The Oracle-9000

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  Screenshot of Oracle-9000 ready to predict THE FUTURE!

Inspiration

Back in the 80s we had the magic 8-ball to help answer yes/no questions. This is an update for modern times, using advanced A.I. tech to predict the eternal mystery: THE FUTURE.

What it does

Users enter a yes/no question, then after much calculation, the ORACLE-9000 returns the answer, and much like the magic 8-ball of old, the answer is vague and some variation of "Maybe." This is a reminder that the future remains unwritten, and to add to the fun, the ORACLE-9000 ads a smart-Alec additional phrase, to remind you that you knew all along that the future was yours to shape.

How we built it

Using a one-shot prompt in BOLT. Here is the prompt: I want to make a smart-alec fortune teller app. The interface will be a cartoon image of a mainframe computer with tape reels and red and green lights flashing. A text box will be placed in the image of a monitor and the user can enter the question that they seek answered. The prompt is "Enter the yes or no question that you would have answered by the most advanced future-predicting A.I. machine there is!" Once a user enters their question, the screen will flash text messages such as "Thinking about it..." and "Comparing possibilities..." and "Considering all possible timeliness..." and "Weighing improbabilities." Once that is completed, the app will show the answer. The answer will be very vague and not indicate yes or no, but some variation of "maybe." NEVER GIVE THE SAME ANSWER TWICE. Possible answers include "It seems possible." or "Perhaps it could be." or "The signs indicate it could happen." and add a smart-alec comment, like "You silly goose." or "But you already knew that." or "Obvi!" NEVER GIVE THE SAME ANSWER TWICE. Then ask the user if they would like to try again.

Challenges we ran into

Writing the one-shot prompt - the text is very long and large, and we must get it all in one paragraph.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

It's fun and easy. I asked it if my wife loved me and the Oracle-9000 replied, "The timeline shows it could unfold. Plot twist: It's complicated." We both laughed a lot at that one!

What we learned

One-shotting is a fun exercise, but fortunately, not a requirement. It's very limiting. Iteration and modification are how AI dev tools like BOLT work best. Still, this was an interesting practice in making my developer intentions clear.

What's next for The Oracle-9000

A long vacation in the digital equivalent of the Bahamas.

Built With

• bolt