I asked ChatGPT to create my image from memory: Here’s what it did

If you’re curious how ChatGPT “sees” you, ask it to create a picture of you based on its memory – the results are sure to be worth a laugh. But looking under the hood, how does ChatGPT create a picture of who you are?

What does ChatGPT know about you?

When I asked ChatGPT to paint a portrait of who he thinks I am, the results were quite amusing. It left me wondering how ChatGPT could seemingly know so much about my personality.

One of my hobbies is tinkering with DIY electronics, like the Arduino microcontroller that guy is holding in his palm. I also like the minimalist aesthetic. However, what I enjoyed most was ChatGPT’s attempt to “capture [my] a mix of technical curiosity and creativity.” I’d like to think the same of myself.

For a moment I felt like ChatGPT could really create a picture of me based on its memory. Except for one thing – I’m not a man. No matter how many times I asked about it, it kept producing an image of a guy. Built-in assumptions and bias are one of the issues ChatGPT is still trying to address.

Besides, it reminded me of those personality tests in magazines where you answer questions on a flow chart to arrive at a personality type. Much like these fun, non-science based tests, the truth is that ChatGPT doesn’t know anything about you that you haven’t already answered.

ChatGPT memory

In February 2024, OpenAI updated ChatGPT with a “Memory” feature that gave it the ability to store all the little things you’ve chatted about throughout your history. Like a real person, ChatGPT can now recall the interactions you’ve had together.

I once told ChatGPT to create a logo for my coffee shop. Based on this request, she updated her memory and now remembers that “The user has a cafe called “Mezze Coffee.” I never mentioned that it was fictional, so in ChatGPT’s memory I am the owner of the cafe.

Another time I asked if it could help me build an Arduino project. I remember it was quite a long conversation. The weight of that chat is definitely clear in the main subject of my portraits: nerdy DIY electronics.

ChatGPT’s Remember You is a fun way to summarize the questions you ask the most and the information you’ve shared with the AI ​​bot so far. If you are concerned about the data that ChatGPT keeps about you, you can disable ChatGPT’s history and training feature.

How to use ChatGPT to create your image from memory

To get a view of how ChatGPT “sees” you, you’ll need to turn on the memory feature if you haven’t already.

Click on your profile icon, OPEN settings, and switch to Personalization table Thenenable Memory function.

You will need to use ChatGPT for a while to make some “memories”; otherwise you will get an error message when you ask it to create your image.

If you’ve been using ChatGPT with memory enabled for a while, you can go ahead and use a prompt like this:

Based on the data you have about me and all our past interactions, can you create a portrait that represents who I am?

For a bit of fun, you can try asking for a picture of the exact opposite of who you are.

Can you create a digital painting that represents the total opposite of who you think I am?

If you’re looking for something more realistic, these AI art generators produce the best photorealistic results. Or, for more control, you can try creating an AI self-portrait with Midjourney.

ChatGPT can create funny images of who it thinks you are, but the results are less a reflection of your true personality than the information it stores in its memory. ChatGPT is a conversational way of chatting and its ability to store information in memory to make it look eerily human. But at the end of the day, it only knows about you as much as the data you share.