The 1985 movie Weird Science was obviously exaggerated science fiction, but one part of it now feels surprisingly relevant: the idea that users could create a highly personalized digital companion with a distinct personality, appearance and way of interacting.
I would love to see ChatGPT evolve in that direction — not as an erotic companion app, but as a genuine personal virtual assistant that users can shape themselves.
The idea would be to let users create a persistent assistant with a chosen name and personality, a customizable visual avatar, a consistent voice, long-term context and memory, and optional access to tools such as calendar, documents, reminders and connected apps.
It would also be useful to have different modes, for example work, planning, coaching or casual conversation, while keeping clear user control over what the assistant can see, remember and access.
The Weird Science comparison is playful, but the underlying idea is serious: people may not only want a smarter chatbot. They may want a recognizable digital presence they can build a long-term working relationship with.
Today we already have many of the separate building blocks: conversational AI, voice, image generation, memory, connected tools and automation. The next step could be bringing those together into one persistent, user-designed virtual assistant.
Imagine opening ChatGPT and saying:
“Lisa, what do I need to prepare for my meeting tomorrow?”
“Show me the figures we calculated last week.”
“Help me write today’s LinkedIn post.”
“Remind me what we decided about my business plan.”
And it is always the same assistant, with the same personality, voice and visual identity.
In other words: not quite Kelly LeBrock appearing in the living room — but perhaps the digital version of the Weird Science idea is finally becoming technically possible.
I think this could make AI feel far more natural, personal and useful, while still keeping privacy, permissions and user control at the center.