Phoebe Gates, daughter of Bill Gates, is embracing artificial intelligence to power her fashion tech startup, Phia. In a recent podcast appearance, Gates, alongside co-founder Sophia Kianni, revealed how they harness ChatGPT to craft compelling marketing strategies and create viral video content with precision and ease.
Speaking onThe Burnouts podcast, the duo offered a behind-the-scenes look into how AI plays a central role in Phia’s social media and brand-building efforts. Far from using it simply as a creative assistant, Gates and Kianni explained that they “reverse engineer” top-performing social media videos to produce their own standout content, tailored to Phia’s aesthetic and mission.
“We don’t start from scratch,” said Kianni during the conversation. “The internet exists for a reason.” She described how they curate a database of high-performing videos from platforms like TikTok and Instagram, then break down their elements using AI.
Gates elaborated on their method, “We’ll create a spreadsheet, these are the top videos, here’s why each one worked, and then we reverse engineer how to recreate that success.” From lighting and structure to pacing and tone, every detail is dissected.
A key part of this approach involves transcribing selected viral videos using ChatGPT. The tool is then prompted to analyse what makes the videos resonate, be it storytelling techniques, timing, visuals, or emotional appeal. Once these insights are in place, the team feeds ChatGPT information about Phia’s brand identity, asking it to draft scripts and content ideas that mirror successful formats while staying true to the company’s voice.
The strategy goes beyond intuition, offering a data-driven way to tap into social media trends. Gates believes it is a game-changer for entrepreneurs. “I use AI almost every single day, and it supercharges me,” she said. “We’re not just guessing what works, we are using tools to decode what already has.”
