Everyone’s talking about AI these days (duh), but most of the commentary I see out there seems to fall into one of two buckets: Either people are scared, intimidated, avoidant, or so concerned about the ethics that they flatly reject AI for many use-cases, OR they’re fully on the bandwagon and advocate its use for basically everything. Both camps seem to have the  somewhat fatalistic view that the AI train has left the station, and we’re either heading towards some abundant future where nobody works, or barrelling uncontrollably towards a real-life version of Skynet. What most people seem to ignore is that the future is far from certain, and that we all still have agency in determining AI’s evolutionary path. The only hard and fast truths I see are that: AI is here, it’s significant, and we all need to learn about it and make our own decisions. We need to understand it, so that we can contribute to the public discourse, so that we can control it before it controls us. Afterall, decisions are made by those who show up.

It’s with this ethos that I’ve begun experimenting with AI, learning the good, the bad, the ugly. I’m pushing AI’s boundaries, limitations, and reaping real benefits from it on a daily basis, in a wide variety of areas.

How I’m using AI:

• Altruous: AI is integrated throughout Altruous. It’s woven into our analytics processes, our evaluations, and our marketing content.

• Vibe-Coding: I’m teaching myself to vibe-code by creating 2 mobile games that I hope to have on the app stores later this year

• Smart Decision-Making: I use it to perform quick research and answer simple questions on things I’m curious about, things I see or hear that I don’t fully understand, and research goods or services  I’m interested in purchasing.

• Thought-Partnership: I’m using it as a coach and sounding board for improving various aspects of my life.

Like anyone else, I had a healthy degree of skepticism and fear around using AI. As someone who’s technically savvy but far from being an engineer, I felt like I might not understand how to use it effectively. I’m naturally a person who learns by doing - I hate instruction manuals, and I’m usually willing to try and fail a few times before asking for help. 

I didn’t believe him at first, but when  my good friend and AI guru Jim Carter III gave me the advice to “Just talk to it” I decided to unlock Pandora’s Box and dive in. I now know it’s easier and more accessible than we think, and there’s no going back…