It’s Not All or Nothing with AI

This may surprise you but there is a way to work with the benefits of AI without handing over the keys to your creativity. I mean, none of us are robots and I’m pretty sure none of us are planning on becoming one, but we can still gain from the blessings of an artificial intelligence’s timesaving and convenience without feeling even the teensiest bit of guilt. It just boils down to perspective.

Seeing Things Differently

You see, back when the internet arrived in our lives (yes, I am old enough to remember the exact moment my friend bounced into the kitchen to tell us very excitedly that he had been doing this thing called surfing. And no, it had nothing to do with the ocean or boards of any kind, but he had been communicating with someone living in Japan through his computer! And we all looked at each other and wondered if he needed help of some kind) but anyway, in those early years of search engines, someone suggested that I look on them as a librarian. And that I simply Ask Jeeves a question (if you’re too young for this reference, ask ChatGPT) in the same way I would ask a human being.

And that changed everything.

From Authority to Assistant

Because I stopped seeing the internet as an all-knowing thing beyond my comprehension and started seeing it as a tool that could help me. Just like those massively heavy encyclopedias from my childhood (and if you’re too young for that reference, ask Claude.)

And the same shift can apply to you especially when you’re creating content with AI. It’s not about handing over the process. It’s about remembering your role. You are the creator. AI is the assistant. Not the other way around.

Try This Instead (It Changes Everything)

Now don’t get me wrong, you may be very happily creating your content entirely through AI and if that works for you, that’s great. However, if you are concerned that handing over all of that process to AI may remove the uniqueness of what you’re sharing with the world then there’s another way you can try. A way that’s a little more balanced.

• You could begin with you – your ideas, dreams, inspirations, colours, shapes etc
• Then you can ask AI for its thoughts. Not as an authority, but in the same way you’d ask a design assistant.
• And then you come back in. You choose what you feel aligns with your vision and goals. What sounds like you and feels like you. Maybe you like a colour, or a template, or a headline or a structure. See how it feels and then play with it always remembering that you are the creator and you have the final say.

Your Best Ideas Are Already in You

And the easiest way to get started?

Daydreaming.

If you get a little stuck at the beginning of the process, consider the under-appreciated art of Daydreaming. Just put a little time aside every day or every few days or whatever works for you to simply daydream. See whatever you see, feel what you feel and then after you’ve come back, take a blank piece of paper and write. You may be surprised at the ideas that appear. And once you have those ideas, well, Bob’s your Uncle and Fanny’s your Aunt!

(And if you’re too young for that reference, then I guess you know who to ask!)