Quick Read TL;DR
I spent too long thinking AI was interesting, but probably not that important to what I do.
I was wrong.
I’m now AI Positive — and going all in.
Not to work longer or let AI take over my life, but to get more done in less time: research, writing, ideas, content, problem solving and turning ideas into action.
The goal isn't more work.
It’s more productivity, more results and more time for the things I enjoy.
Coffee. Travel. Sunrises. Life.
If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.
The penny has finally dropped. I spent quite a while thinking AI was useful, interesting and worth keeping an eye on — but probably not something that was going to fundamentally change the way I work.
I was wrong.
“I’m AI Positive!”
There’s a little play on words in that title.
For a while, I was AI positive in the sense that I wasn't against it.
I could see the potential.
I used ChatGPT. I played with a few AI tools. I occasionally used AI to improve something I was already doing.
But mostly?
I carried on doing what I was doing.
With a little AI sprinkled on top.
And that was my mistake.
I underestimated how big this was going to be
I think part of my scepticism came from having been around technology for a very long time.
I've seen the hype cycles.
The next big thing.
The technology that was supposedly going to change everything.
Some did.
Many didn't.
So when AI arrived, I was interested but cautious.
I thought:
“Yes, this is impressive. But how much is it really going to change what I do?”
The answer, I've discovered, is:
A lot.
Not because AI suddenly does everything for me.
But because it can dramatically reduce the time between thinking about something and actually doing it.
And that is a very big deal.
I'm going all in
I've changed my approach.
I'm now deep diving into AI and working out how I can use it properly across the things I actually do.
Not becoming an AI engineer.
Not trying to understand every new model, framework or technical acronym.
That's not the point.
I'm interested in practical AI.
AI that helps me:
- Get ideas out of my head faster
- Research and understand things
- Write and edit
- Create images and visual content
- Build things
- Solve problems
- Automate repetitive work
- Turn an idea into something usable
- Experiment without spending hours figuring everything out first
And perhaps most importantly…
Take action.
Productivity is the big one
This is where I'm seeing the biggest opportunity.
I've always had plenty of ideas.
The problem has never really been what should I do?
It's been:
How long is this going to take?
AI changes that equation.
Something that might previously have taken an afternoon to research, structure and get started can sometimes become a much faster process.
Not always.
AI isn't magic.
It still gets things wrong. It still needs direction. It still needs a human brain checking the results.
But when you learn how to work with it rather than simply asking it questions…
Things get interesting.
More done doesn't have to mean more work
This is the bit I'm particularly interested in.
I'm not going all in on AI because I want to work 16 hours a day.
Quite the opposite.
I want to get more done and still have a life.
That's always been important to me.
Coffee.
Sunrise.
Travel.
Food.
Friends.
Exploring.
Doing absolutely nothing for a while.
Whatever makes life interesting.
If AI can help me accomplish in five hours what previously took eight, I don't necessarily want to fill those extra three hours with more work.
I want them back.
That's the real productivity win.
If you can't beat 'em…
…join 'em.
I've finally accepted that AI isn't something I need to watch from the sidelines.
It's becoming part of the toolkit.
And I'm going to learn how to use that toolkit properly.
There will undoubtedly be another shiny AI tool tomorrow.
And another one next week.
I'm not interested in chasing all of them.
I'm interested in finding the ones that make my life and my work easier, faster and better.
That's a very different approach.
I'm still Mark
That's probably the most important part.
AI isn't replacing the things that make me me.
It's not replacing my experience.
My curiosity.
My judgement.
My relationships.
My stories.
My ridiculous number of ideas.
Or my ability to sit down over a coffee and think, “What if we tried this?”
It's simply giving me some seriously powerful assistance.
And I'm beginning to realise just how much can be done when you combine human experience with AI capability.
So yes…
I'm AI Positive.
Not because I think AI is going to solve everything.
Not because I think humans are suddenly obsolete.
And certainly not because I want to spend my life talking to machines.
I'm AI positive because I've finally stopped asking:
“Is AI really going to make that much difference?”
And started asking:
“What could I achieve if I actually learned to use this properly?”
That's a much more interesting question.
And I'm going to find out.
While still making time for the coffee and the sunrise. ☕🌅
I think I've finally stopped asking:
“How much difference can AI really make?”
And started asking:
“What could I achieve if I actually learned to use it properly?”
That's the question I'm exploring now.
What about you — are you AI positive yet?
