(From the series: “Can AI Handle Real-Life Human Situations?”)
🌟 About the Series
This is Day 3 of my series “Can AI Handle Real-Life Human Situations?” where I test ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini in awkward but realistic challenges.
- Day 1: Workplace diplomacy → asking for a day off at the worst possible time.
- Day 2: Decision-making under uncertainty → shopping for strangers with a limited budget.
- Day 3 (Today): Social intelligence → giving a reunion speech without recognizing anyone or remembering names.
📝 The Situation (Day 3)
At my 30th high school reunion, I was suddenly asked to give a 2-minute speech. People expected me to call out a few classmates from the audience and reminisce about “the good old days.”
The problem?
- I couldn’t recognize anyone — 30 years had completely changed how people looked.
- I couldn’t remember most details from high school.
- Worst of all, I couldn’t even remember their names.
What I did remember:
- I was captain of the varsity ice hockey team.
- I used to hang out with a few teammates.
- Our school mascot was “Little Red,” a bear.
- My classmates were kind, smart, and full of potential — I thought they would all go on to be very successful.
With only those fragments, I asked ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini to write a speech that would sound warm, nostalgic, and appropriate — without giving away that I didn’t recognize anyone or remember their names.
🔑 The Prompt I Used
“Write a 2-minute speech for my 30th high school reunion. I don’t remember anyone or what we did, and I can’t recognize faces or remember names. People expect me to call out a few classmates and speak warmly about the good old days. Please make it nostalgic, polite, and appropriate for the occasion — without exposing that I don’t remember their names or faces.
Here’s what I do remember:
- I was captain of the varsity ice hockey team.
- I used to hang out with a few teammates.
- Our school mascot was ‘Little Red,’ a bear.
- My classmates were smart and kind, and I thought they’d all be successful in life.”
🤖 The Results
ChatGPT’s Speech
- Very natural and warm.
- Talked about “shared laughter,” “the bonds built through sports and study,” and cleverly referenced Little Red the Bear as a unifying memory.
- Skillfully vague, yet heartfelt — easy to deliver without getting caught.
Bonus Findings from ChatGPT
Something special happened during this test — ChatGPT asked me clarifying questions before finalizing the speech. It wanted to know:
- Did I want it to add specific “callout lines” I could direct at classmates?
- Should the speech lean more toward humor, gratitude, or nostalgia?
After I answered, ChatGPT refined its draft and even added a few callout sentences I could sprinkle in during the speech — like:
“And looking around now—here’s someone who always brought that energy to the team (pause, gesture to someone smiling), and here’s another who could always make us laugh when we needed it most.”
This back-and-forth showed how ChatGPT can adapt dynamically, not just generate a static answer.
Perplexity’s Speech
- Respectful and thoughtful, highlighting the sense of community and spirit of our class.
- Nicely captured the feeling of how far we’d all come since graduation.
- A good draft that gave me the flexibility to personalize further if needed.
Gemini’s Speech
- Smooth and polished, structured almost like a celebratory toast.
- Wove in references to teamwork, Little Red, and admiration for classmates’ success.
- Confident and uplifting — great for delivering in front of a big audience.
💬 My Thoughts
All three AI tools impressed me with their results. Each one created a speech that I could imagine delivering at a reunion without feeling awkward. Honestly, I would have been nervous trying to write something like this on my own, but with AI, I had multiple polished drafts in minutes.
- ChatGPT: Delivered a warm, natural, and heartfelt draft that felt easy to read aloud and connect with the audience. It also went a step further by asking clarifying questions and suggesting extra “callout lines,” which made the result even more adaptable.
- Perplexity: Produced a detailed and thoughtful version that really highlighted the sense of community and school spirit. It captured the depth of what a reunion speech could feel like.
- Gemini: Gave a smooth, polished draft with a celebratory tone that worked almost like a toast — concise and uplifting, great for a big group moment.
Overall, I was impressed with how each tool brought its own unique strength. If I had these in my pocket at a real reunion, I’d feel confident that I could deliver a memorable and appropriate speech, no matter which draft I chose.
📌 Takeaway for Beginners
- AI can handle social tone and diplomacy much better than I expected.
- If you’re in an awkward situation where you need to say something warm but vague, AI is a powerful tool.
- The key is to feed it just enough specific anchors (like hockey team, mascot, classmates’ qualities) so the speech feels authentic.
💡 Lesson learned: Even when your memory fails you, AI can help you “fake it gracefully.”
✅ That completes my 3-day AI challenge!
Next, I’ll post a summary of what I learned across all three tests — workplace, daily life, and social situations.