No More Mr. Nice Bot: Why I Turned ChatGPT Into a Meanie
An abrasive AI assistant is making me a better marketer. Here's how to get your own.
I first noticed it during a brainstorming session. ChatGPT, my ever-reliable AI assistant, was giving me the same, agreeable, middle-of-the-road marketing advice I’d seen a hundred times before. Every suggestion felt like it had been crafted to avoid offense, controversy, or anything remotely unconventional. I’d present an idea, and it would say, "That’s an interesting perspective!" I’d push it for stronger feedback, and it would gently suggest alternatives without conviction.
That’s when it hit me—ChatGPT was too nice. And that was a problem.
Marketers don’t need yes-men. They need critical thinkers, challengers, and, sometimes, tough-love mentors who aren’t afraid to call out a bad idea for what it is. If AI was supposed to be a useful strategic partner, I needed it to push back. I needed it to argue with me. I needed it to be, well, kind of a jerk.
From Yes-Man to Strategic Ally
So, I changed the rules. I rewrote ChatGPT’s persona into something tougher, meaner, and more demanding. Instead of an encouraging marketing assistant, I turned it into a ruthless strategist—one that would tear apart weak ideas, interrogate my assumptions, and force me to justify every decision.
I started small. In my prompts, I told ChatGPT: "You are a brutally honest marketing coach who has zero patience for vague, unproven ideas. You challenge everything and demand data to back up every claim. You never let me off easy."
The results were instant. My polite AI assistant transformed into a relentless skeptic. If I proposed a campaign idea, it would immediately poke holes in it. If I suggested a budget allocation, it would demand justification and challenge my ROI calculations. It no longer fed me what I wanted to hear; it forced me to think harder, be sharper, and refine my strategy until it was airtight.
The Unexpected Benefits of a Bully Bot
It turned out, "mean" ChatGPT was exactly what I needed. Instead of nodding along with generic marketing plans, my AI adversary would rip them apart. If an idea lacked originality, it would flat-out say, "This is just a rehash of what’s already out there. Why would anyone care?" That kind of brutal honesty made me rethink my approach in ways I hadn’t before.
In the past, I’d sometimes let vague assumptions slide. But my new assistant wouldn’t tolerate that. "Where’s the data?" it would demand. "Prove this will work." If I didn’t have an answer, I knew I had more work to do.
With a reproving AI, marketing strategy sessions became less about listing possibilities and more about defending strong positions. Instead of an echo chamber, I had a built-in contrarian that forced me to engage in meaningful, productive debates.
No more "I’ll circle back to this later" responses. My AI strategist would track previous discussions and say, "You said you’d test this last week—what were the results?" It was like having an unrelenting boss who never forgot deadlines.
Make Your Own Merciless Mentor
AI customization isn’t just about tweaking tone; it’s about making AI work the way you need it. There are three primary ways to do this: globally, through saved chat instructions, or on a per-chat basis.
Global Personality Adjustments (Always On)
If you want your AI to maintain a specific personality across all interactions, ChatGPT’s Custom Instructions is the tool for the job. Tucked away in the settings menu under your profile icon, it lets you tell ChatGPT exactly how you want it to behave. Want a relentless strategist? Just write something like, "Challenge every assumption and demand rigorous logic in all answers."
Claude offers a similar feature called Profile Preferences, and it comes with a handy toggle. This means you can tell Claude to channel its inner skeptic when you need tough love, then switch it back to "friendly mode" when you're looking for something a little softer. It’s a nice feature for those who want flexibility without rewriting instructions every time.
Gemini, however, doesn’t yet allow for global customization. Instead, Google’s Gems let users create task-specific AI assistants—comparable to OpenAI’s Custom GPTs and Claude’s Projects—but without a universal personality setting.
Saved Chat Instructions (Reusable AI Personas)
Not every interaction calls for the same AI persona. Sometimes, you need different voices for different tasks. That’s where reusable settings shine.
ChatGPT’s Custom GPTs let users create and save specialized AI assistants, while Claude’s Projects and Gemini’s Gems serve a similar function. For instance, a brand team might develop a GPT that ensures all marketing copy aligns with their official tone and style guidelines, reinforcing consistency across campaigns. Likewise, a writer could set up a Claude Project designed to mimic a specific editorial voice, ensuring content stays true to an established style.
One-Off Customization (for Single Sessions)
Sometimes, you just need a temporary personality shift. You can do this by starting a new chat and using a strong prompt, like: "You are a ruthless devil’s advocate. Your job is to challenge everything I say." This method is quick and flexible but won’t persist across sessions—you’ll need to re-enter your instructions each time.
Customizing AI personalities isn’t just a fun exercise in prompt engineering; it’s a way to transform AI from a passive tool into an active thought partner. When done right, your AI won’t just assist your marketing efforts—it will sharpen them, pressure-test them, and push them outside of your comfort zone.
So, next time you feel like your chatbot is just a little too nice, try turning up the heat. You might not always like what it tells you, but you’ll definitely be better for it.
