Conversational Technology Will Change Everything – And ChatGPT Is Your Practice Space
You ever open up Netflix just to scroll for 30 minutes and still not know what to watch? Or try to plan a trip and end up with 14 tabs open, none of them helping you feel any closer to a decision? It’s not that we don’t have options—it’s that we’re drowning in them.
The apps we use every day, streaming platforms, shopping sites, travel tools, are packed with information.
But they still leave all the heavy lifting to us. They don’t know us. They don’t ask questions. They don’t help us make better choices.
That’s going to change.
In the near future, these tools won’t just filter options or sort by category.
They’ll actually talk to you.
They’ll ask what kind of mood you’re in. What you care about right now. What matters to you—the real-time you, not just the algorithm version of you.
They’ll go beyond checkboxes and filters. They’ll understand nuance. They’ll offer support that feels more like a thoughtful assistant than a search engine. And that’s not some distant fantasy—it’s already starting to happen.
That’s why learning how to have a real conversation with today’s tools, like ChatGPT, is more than just a cool trick. It’s practice. It’s preparation. It’s how we get ready for a future where technology doesn’t just respond to us – it gets us.
The Shift: From Click-Driven to Conversation-Driven Technology
For a long time, our relationship with technology has been pretty one-sided. We do the work. It gives us a result. We search, we scroll, we filter, we click. And then we just hope something useful shows up.
Whether it’s shopping for clothes (order three sizes, return two), choosing a show (suffer through or bail 30 minutes in?), or planning a trip (play it safe or risk wasting precious vacation days?), most tools today are built the same way: They show you everything, and you figure it out. The algorithm makes recommendations, but it doesn’t know if you want to think tonight or just zone out. It doesn’t know you’re afraid of wasting your one big trip this year. It just knows what you clicked on before.
But that’s not how we make real-life decisions, is it?
When you’re unsure about where to go on vacation, you talk to someone. When you’re overwhelmed by choices, you want someone to help you think it through, not just show you more options. You want to be asked questions. You want someone to understand your mood, your priorities, your context. You want to feel confident about trying something new, not terrified you’ll waste money and time on the wrong choice.
That’s the future of technology: not more options, but more understanding.
Instead of filtering through thousands of products, shows, or hotel reviews, the next generation of tech will talk with you to understand what you’re actually looking for. No more trial and error with multiple orders. No more suffering through bad recommendations. No more playing it safe because you’re afraid of choosing wrong. The experience won’t feel like software. It’ll feel like a conversation with someone who’s there to help you feel confident about your choice.
This shift, from clicking through options to actually talking things through, is already happening. And if you’ve ever had a back-and-forth with ChatGPT where it actually helped you think, you’ve felt it.
Why I Call It an “Amazing Intern” (Not Artificial Intelligence)
Most people hear the phrase “artificial intelligence” and immediately think about code, robots, or jobs being replaced. It sounds cold, technical, and even a little intimidating.
That’s why I stopped calling it that.
When I talk to people, whether it’s podcast listeners, workshop attendees, or clients, I call tools like ChatGPT an “amazing intern.” And every time I say it, you can feel the shift. Shoulders drop. People stop worrying about prompts and start thinking about how to work with it.
Because that’s the point. ChatGPT isn’t a perfect expert. It’s a fast, capable assistant. One that can be incredibly helpful if you give it context, direction, and space to ask questions.
You know what’s funny? This same thing happened with websites years ago.
Companies would treat their website like an IT project. They would hand it off to the tech team because it involved code and servers. But a website isn’t a computer problem. It’s a sales tool. A first impression. A conversation with someone who hasn’t met you yet.
It’s like putting your sales team in the IT department. Doesn’t make sense, right?
Now it’s happening with ChatGPT. People see the technology side and assume it belongs in the hands of “tech people.” But really, it belongs wherever you’re trying to think better, communicate more clearly, or make smarter decisions. It belongs on your team.
So if you start treating it like an amazing intern – curious, fast, and eager to help – you’ll get more out of it.
And more importantly, you’ll be ready when this same kind of interaction starts showing up in all the tools you use every day.
What This Will Look Like in Real Life: 3 Everyday Experiences Reimagined
1. Streaming: Choosing What to Watch Without the Scroll Spiral
You know the drill: You sit down to relax, open Netflix, and suddenly it’s 25 minutes later and you’re no closer to watching anything.
You’ve got plenty of choices. Too many, in fact. But none of them feel right.
You pick something the algorithm recommended and 30 minutes later you’re either suffering through it or giving up entirely. Another wasted evening.
Why? Because the algorithm doesn’t know if it’s just you tonight or your whole family. It doesn’t know you’ve had a long day and want something light, or that you’re in the mood for something weird and artsy.
Now imagine opening your streaming app and hearing,
“Rough day or good one? Something new or something familiar? Want to think or just laugh?”
It’s not just recommending titles anymore. It’s helping you narrow in based on how you feel in that moment. That’s what a real conversation does. And that’s the kind of experience conversation-first tech will offer.
2. Travel Planning: From Overwhelm to “This Feels Right”
Booking travel is exciting… until it isn’t. One search turns into 20 tabs. You toggle between prices, reviews, filters, and second-guess every decision.
You want to try that boutique hotel in the local neighborhood, but what if it’s a mistake? There are a thousand travel blogs, podcasts, and “ultimate guides” out there, but which ones can you actually trust? Which ones match what YOU’RE looking for, not what some influencer got paid to promote? So you book the chain hotel you always book. Safe, boring, exactly what you didn’t want but couldn’t risk.
But that’s because the process is built on filters and keywords, not actual understanding.
In the near future, your travel tool might start with something simple:
“Are you celebrating something? Want to feel adventurous, or totally unplug? What would make you feel like you nailed this choice – even if you’re trying something new?”
It’ll ask about your energy, your travel style, your budget flexibility, your pace. And when you need advice, it won’t just dump 50 blog posts on you. It’ll point you to the exact resources that match what you’re actually trying to do.
It becomes like having a well-traveled friend who gets both your dreams and your anxieties, and knows which advice to trust.
This makes the information overload problem tangible – it’s not just too many options, it’s too many “experts” and no way to know which ones apply to you.
3. Shopping: Finally Feeling Understood by the Internet
Buying clothes online still feels like a gamble. What looks good on someone else may not work for you. Sizes vary wildly. And every ad promises “the perfect fit.”
So we order three sizes and return two. We buy the “safe” choice and wonder if we should’ve been bolder. Amazon’s return center knows us by name.
But imagine opening a shopping app and hearing:
“Let’s talk about fit. Do you like loose or tailored? What brands usually work best for your shape? How did that Medium from Nike actually fit you last time? Those jeans you love – what brand are they again?”
It’s learning from YOUR actual experience, not just guessing from generic size charts.
While you’re talking, it’s scanning thousands of reviews for people with your body type, spotting the comments about “runs small” or “perfect for broad shoulders,” analyzing the photos from real customers – all the detective work you wish you had time to do.
That’s what conversational technology can do. It becomes a personal shopper that actually listens, learns from your history, AND does the homework, not just a storefront with more filters.
And the more you talk to it, the better it gets at knowing you. Not some demographic profile. But the you of right now, today.
Why This Matters Now (Not Later)
Those scenarios I just described? They’re not some far-off fantasy. The technology exists, It just hasn’t been woven into the main tolls we use , like Netflix, Expedia, or Amazon yet.
But it’s coming. Fast.
Which means you have a choice. You can wait until every app starts talking to you and figure it out then. Or you can get comfortable with it now, while there’s no pressure, using tools that already exist.
That’s where ChatGPT comes in. Think of it as your practice space. Like how texting with friends prepared you for a world where everything happens on your phone. Or how learning to Google stuff prepared you for… well, everything that came after.
When you use ChatGPT like an “amazing intern,” you’re practicing something specific:
- Sharing the whole picture instead of just keywords (not “Italy travel” but “I want to explore Italy but I’m nervous about driving there and my kids are picky eaters”)
- Letting it ask you questions instead of trying to nail the perfect request (“What’s your budget?” “Do you prefer cities or countryside?” “How important is having a pool?”)
- Talking like you’d talk to a helpful human instead of typing like it’s a search box
- Going back and forth until you get what you need, not just accepting the first answer
This isn’t about mastering AI. It’s about getting comfortable with a conversation—the same kind of conversation you’ll soon be having with all your everyday tools.
Here’s the simplest way to start: Talk to it the way you wish your favorite apps could talk to you.
So no, you’re not “behind” if you’re still figuring it out.
You’re actually right on time. Because the future isn’t about mastering technology.
It’s about having better conversations with it. And that’s something you already know how to do.