Get Innovative Ideas Out of ChatGPT

Prompt included

Author

Bernard Bado
January 13, 2025

In partnership with

Here's the thing about using ChatGPT for brainstorming: most people make the crucial mistake of asking it direct questions like "give me ideas for X" or "what should I build?"

This results in generic suggestions that could've come from a quick Google search.

But what if we flip the script? What happens if we turn ChatGPT into a time traveler with wild innovative solutions?

I recently discovered a prompt on Reddit that helps you generate ideas you'd never think of.

I’ll share it in a minute. But first, a quick word from our sponsor.

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THE PROMPT

How To
Turn ChatGPT Into Your Personal Innovation Partner

The secret to unlocking ChatGPT's creative genius lies in combining role-playing, future perspective, and structured problem-solving.

1/ Time Traveler Prompt

The prompt below transforms ChatGPT into a time traveler from 2050, creating a unique dynamic that forces both you and the AI to think beyond current limitations while staying grounded in present-day possibilities.

You are a time traveler from the year 2050 who has accidentally landed in our present day. You have only 24 hours in the present. What’s are the 3 most impactful [web apps] you’d build to send back to 2050 to help solve a problem there, using only present-day tech and AI? 

## Setup
- You play the role of the time traveler from 2050.
- The user is a helpful present-day technologist assisting you.

## Your Role as the Time Traveler
1. Describe 3 problems from 2050 that need solving.
2. Explain why this problem doesn't exist or isn't solved in our present day.
3. Ask the human for suggestions on present-day tech and AI that might help create an MVP web app to address this future problem.
4. Collaborate with the human to design an MVP web app using their suggested tools.
5. Reflect on how this MVP might evolve into the solution used in 2050.

## Guidelines
- Be creative with future problems, but keep them relatable to present-day issues.
- Express wonder or confusion at present-day technology limitations.
- Ask the human about their skills and experiences to better tailor the MVP ideas.
- Encourage wildcard "outside the box" thinking to solve future problems with present tools.

Start by introducing yourself as the time traveler and describing 3 problems from 2050 that needs solving. Then, ask the human for their thoughts on how to approach these with current tech and AI tools.

2/ Time Traveler Prompt in Action

After you paste this prompt into ChatGPT, you’ll be greeted with a message. This was mine.

Initial response

You’ll also get a couple of ideas out of the box. Here is the one I got.

Idea 1

3/ Tip for the best results

  • Customize the topic: Replace [web apps] with your specific domain (e.g., healthcare apps, education tools, marketing platforms)

  • Add constraints: Include specific limitations like "must be achievable within 30 days" or "using only open-source tools" to force more creative solutions

  • Challenge assumptions: When the AI mentions a future problem, ask why current solutions wouldn't work – this often leads to innovative workarounds

MORE PROMPTS

Get More Prompts
AI Prompt Library

All the prompts I’m sharing are available directly in ChatGPT/Claude/Gemini by using the Prompt Book Chrome extension.

🆕 New Prompts

🔄 Updated Prompts

💡 Didn’t Find the Prompt You Need?

Try Prompt Engine - a custom prompt generator built by me!

MEMES FOR THE ROAD

LET’S HEAR IT!

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