Example
The Evolution of AI, This Time Told by Copilot š¤ā
After posting "The Evolution of AI, Told by Claude," I got curious.
What would happen if I gave the same challenge to Microsoft Copilot?
I asked Copilot to create a funny, interactive timeline about the history of AI, narrated by AI. (I know I could have given it the prompt from my Claude conversation but what fun is that.)
I have to be honest... I didn't love the first design. š
The initial concept was a straightforward vertical timeline, but I had just finished building the Claude version and already had some strong opinions about what worked. So I started pushing the design further.
If this was a timeline, why wasn't it horizontal?
If it was about the history of AI, where were the clocks?
If AI was narrating its own history, shouldn't it have opinions?
Before long, we were building an AI-themed time machine complete with floating clocks, glowing timeline nodes, historical milestones, and expandable commentary from an increasingly opinionated Copilot.
One of my favorite things about the process was what it revealed about AI-assisted design.
Copilot generated ideas.
I challenged them.
Copilot revised them.
We repeated the cycle until the experience felt right.
Copilot generated possibilities. I provided the direction.
To be fair, I spent about half the time developing this version as I did the Claude version. By the time I started working with Copilot, I had already solved many of the design problems and knew the type of experience I wanted to create.
The most interesting part came afterward.
Once the project was finished, I showed Copilot the Claude version.
Instead of trying to "win," Copilot gave a thoughtful critique and described the difference perfectly:
- Claude's version felt more like a learning experience.
- Copilot's version felt more like an entertainment experience.
That felt surprisingly accurate.
The biggest takeaway wasn't which AI was better. It was seeing how different AI collaborators approached the same creative challenge and how much of the final experience came from the back-and-forth design conversation.
And yes, I know I'm easily amused.
But when an AI suggests a narrator whose coffee mug reads:
I PROCESS. THEREFORE, I COMMENT.
...I'm probably going to keep brainstorming. āš¤
Below is a link to the microlearning:
The Evolution of AI, This Time Told by Copilot š¤ā
3 Replies
SMcNicolā I really appreciate your description of your AI-assisted creative process. Iām learning.
Iāll admit Iām not very comfortable with one sentence (though this is a personal feeling based on my human and professional experience, which has been almost entirely focused on creativity): āCopilot generated ideas. I challenged them.ā
Thatās where I often get stuck with AI. If I canāt say, āI generated ideas. Claude challenged them,ā Iām not getting anywhere.
Please donāt take this as a criticism; I know youāve greatly ācondensedā your process and all the work youāve put in.
Funny: beyond the massive advancements in AI described in your demoā¦ it still has some work to do when it comes to drawing the right number of fingers.š
That is a fair thing to dig into, thank you. To clarify, going into that experiment I already had a clear picture of what I wanted. The exercise was really about seeing what Copilot would do with it on its own, then comparing that against my own vision.
So "Copilot generated ideas, I challenged them" was less about handing over the creative direction and more about testing what it would come up with when I gave it room to try.
I get why "I generated ideas, Claude challenged them" reads as the more grounded version.
In my day to day work that is closer to the truth. This post was more of an experiment to see what Copilot would produce, so I appreciate you pushing on the wording. It's a good reminder to be clearer about which mode I'm in when I write these up.
And yes, the finger count remains undefeated. š
SMcNicolā Because I read your creative brief with great interest and attention, I noticed this sentence that got me thinking about my own process... Let me repeat: this is not a criticism of your intention or your talent for coming up with ideas.
Unfortunately, āAI generated ideasāI challenged themā¦ or not at allā is a reality Iām seeing more and more often in my professional practice. And even more unfortunately, my partner sees it even more oftenāsheās a high school teacher! But thatās another discussion.
Getting Started with the E-Learning Challenges
Find practical answers to common questions about the E-Learning Challenges, a weekly event that helps you build skills, create your portfolio, and grow as an e-learning professional.