TechRadar AI Week 2025
This article is part of TechRadar’s AI Week 2025. Covering the basics of artificial intelligence, we’ll show you how to get the most from the likes of ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude, alongside in-depth features, news, and the main talking points in the world of AI.
Most of the talk around AI focuses on work. Productivity, emails, spreadsheets, efficiency. That’s all useful, but it ignores the fact that technology is also meant to be fun. AI isn’t just about saving you time at the office; it can also make your downtime more interesting.
From building playlists that match your mood to generating custom puzzles and quizzes for a night in with friends, AI has become surprisingly good at personal entertainment. It’s like having a personal DJ, quizmaster, and game designer rolled into one.
1. Music that actually fits the moment
We’ve all wasted time scrolling through Spotify, trying to find the right playlist. There are millions of options, but none of them ever seem to nail the exact vibe you want. AI fixes that by building playlists around your preferences.
Ask for “a two-hour playlist for cooking dinner on a rainy Sunday” and you’ll get a mix of tracks that match the mood. Want something more specific? Try “indie disco hits for a wedding afterparty” or “lo-fi beats for late-night writing.” The playlists aren’t just random, either; they’re curated based on you, so they should feel personal rather than generic.
I tested this recently before a road trip. I asked for “a six-hour playlist for driving through the Scottish Highlands, a mix of classic rock and modern folk.” The result was uncanny. It included artists I already loved, but also threw in new tracks I’d never heard before. It felt like a playlist a friend had made, not a generic Spotify mix.
2. Custom puzzles for brain workouts
AI can also generate puzzles tailored to you. Crosswords, word searches, sudoku variations. Instead of picking from whatever’s in the newspaper, you can ask for challenges built around your interests.
I tried asking for a crossword themed around wrestling, one of my guilty pleasures. The AI produced clues and a grid within minutes. Some of the clues were a little rough, but it worked. The joy was in having a puzzle built specifically for me, not for a mass audience.
3. Text-based adventures
AI isn’t replacing full-scale video games, but it can generate lightweight games for quick fun. Text adventures, choose-your-own-path stories, or even mini logic puzzles. You give the framework, and the AI fills in the content.
I tested this by asking for a short text-based adventure set in Tokyo. Within seconds, I had a branching narrative where I could explore streets, talk to locals, and uncover hidden storylines. It wasn’t as polished as a commercial game, but it was engaging enough to keep me hooked for about 30 minutes.
The flexibility is what makes it exciting. You can tailor the setting, difficulty, or themes. Want a detective story that takes place in your hometown? Done. Want a fantasy game where your dog is the main character? ChatGPT will build it. Think of this as the modern equivalent of the choose-your-own-adventure of your childhood.
4. Quizzes for every occasion
Quizzes are one of the easiest ways to entertain a group, but making them is a chore. Coming up with good questions, balancing difficulty, and avoiding repeats takes effort. ChatGPT handles this instantly.
Ask for “a 20-question quiz on Premier League history, mixed difficulty,” and you’ll get a ready-to-use set with answers included. Want something sillier? Ask for “a pop culture quiz for a 30th birthday, light-hearted and fun.” You can even ask it to generate picture rounds by pairing questions with AI-generated images.
I tested this with friends by asking for “a 15-question pub quiz, five on films, five on sport, five on general knowledge.” The mix was solid, and the questions sparked debate. It wasn’t perfect, but it felt authentic enough to work for the random times I need to bring together a quiz. I wish I had ChatGPT during the COVID-19 pandemic; it would’ve made the mundane work quizzes 100 times better!
5. Learning disguised as fun
This article originally appeared as part of Essential Guide to ChatGPT, available now at MyFavoriteMagazines. Essential Guide to ChatGPT is full of top tips and expert advice, covering everything you need to know about the world’s most popular AI – from the basics to some of its latest features and functions.
AI quizzes can also double as learning tools. If you’re trying to pick up a new subject, you can generate practice questions. I tried this for basic Japanese phrases before my upcoming honeymoon, and the AI built a flashcard-style quiz. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was effective.
This approach works for kids, too. Parents can create spelling quizzes, maths challenges, or themed puzzles to make homework less of a battle. The ability to personalise the material makes it feel less like schoolwork and more like a game.
Personalization is the secret sauce
The thread that runs through everything you do with ChatGPT is personalisation.. Off-the-shelf playlists, puzzles, and quizzes are fine, but they’re generic. If you feed AI enough information about your preferences or the task at hand, it can do an incredible job at making your life easier. Without added info, the AI will be as generic as anything you’d find online.
Instead of “a playlist for working out,” you get “a playlist for working out to 2000s hip-hop with no slow tracks.” Instead of “a general knowledge quiz,” you get “a quiz for five people who love Marvel films and Formula 1.” That’s what makes it fun: it feels like the content was designed for you, because in a sense, it was.
Things to watch out for
As always, there are caveats. AI sometimes reuses patterns, so quizzes can feel repetitive if you don’t vary the prompts. Music recommendations are only as good as the libraries they draw from. And while AI can generate games, they’re still more novelty than full replacements for commercial titles. ChatGPT isn’t creating Grand Theft Auto VI anytime soon.
That said, the limitations don’t stop the fun. Treat ChatGPT as a creative spark, not a finished product. You’ll get the most value by mixing its ideas with your own.
How AI can balance work and play
AI is refreshing because it takes away a lot of decision paralysis. Instead of wasting half an hour choosing a film, you ask AI for a recommendation. Instead of stressing about writing 20 quiz questions, you generate them in seconds. Instead of hunting for a playlist that fits the mood, you just describe the mood and get one built for you.
Entertainment should be about enjoyment, not effort. AI takes the effort away and leaves the enjoyment.
ChatGPT isn’t just a work tool, it’s a personalisation engine that can make your downtime more fun. Whether it’s creating playlists that actually fit your mood, generating quizzes that feel designed for your group, or even whipping up a text adventure, it turns entertainment into something tailored.
The best part is how accessible it is. You don’t need to be a coder or a designer; you just need to know what you want, describe it, and let ChatGPT do the legwork
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john-anthony.disotto@futurenet.com (John-Anthony Disotto)
