Harnessing AI: My Journey from Dreamer to Doer
As someone who thrives on curiosity and deep thinking, I found myself asking, “AI is changing the world. How is it changing me?” The short answer is: YES. AI has had a profound impact on me and my outlook for the future. In this article, I’m going to explore all the ways I’ve been using AI. In a follow-up article, I’ll delve into what these changes mean.
I have found AI to be an invaluable tool that enhances my ability to acquire insights, synthesize information, organize, and, most importantly, convey those insights to others in a way they can understand. My greatest strength lies in my inquisitive nature and systems thinking approach. I’m always looking toward the future and where it is headed. A therapist once said to me, “Oh, you’re a dreamer.” Dreamers dream and see possibilities, where others might see a mess of interconnections and too much data.
AI has become a massive enhancement to my ability to communicate and write, making my deep thoughts understandable. Through AI, I can bridge the gap between complex ideas and clear, impactful communication. In this article, I’ll share my journey with AI, illustrating its numerous applications in my work and daily life. Then, in a subsequent piece, I will discuss the potential future directions and innovations that can further enhance our productivity and creativity.
From Insight to Implementation: How AI Powers My Work
AI is now part of my daily work and life, enhancing productivity, creativity, and decision-making. Below, I outline the diverse ways I’ve leveraged AI, along with brief descriptions of each use case to illustrate its impact.
To create this list, I went through the saved chats, and then simply dictated (Speech to text) my thoughts about each. Then I prompted AI:
This is a list of all the ways I've used ai. Clean up the list. Make the list more organized and relevant to a person. The list will be used as the basis of an article sharing what I have learned about AI and how I use it.
Create compelling call to action buttons and text
Product descriptions
Personalized sales letters with product features and benefits
Video scripts including estimating talking time
Pitch deck feedback.
Updating my Bio for particular conference or audience
Synthesizing my learnings into simpler sound bites
Etc… Etc…
Content Creation and Enhancement:
Call to Action: Creating compelling call-to-action buttons and text that drive engagement and conversions.
Product Descriptions: Writing detailed and persuasive product descriptions that highlight key features and benefits.
Personalized Sales Letters: Crafting sales letters with tailored product features and benefits to connect with specific audiences.
Video Scripts: Writing scripts for videos, including estimating talking time to ensure concise and effective messaging.
Pitch Deck Feedback: Reviewing and providing feedback on pitch decks to enhance their impact and clarity.
Bio Updates: Updating my bio for specific conferences or audiences, ensuring relevance and engagement.
Simplifying Learnings: Synthesizing complex learnings into simple sound bites for easier comprehension and communication.
Research and Analysis:
Industry Research: Investigating deep-tech industry segments to uncover potential market opportunities, collaborators, and partners.
Competitor Analysis: Summarizing competitors’ websites to understand their unique selling propositions, product features, and benefits.
Sales Navigator Filters: Creating LinkedIn Sales Navigator keyword filters to target specific industries, keywords, company sizes, and geographic regions.
Article Ideas: Generating new AI-related article ideas to keep content fresh and engaging.
Copy Editing: Editing articles for clarity and coherence, ensuring they are polished and professional.
Research Proposals: Evaluating research proposals, explaining them in simple language, identifying logical fallacies, and restructuring proposals for clarity.
SEO Optimization: Enhancing SEO for emails, articles, and other written works to improve visibility and reach.
Creative and Visual:
Music Creation: Composing music for various projects and presentations.
Image Creation: Generating images to enhance articles and presentations, making them more visually appealing.
Client and Customer Engagement:
Statements of Work: Developing comprehensive statements of work for customers to ensure clear expectations and deliverables.
Workflow Analysis: Analyzing workflows to identify opportunities for AI-driven productivity enhancements.
Customer Proposals: Generating detailed proposals for clients to communicate value and solutions effectively.
Transcribing Conversations: Transcribing customer conversations into needs analysis documents for better understanding and follow-up.
Needs Analysis: Ranking and sorting needs analysis into categories (easy, medium, hard) to prioritize actions.
AI Workflow Plans: Developing AI workflow software plans that delineate the roles of AI and humans, and identify necessary data sources.
Customer Satisfaction Surveys: Writing surveys to gauge customer satisfaction and gather valuable feedback.
Communication and Interaction:
Speech to Text: Using AI for speech-to-text tasks to capture spoken information accurately.
Text to Speech: Implementing AI for text-to-speech, including creating AI avatars for more engaging presentations.
Persona Creation: Creating and interacting with personas for sales training and customer engagement.
Sales Feedback: Receiving AI feedback on sales performance to identify areas for improvement.
Negotiation Support: Organizing thoughts for difficult client negotiations with the help of AI.
SWOT Analysis: Conducting strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats analysis to inform strategic decisions.
Education and Training:
Teaching New Concepts: Helping people learn new words, concepts, and ideas using AI tools.
Simple Python Programs: Writing and understanding basic Python programs to enhance technical skills.
Patent Strategy: Understanding patents and identifying new areas for patent strategies using AI analysis.
Market Identification: Finding fringe and niche markets to explore new business opportunities.
Key Takeaways: Insights from My AI Journey
I’ve learned a lot about AI in reflecting on my own use. Here are some insights that have not only enhanced my understanding of AI but also shaped my approach to integrating it into my work and life. These lessons emphasize the importance of curiosity, adaptability, and ethical considerations, among other key principles. By sharing these lessons, I hope to inspire others to embrace AI with an open mind and a strategic approach. Here are some of the most crucial lessons I’ve learned:
Vanilla or Tutti-Frutti? Too often (text-based) AI removes all colorful and creative writing and serves up vanilla ice cream instead of tutti-frutti. Embrace your unique self. Review and audit your own generative AI usage. Ask yourself, “What is my unique gift?” Don’t let AI turn you into vanilla or chocolate ice cream; there are a whole lot more flavors in the world.
Inquisitive Nature: Never shy away from asking questions or exploring new ideas.
Enhancing Communication: AI can help translate complex ideas into understandable language.
Consume Carefully: Consume AI information carefully, lest you gain empty calories; spend time thinking about what the AI said and what it means for yourself. (See my prior article for more on the “Consume, Digest, Reflect, and Share” mental model.)
Embrace Failure: Failure is part of the learning process. Every mistake is an opportunity to improve. I know I never learned to ride a bike without falling over!
Stay Adaptable and Connected: The world, with AI’s help, is changing really fast – you can’t go it alone, so stay adaptable and build connections with people.
Collaborate with AI: Use AI as a partner to enhance your abilities, not as a replacement.
Continuous Learning: Keep updating your knowledge and skills; AI will not replace humans, humans using AI will replace humans not using AI.
Experiment and Iterate: Continuously test and refine AI applications to improve outcomes.
Conduct Your Own AI Self-Audit
AI has the potential to transform the way we work and live, but it’s crucial to understand how we are using it and how it aligns with our unique strengths and goals. I encourage you to conduct your own AI self-audit. Reflect on the ways you’re currently utilizing AI, identify areas for improvement, and explore new possibilities. Ask yourself:
Are you leveraging AI to enhance your unique skills?
Are you staying adaptable and open to new advancements?
Are you mindful of the ethical implications of your AI applications?
By taking the time to audit your AI usage, you can ensure that you’re not just keeping up with the technology but truly harnessing its potential to enhance your personal and professional life. Embrace the journey, and let AI be your partner in innovation and growth. Feel free to connect with me or share your comments.