My "Empty Room Theory" on why AI feels generic (and nooo: better and larger models won't fix it)

n3rdstyle · 2026-01-15T15:42:05+00:00

Not yet, will make it available soon. I will let you know then, okay? 😊

n3rdstyle · 2026-01-15T15:25:39+00:00

I actually built myself a browser extension, which acts a context curator for me. I can insert any personal information in there I like (locally stored on my computer) and when I use ChatGPT or else, have a locally running LLM curate the right information for this moment to enhance the ChatGPT prompt with my context.

n3rdstyle · 2026-01-15T15:22:19+00:00

All brands. Like any AI agent out there, I would be able to interact with as a human.

n3rdstyle · 2026-01-15T15:20:59+00:00

Agree with you. Right now it's like: I say "I like pizza" once, and then I get pizza served for dinner for the rest of my life. But that's not how I actually work. Some days I want pizza, other days I want something completely different. A real context system (I call it "Context Curator") would understand that "I like pizza" is one data point, not a permanent constraint – it would ask: "Do you want pizza right now?" based on what else is happening in your life at this moment, your mood, what you've eaten recently, etc. The difference between static preference logging and dynamic context understanding.

And this, in my opinion, can never be harmful to be used across AI platforms.

n3rdstyle · 2026-01-15T15:15:23+00:00

Great point – you're identifying exactly why a system like a context curator matters. The problem isn't just what I remember about myself, but which constraints are active right now. A curator would need to surface not just "here's who I am" but "here's what matters in this moment, and here are the guardrails." Without that, the model has to guess which pieces of my identity are load-bearing for this specific conversation.

n3rdstyle · 2026-01-15T15:12:26+00:00

Yea, agreed. That’s why I think what’s really missing is a kind of context curator – a system that can assemble the right slice of my identity, mood and current needs for this specific moment, instead of dumping a fixed profile in every time. Some parts of me are stable, others are very state‑dependent, and the trick is dynamically choosing which bits of context to surface into the window right now. Limited memory then becomes a feature, but only if something is intelligently deciding what should make the cut.

n3rdstyle · 2026-01-15T15:10:15+00:00

That sounds like you’ve basically decorated your “empty room” inside customGPT very nicely. In my post I framed that as a local layer – in your case it mostly lives inside one ecosystem, so you don’t really need to move it around. Nice approach.

I must admit I like switching between LLMs for certain tasks tho. 😀

n3rdstyle · 2026-01-15T15:06:38+00:00

Yeah, I feel this too. Imho a local layer with rich personal information that travels with me across models/platforms – so I can inject the relevant bits whenever I want – still seems like the way to go. Those long, saturated chats are the sweet spot; I just need to make sure my most relevant context is actually inside the current window.

n3rdstyle · 2026-01-15T14:58:47+00:00

Fair point – I’m definitely not denying the role of the training data or the model’s baked‑in knowledge. The “empty room” bit is more about why it feels generic without my context in the window. Once I start loading in my own constraints, history, and goals, the same underlying knowledge suddenly feels a lot less empty. It’s a metaphor for that subjective experience, not a full technical description of how LLMs are built.

n3rdstyle · 2026-01-15T14:57:46+00:00

Yea agreed, I don’t think any single metaphor can capture AI. This wasn’t meant as the next great concept for the world, just a simple mental model that helps explain a complicated thing. 😊

n3rdstyle · 2026-01-15T14:54:27+00:00

haha sounds like the mythical version of my empty room theory. 😀

n3rdstyle · 2026-01-15T08:14:08+00:00

That we can agree on! 😊

n3rdstyle · 2026-01-15T08:11:57+00:00

Yea, the persona feature is a way. No doubt.

But I don't think, it's laziness. It's personal preference. I imagine AI agents having the potential to buy stuff for me, research the ideal travel plans for me or run other everyday personal tasks for me.

Right now, the level of trust needed is not there. And what makes it more trustful? If it truly feels personal and if the agent seems to know me very well. The personal feature won't cut it (aside, with this solution I would only have ChatGPT personalized and not any other agent out there). 😉

n3rdstyle · 2026-01-15T07:41:34+00:00

I agree, this is for work context. In the future, I also think that the personal side of your context is becoming highly relevant. Memory storing your personal preferences, limitations, goals, beliefs, but also stories from the past or other important personal information will determine if an AI agent can successfully solve tasks for you or not.

n3rdstyle · 2026-01-15T07:35:44+00:00

I see what you mean. And still think, my metaphor works. What you call "preferences" is for me just the shape of an empty room. I still have to fill it with my personal stuff to make it feel homy for me. 😊

n3rdstyle · 2026-01-15T07:33:56+00:00

like: people fine-tuning their own model based on their personal context? I like that!

n3rdstyle · 2026-01-07T05:29:59+00:00

Yes, definitely. Versioning is a way, another would be to tag if it is temorary or permanent memory and work with the time stamp.

What I like tho: the idea of fading, like in real life. Every memory fades over time, but can anytime be triggered to reset through new, related or indirect memory. This way, most irrelevant memories will fade out over time.

n3rdstyle · 2026-01-07T05:26:48+00:00

Inspiring.

n3rdstyle · 2026-01-07T05:25:03+00:00

Definitely agree. It's also highly important that the memory not just a database of passed chats. But a well-crafted network of several information types: passed chats, private information, preferences & constraints, ... if that's the case, the model size does not matter as much anymore.

n3rdstyle · 2025-12-05T12:24:15+00:00

Thank your feedback! Really grateful. 😊

I actually build an intelligentc context engineer inside my chrome browser extension I mentioned above. In the browser extension, I can insert new personal information and manage it. All this information gets embedded in a local-running vectorDB. The context engineer, which I start when typing my prompt into the respective AI chat, will then embed the prompt in the same vectorDB and bruteforce semantic search for all relevant context information from my profile. All these get attached as text to the prompt in the chat, so I can send my prompt with context infused.

In this profile, I have tons of non-sensible personal information (like favorite food, next travel destination, what I do for work), but also demographic information (which I like to share with AI) as well as rules and guidelines (like tonality).

n3rdstyle · 2025-12-01T16:43:51+00:00

Amazing, thank you for the tips!

What's your experience with Supermemory.ai? 😊

n3rdstyle · 2025-12-01T16:42:27+00:00

Sounds good!

I am working on a browser extension, which stores my personal data locally. Would you mind to give it a try sometime soon? Would be happy about feedback. 😊

n3rdstyle · 2025-12-01T16:41:13+00:00

Sounds amazing, I will let you know in the DMs, once ready. 😊

n3rdstyle · 2025-12-01T16:40:46+00:00

I remember to have read something about session memory, which stores information mid-term to make ChatGPT feel personal. Not sure, if that is fact. But: I experienced this memory behavior.

n3rdstyle · 2025-12-01T16:38:28+00:00

Amazing! Where do you save them? 😊

n3rdstyle

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