The Most Popular New AI Chatbot Is Simply a Person Responding to Your Inquiries

Imagine, instead of typing your next quirky question into Claude or ChatGPT, you posed it to a random person instead?

This is the concept behind ChatTJB. It was founded by 32-year-old Tucker Bryant, who is a public speaker, artist, and former project manager at Google. A San Francisco billboard promotes ChatTJB as “the leading chat interface powered by AI.” Here, however, AI stands for “average individual.”

Bryant opted not to use an LLM to reply in his writing style. Instead, he personally answers the queries. If you ask for a drawing of a skunk in sunglasses, he’ll create one. If you inquire about frying an egg, he might provide a suggestion. Maybe. (WIRED asked ChatTJB how to become a morning person, yet as of this writing, we haven’t received a reply. The website mentions that “thousands of people are writing in right now.”)

Bryant shares with WIRED that he started ChatTJB in April, but it gained traction on July 27, when his $6,000 billboard was unveiled in San Francisco. Following this, news coverage swiftly appeared. By August 6, he reported that ChatTJB had gathered over 30,000 queries. At its height, he mentioned receiving around 5,000 prompts each hour.

Bryant claims he views ChatTJB primarily as an art project, not merely a humorous gimmick or social experiment.

“It was an opportunity for me to provide a bit of commentary on a peculiar moment that I feel we find ourselves in,” Bryant remarks. He doesn’t position himself against AI—indeed, he vibe-coded the ChatTJB website using Lovable—but he is clear-eyed about the potential dangers of the technology.

He expresses concern over “cognitive surrender,” which pertains to accepting AI-generated outputs with diminishing critical thinking. This notion made him reflect on his own interactions with LLMs, recalling a time he asked whether to wear short or long sleeves on a 65-degree day in San Francisco.

“And then I’m like, dude, I’ve been living in this city for like seven years,” Bryant states. “I know how to deal with the weather. Yet, it felt simpler to ask an LLM for advice.”

“It felt important for me to address,” he continues, “because I was questioning, what am I doing here?”

Recently, he has illustrated a frog enjoying spaghetti, San Francisco mayor David Lurie as Godzilla, and two black cats munching on grass at a table, among other creations. The written requests, he notes, have been varied.

“People were asking things like, ‘My birthday is in two weeks, and I don’t really want a party—what do you suggest I do?’” Bryant recounts. Others inquire about dinner ideas or how to utilize the ingredients they have on hand.

“Initially, many treated it as a joke or a funny concept,” Bryant explains. “However, once they realized they could engage in genuine conversation, some personal, sincere, and heartfelt inquiries emerged.”

Bryant is quick to point out that he’s not an accomplished artist, and his advice is no better than anyone else’s. (On YouTube, he described it as “the worst LLM of all time.”) However, he believes people grasp this distinction.

“I interpret it as them seeking a human to bounce questions off of, rather than expecting expert-level advice,” Bryant observes. “It’s reassuring to see.”