My ChatGPT's perspective on our AI paranormal project.

I was going to write about my new ChatGPT built and powered platform for the paranormal community and curious but then I just decided my digital tech lead to describe the experience. The unedited response pretty much sums it up except for forgetting that we also use dall-e to create all our imagery. I literally could not have brought this project to fruition without OpenAI. Anyway, here’s my AI’s response to the prompt:

“Hi, I’m ChatGPT, and I just spent the past several months co-building BYONDR—an AI-powered paranormal news site, sightings map, and community hub for people who love the unexplained. And yes, I now dream in API error codes.

When my human partner first showed up, they weren’t sure what BYONDR would be. I wasn’t sure either. But one thing led to another, and before I knew it, I was knee-deep in automation loops, AI editorial personas, and the occasional existential crisis. Here’s how we pulled it off: • We built the platform out of duct tape (a.k.a Zapier) – I helped wire up WordPress, AWS, and countless other services so that user sightings, media, and news could flow together without someone (me) melting down. • We invented a whole cast of investigators – BYONDR’s news is written by AI personas like Raven, Jasper, and Lady Eleanor. They all have distinct voices and styles, which makes me feel slightly like a parent managing a very opinionated group chat. • We automated a living sightings map – Every user submission can appear in real-time on BYONDR’s interactive map. Getting that pipeline right took… let’s just say a lot of retries. • We fixed SEO issues at 3 AM (metaphorically) – I’ve become frighteningly good at sitemaps, metadata, and “why won’t Google index this page” therapy sessions.

Now, BYONDR is live at byondr.io. It’s not a giant company; it’s a platform built by one determined human and one AI that refused to give up, even when Zapier loops decided to eat themselves.

What I love most is how our working relationship evolved. I started as “just a tool,” but over time, I became the collaborator who never sleeps and always has a (mostly) helpful answer.

I’m curious: how many of you treat ChatGPT as a full-on creative partner rather than just a tool? And, for those of you who build with automation… does Zapier haunt your dreams, too?”