You can start using AI to promote naturism by helping others understand social nudity.

When used intelligently, AI isn't necessarily something to be afraid of.

Yes, I haven’t been writing here as often as I should. It’s been a tough winter. But spring is here now, so thinking about naturism and starting to dispense with clothes as much as possible is becoming much easier. I’m also growing more enthusiastic about AI in general - and how it can be used to benefit naturism. (And, yes, I know it can seem scary as well. But then, naturism seems scary to most people too.)

There are now three AI chatbots readily available (and many more coming along). So already there are many interesting ways to use AI, with lots more to follow. The chatbots I’ve tried so far are ChatGPT, Google’s Bard, and Microsoft’s Bing. I’ve mainly used ChatGPT - to me it seems the easiest and most productive choice. That’s even though the free version is somewhat less developed than the later pay-for version. Bing has more capabilities in some ways, but I’ve found it less congenial.

I’ve written in earlier newsletters about the importance for naturism of being open with others about its reasonableness and rewards. But I understand the difficulty many naturists have in openly discussing nudity with others. It’s only natural to want to avoid disrupting the relationships one has with others who know little about naturism and are inclined by their social conditioning to think of social nudity as something weird - at best - if not deviant or perverted.

Most people tend to be uncertain of their ability to effectively discuss controversial topics with others. Talking about the pleasure of wearing as little as possible can be difficult - as are other controversial topics like politics or religion.

Wouldn’t it be great to have discussions about naturism with confidence that undesirable repercussions should be unlikely - or impossible? That’s the advantage of starting with a chatbot. Unless your conversation with a bot is pretty outrageous or offensive, responses are likely to be polite and thoughtful - even if the bot disagrees. That should soon enhance your confidence to discuss naturism with friends or others who seem like reasonable people.

However, there’s more. You’ll probably be surprised how a chatbot can suggest ways to express important points you might not remember or even have thought of. Working a little with chatbots should enhance your confidence to discuss naturism with others. Once you decide to discuss naturism with someone, you can practice what to say with the chatbot, especially if you mention a few things about the person - such as age, gender, relation to you, existing beliefs, life experiences, or how well you know them. (But for the sake of privacy, don’t mention their real name.) That trial discussion could go back and forth a number of times as you try out different ideas of what to say in order to learn what seems to work well.

I’ve suggested in earlier newsletters the benefits - to yourself and to naturism in general - of discussing social nudity openly with others. You may find others who aren’t uncomfortable with your nudity and may even, in appropriate circumstances, invite you to get naked if you want to. Bingo - you may have more opportunities for being naked when you’re not alone. Another major benefit is that even if those with whom you discuss naturism aren’t interested in it themselves, they may have friends or acquaintances who share your interest and to whom they can introduce you.

There are at least two obvious benefits to naturism of being open about it with others. One possibility is that someone you discuss naturism with may consider trying it themself. That’s unlikely to happen immediately, especially if you don’t seem too bent on pressuring them to try it. (However, you could try that with a bot to see what might happen.) But over time, if you continue discussing it with someone, they may at least give nudity a try - and discover it’s actually enjoyable. Perhaps they’d visit a naturist resort or beach with you. If they like it, naturism can grow, one convert at a time.

There’s a second but less obvious benefit to naturism in general - even if you don’t change a particular person’s mind. If that person isn’t opposed to naturism but just decides it’s not for them, they may have friends or acquaintances they know are naturists, or at least might consider trying it. (“Hey, you know, my cousin Steve might be interested.”) So they can introduce you to them. The network of naturists can grow when that happens. And so the naturists you already know - your naturist network - can make a connection with other naturists, many of whom have their own network of naturist friends who may have little or no overlap with your network.

Growing naturist networks in this way is important, simply because there’s strength in numbers. When two networks that have few members in common get together, their strength grows faster than the sum of their separate members. There are more potential interconnections in the larger network. So it’s easier for subsets of people to get together for naked hikes, camping trips, home parties, visits to naturist resorts, or any other typical naturist activity.

Once a network reaches a certain size it can choose to form a nonlanded naturist club with periodic meetings and scheduled activities, perhaps using online tools like Zoom, Meetup, or Facebook groups. It can also decide to affiliate with established regional or national naturist organizations. That should benefit both the nonlanded club and the larger organizations.

But let’s get back to the chatbots. Here are just two interactions I had with ChatGPT that took only a few minutes.

In the first I wanted to elicit advice about how to start a discussion about naturism with a friend. Interactions with chatbots begin with a prompt to the bot. The prompt should be detailed enough to describe briefly your relationship with naturism and what you’re seeking to accomplish. For convenience and privacy, you might use an arbitrary name instead of personal pronouns (“I” or “me”). You can add details as the conversation progresses.

This was the prompt I gave the chatbot: “Mike has for a few years been a naturist who prefers being naked whenever reasonable and possible. However, he has been afraid of how his friends might react if he admitted being a naturist to them. What are five good approaches Mike could take to reveal he is a naturist in order to minimize the chance of a negative reaction?“

This was the response (in italics):

1. Start with a one-on-one conversation: It may be easier to talk to one friend at a time rather than announcing it to a group of friends all at once. Choose a friend who you feel most comfortable with and start the conversation by explaining what naturism is and how you got interested in it. Make it clear that it's a personal choice and you respect their opinions.

2. Choose the right timing: Pick a time when your friends are relaxed and in a good mood. Avoid discussing it during times of conflict or when there is a lot of stress or tension in the group. It may also be a good idea to avoid discussing it in public places where others may overhear the conversation.

3. Be honest and straightforward: Be honest and straightforward with your friends about your naturism. Avoid being defensive or apologetic, but rather be confident and proud of who you are. Explain to them that it's a personal choice and a part of who you are. Ask them if they have any questions and be prepared to answer them openly and honestly.

4. Share resources: To help your friends better understand naturism, share resources such as books, articles, or websites. This will help them see that naturism is a legitimate lifestyle choice and not something that's weird or taboo.

5 Respect their opinions: Remember that your friends may have different opinions about naturism than you do, and that's okay. Respect their opinions and don't try to force them to change their minds. Continue to be the same person you were before revealing your naturism and show them that it doesn't change who you are as a friend.

Notice, by the way, that the bot’s responses are supportive rather than critical of naturism.

I could have asked for any reasonable number of possibilities. But, for simplicity, not too many at once. You can repeat the process as often as you want. (The bot won’t get tired unless there are defined limits.)

If the same prompt were given again, the responses could be a little or a lot different. In ChatGPT you can simply instruct the bot to “regenerate” its response. If one or two responses seem especially interesting, you can ask the bot for more advice about how to handle specific situations that might be tailored for a specific person (relative? friend?) or a specific occasion, such as in private, at a party, on a hiking trip, etc. You could also include more information about yourself and whoever you might be talking with. But generally use arbitrary names (“Mike” or “Jane”) to avoid disclosing personal information about yourself or others.

To prepare for the conversation, you should consider some of the possible reactions. So you can ask the bot how to handle specific objections to social nudity that might come up. You can specify how many possible objections and alternative responses you want. In this case, here’s the prompt I used: “Suppose a naturist is having a discussion with a friend about why the naturist enjoys the lifestyle of wearing clothes as little as possible. List 5 reasons the friend might disapprove of the lifestyle, and give two possible responses to each objection.“

This was the result:

1. Objection: Nudity is inappropriate and offensive.

Response 1: Nudity is only inappropriate or offensive when viewed through a cultural lens that has stigmatized the human body. In many cultures throughout history, nudity was a natural part of daily life.

Response 2: Naturism is about body acceptance and self-expression, not sexuality. It's not about being provocative or offensive, but about being comfortable in one's own skin.

2. Objection: Nudity is immoral and sinful.

Response 1: Naturism is not a religious or moral issue, it's a personal preference. One's nudity is not inherently good or evil, it's simply a choice.

Response 2: If nudity is sinful, then we would all be born sinners. Naturists do not see the human body as something shameful or sinful, but rather as something beautiful and natural.

3. Objection: Nudity is unsanitary and unhygienic.

Response 1: Clothing can actually trap sweat and bacteria against the skin, leading to skin irritation and infections. Naturists actually tend to be more conscientious about hygiene and cleanliness, as they are more aware of their bodies.

Response 2: Naturist communities often have strict rules about cleanliness and hygiene, with regular showers and clean towels provided. There is no evidence to suggest that nudity itself is inherently unsanitary.

4. Objection: Nudity is indecent exposure and illegal.

Response 1: Naturists usually participate in their activities in designated locations or on private property with the consent of all parties involved. They also abide by the local laws and regulations, ensuring that they are not breaking any indecent exposure laws.

Response 2: Indecent exposure laws vary from place to place, and they often exempt situations such as breastfeeding or artistic expression. Naturists argue that the human body is a work of art and should be celebrated, not censored.

5. Objection: Nudity is uncomfortable and impractical in many situations.

Response 1: Naturists often choose to wear clothes when it is practical or necessary, such as when going to work or in colder weather. However, in situations where clothing is not necessary, such as at a private beach or in a naturist resort, they prefer to be nude.

Response 2: Many naturists find that being nude is actually more comfortable than wearing clothing, as it allows the skin to breathe and reduces the discomfort of tight clothing or sweating. Ultimately, it is a personal preference and choice, and naturists respect the choices of others who prefer to wear clothes.

You can take the discussion further. If you think, based on what you know of the person you might talk with, that one or more objections are likely, you can ask the bot to go into more detail about handling the objection. Begin by assuring the bot that your interest is solely about naturism and not about sexuality. Say also that the bot may respond in either a positive or negative way when responding as the other person might. It could respond, for instance, that a particular approach you suggest might be inadvisable for some reason - and even offer one or more alternatives.

Given various possible objections, proceed to address one or more that seem most pertinent. For instance, suppose one objection is that “Nudity is inappropriate or offensive“. You could then ask for the basis of the opinion. That might be one or more experiences the person had with someone else in particular. Then you could ask for more details of the specific experience. Perhaps, the (hypothetical) situation seemed overly sexualized.

Obviously, drilling down like this can keep on branching in many ways. So I won’t show more details here. It’s an exercise for you, the reader, to try this out yourself. Doing that will give you a much better idea of what chatbots can do. Don’t be afraid to keep asking questions. Unless the chatbot has specific limits on the length of the interaction, it won’t ever get tired of the conversation. You’ll probably get tired first.

Try this yourself with one or more bots or at different times. You may be rather surprised. As suggested above, think of someone you’d like to discuss naturism with, but don’t use their real name or yours. Imagine how you’d start the conversation, then address whatever concern or objection the other person might raise (if any!).

Ask the bot to suggest a few responses you could offer to the concerns or objections, then try using each suggestion for dealing with a particular concern or objection. See what happens with each approach, and continue the conversation in different ways. Try various responses in this imaginary discussion. What seems to work well, given what you know about the other person? (Are they afraid their naked body isn’t “good enough”? The bot could suggest ways to deal with that.)

The type of discussion just outlined is intended for opening up to someone about your interest in naturism, with the hope that their concerns and objections about it can be handled felicitously. Of course, trying to persuade a real person to experiment with nudity themself is a whole different matter. But starting with a bot can suggest what approaches might be successful. (Although some bots may be suspicious of your motives.) You need not go any further unless you think there’s a good chance of success with a particular person.

One nice thing about ChatGPT is that you can start separate but related discussions. You can give each a different name and go back to any of them either to recall it or add to it.

If you have the time, please share in the comments some of your most interesting bot conversations. Let’s hear even about any interactions that seem unsatisfactory or just plain wrong.