Experiment Enlightenment” is your telos. Let’s study those pulling it off at scale.
Operationalization: Vision Anchoring + Strategic Inspiration — model your late-game.
AIPEC PLAYBOOK PART 1: Your Personal Bio (which can make all your AI interactions better!)
We are going to be asking AI for deep personalization. To do this, it needs to know you deeply. Luckily, we have all the tools we need for this.