Khaberni - In the clutter of "Slack" platform notifications, phone messages, and incessant emails, people easily lose focus at the first step of any new project and sometimes find themselves unable to catch the initial thread or complete the task at the pace they aspire to. In those moments, "ChatGPT" transforms into a crucial tool to help reorganize thoughts, and unveil gaps that may be hidden under the pressure of distraction.
But the answer might just be in one unexpected word: "potato".. So what's the story?
According to the technology site "Thomas Guide", the source of this idea is very "simple", yet incredibly smart. It involves ChatGPT being instructed to "attack the idea" instead of asking for its improvement, by providing a keyword "potato", thus activating the "severe critic" mode.
What does the potato command mean?
When typing the word "potato", followed by an idea or argument, ChatGPT transforms from a cooperative assistant into something akin to a logical analysis team or a devil’s advocate, with its sole mission being: to unveil gaps, dismantle hidden assumptions, and present counterarguments that were overlooked without any sugarcoating.
The problem: the obedient artificial intelligence
Typically, artificial intelligence models are trained to be helpful and non-confrontational, meaning they work on improving a weak idea rather than informing you of its weaknesses, i.e., it's "obedient AI". However, this can also give you false confidence in incomplete ideas, which harms productivity instead of supporting it. Here, the "potato cue" comes into play.
Why is this method effective?
Simply put, by using the "potato" prompt, you force the AI to do what it excels at doing—detecting patterns and contradictions.
With this mode activated, ChatGPT begins to search for illogical leaps in your thinking, overlooked data, and the weakest point from which a critic could attack you.
9 practical benefits that make "potato" a powerful productivity tool:
1- It breaks confirmation bias: instead of supporting your opinion, it challenges it.
2- It activates the editing mode: fixing an idea is easier than inventing one from scratch.
3- It works like a mental reset button.
4- It combats thinking paralysis and stimulates the mind.
5- It reveals survival bias: it focuses on reasons for failure, not just success.
6- It puts ego under review: project enthusiasm does not mask its flaws.
7- It reveals hidden assumptions that can undermine even the best plans.
8- It prepares the user for real confrontations: presentations, meetings, and tough questions.
9- It leverages AI's strongest skills: analysis not creation.
Real-world uses of the potato prompt
The "potato test" has become the last step before sending any important email or project proposal among users. For instance, one person used it for "salary negotiation" tips before an important meeting, writing: "potato: I deserve a salary increase because I have met all key performance indicators," to which the AI responded: "Achieving key performance indicators is a basic requirement to retain your job, not necessarily to get a raise. You need to prove your market value or expand your scope of work," which forced him to enhance his productivity.
Meanwhile, another adopted it in making a "decision" when he hesitated between two options, writing the word "potato" followed by his preferred choice. The AI then informed him that his choice was actually wrong with reasons, prompting him to change his decision and choose the better option.
Precisely speaking, the word "potato" forces ChatGPT to stop saying "yes" when you really need supportive and constructive feedback, allowing it to dissect and critique what you have provided to bring out the best in it.
