Chat with Ben Franklin
While preparing for a presentation on technology and the future of democracy that was planned for America’s semiquincentennial, I had an idea to do a little back and forth dialog with an AI-powered version of Benjamin Franklin’s ghost. It was just a scripted comedy bit, so I made an on-screen cartoon prop to make it work—a virtual puppet kind of thing.
The presentation didn’t end up happening, but I liked the idea, so I decided to see how far I could get bringing the spirit of my favorite founding father back to life. Not an uncanny, biographically accurate, zombie imitation—just the spirit of a wacky inventor who likes to impress French maidens with his witticisms.
The set-up in Figma Make was pretty simple, but it took quite a bit of prompt engineering to get the responses close to the tone I was trying for in the original script I wrote. It’s still not there, but if you try it out, there’s a chance you’ll find yourself in an enlightening conversation.
I plan to keep experimenting, since I’ve come to learn that when it comes to designing chatbot companions, it’s not about the destination, it’s about the friends you make along the way.