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YouTube’s CEO said it himself: “Creators should be recognized as next-generation studios” Letter from the YouTube CEO: 4 Big bets for 2024 I believe we will see the one-man studio take off in the next year due to AI. This comes off the back of a few key trends that together make the perfect recipe for this future. With AI rapidly advancing, we’ve seen a democratization of creativity as well as an increase in layoffs at big companies. We also can see the support for the one-man studio future from industry leaders and companies—this future is being built for. Let me explain. Why Now? AI has accelerated rapidly over the past couple of years (from LLMs to Image Generators and everything in between). With AI and tooling becoming increasingly available to more people, we will be able to do more with less. Think about some of the most popular tools today and their applications to the creative process: ChatGPT—copywriting, ideating, script writing, etc. Elevenlabs—audio dubbing/translation, text-to-speech, etc. Midjourney—YouTube thumbnails, ad creatives, etc. Suno AI—text-music, soundtracks, etc. The tools and models are continuously improving. We are sitting at the bottom of the asymptote and it’s about to take off. The first piece of the puzzle has been put into place already—the democratization of creativity by AI. AI is Democratizing Creativity The ability to generate text, image and audio are well on their way to becoming a single click of a button. And what is text, image and audio? Media. Content. Creation in the digital world. But we don’t have to be an artist of 20 years or a thumbnail specialist anymore—we can leverage AI to express our creativity. A new breed of creator has arrived: The Generalist Creator. The Generalist Creator This type of creator is a multidisciplinary human that is able to navigate the world of creation and technology. Dan Shipper discusses the concept of the allocation economy—the fact that AI is moving the level master above knowledge to the ability to act as a “manager” for the AI’s we work with. The generalist creator will be a better manager of AI models and tools, allowing them to better leverage their time and resources with less focus required to be place upon the nitty gritty details of implementation. This movement towards the Generalist Creator marks a pivotal shift in the creative landscape. It underscores the importance of adaptability and a broad skill set in leveraging AI's potential. As we look towards the diminishing corporate job pool, the necessity for individuals to embrace this multifaceted approach to creation becomes even more pronounced. Corporate Jobs Pool Will Shrink In the enterprise world, AI means: Automate processes Save time, money and resources As these models and tools get better, companies will continue to integrate them into they business. We’ve already seen massive layoffs over the past year but they won’t say the quiet part output—AI is coming for corporate jobs. The Largest Tech Layoffs Take Google for example: laid off 30,000 employees in 2023. recently fired its unionized YouTube Music team. And think about it: Google is one of the leading companies in AI. It would make sense that they dogfood their own technology. One of their top priorities is making and saving money; if that means replacing humans with AI, they won’t have a problem with it. People will need to find new ways to work and find purpose. This could be: Become full content creator Build a product Start a service business Whatever it may be, it doesn’t matter because one thing remains the same in all of these: Content. Content is the distribution mechanism for your brand. And so what do we do if we don’t have huge team? You guessed it. Become a one-man studio. Personalized Entertainment You may think that the internet is oversaturated with content but believe me we’ve barely scratched the surface. Humans have shown over and over again how much they can crave entertainment of all kinds. In a world of generative AI, this will lead to nicher content genres, mediums and more.The demand for content will be there, motivating more people to fill that demand. And what better way to start on your own than by having systems of AI tools and workflows to help you in the balancing act of content creation. Industry Leaders Are Building For This Future I mentioned the YouTube CEO’s belief in the one man studio, but I did not mention his claim that AI will empower creativity. And let’s look at some of the people working on AI and creativity: Runway ML Midjourney OpenAI (Sora, ChatGPT, etc) Elevenlabs Canva Descript VEED I could keep going but you get the point. This isn’t a “Yeah maybe if things go a certain way and—” No! It’s already in motion. The seeds are being planted. Now it’s up to you to decide if you want to stake out your plot of land while the fields are still green. How Close is This Future? I know you’re thinking “Yeah this sounds all well and good, Michael. But, how close are actually to this future?”. Well, I’ve always been a fan of showing over telling. Allow me to illustrate some of the success stories and use cases already possible today. 1. Midjourney Usage As of November 1, 2023, Midjourney has around 16.45 million users. Midjourney User Growth Here is a percentage breakdown of the social platforms users use it for, according to this article: Instagram: 45% Facebook: 21% X (Twitter): 15% Reddit: 6% TikTok: 5% Pinterest: 3% For a company that launched only 19 months ago (at the time of writing this), these numbers are quite impressive. It is a testament to the value the tool provides to the users. This is only one tool of thousands—as more companies build in this space, we will see more outliers like this that over time add up to a larger set of high quality AI tools that almost anyone can use right now for creative work. 2. OpenAI’s Sora A more recent development that sent shockwaves through the AI community—Open AI’s latest announcement about their text-to-video model: Sora. On top of generating stunning videos from text, the model also allows you to extend videos backwards and forwards in time (imagine iterating through video generations to create a short film!). There are other exciting aspects that I encourage you to check out for yourself The main point is that if we are here today, imagine where we’ll be 6 months from now. The advancements show no sign of slowing down and it’s bringing the barrier to entry for creation down to near zero. 3. Newsletter Automation In a previous article, I wrote about the start of my journey on the road to a one-man media company. How it works: It generates a newsletter draft and tweets from a single topic with AI. This simple prototype shows just how accessible and powerful AI is to us right now, and it’s trending more in this direction day-by-day. What Now? And so why is the one-man studio happening? AI is democratizing creativity Corporate job loss will lead to value seeking elsewhere (content creation) Personalized entertainment will get nicher Industry leaders are building for this future already The future is clear. One man studios will be with us sooner than we think. Now it’s up to you if you want to leverage the greenfield opportunity AI presents (psst. Check out my Skool community where we learn about things like this). That’s all for now, folks. ‘Til next time, much love and peace y’all 🤠 | Write an article about: YouTube’s CEO said it himself: “Creators should be recognized as next-generation studios” Letter from the YouTube CEO: 4 Big bets for 2024 I believe we will see the one-man studio take off in the next year due to AI |
AI is churning out increasingly sophisticated content. It's getting harder and harder to tell the difference between human and machine-written work. From news articles to novels, AI-generated text is becoming more coherent, more engaging, and more, well...human. Which begs the question: Can AI truly mimic human creativity? Alan Turing (the father of modern computing) proposed a test for machine intelligence back in 1950. The idea was simple: If a machine could engage in a conversation with a human, and the human couldn't tell they were talking to a machine, then the machine could be considered intelligent. But what about creativity? Is there a Turing Test for that? It's a tricky question, because creativity is a bit harder to define than intelligence. It's not just about producing something that looks or sounds human-made. It's about: Originality – coming up with ideas that are new and surprising. Emotional resonance – creating work that speaks to the human experience in a profound way. Inspiration – tapping into something deeper than just pattern recognition and data analysis. Can an AI do that? Can it write a novel that makes us laugh, cry, and see the world in a new way? Can it compose a symphony that stirs our souls? Can it paint a masterpiece that captures the beauty of the human spirit? Well, that’s what I’m going to explore with you today! We’re going to explore: How hard it is today to identify AI-crafted content. Why AI-generated content may very well be the future of how we all write. Ways you can make AI writing be more passable as human. Let’s get started. “Did AI Write This?” How hard is it to tell the difference today? According to one study, linguistics experts struggle to differentiate AI-generated content from human writing. When reviewing research abstracts, these experts could only identify AI-created content correctly 38.9% of the time. This is with the models we have today—imagine how difficult it will be in 1, 2, 5 years. Also, think about the shear volume of content being published to the internet every day—humans don’t spend as much time discerning where the content came from. It’s easy to see how a good portion of AI writing could fly under the radar. We are still in the early days of AI’s exponential takeoff. It’s writing will get better as the models do, and as people get better at prompting the models for better output. Speaking of prompting, let’s talk about that next. Common Features of AI-Generated Text Before we learn why some think AI-generated text sucks (hint: it’s their prompts lol), let’s cover some common tells that text is likely generated by AI: Buzzwords When you see industry jargon and buzzwords frequently in the text, you can assume it is probably AI generated at this point. Big Words Do a majority of people use big words in their everyday writing and speech? Probably not. So what smart intelligence could possibly write like this? Yup—AI. Repetition AI models sometimes struggle with repetition, using the same words, phrases, or sentence structures multiple times within a piece of content. This makes the text feel monotonous and less engaging. Human writers tend to vary their language and sentence structure to keep the reader interested. Lack of emotion AI will eventually be able to mimic this pretty well (and can to an extent already). But it can be hard for the models to capture the nuance of human emotion that we are used to feeling in human writing. Perfect grammar I’m not saying you shouldn’t use perfect grammar now—it’s just another aspect of text to look at when deciding if the text is AI-generated. There’s also AI detection tools that you can use: GPTZero Content at Scale AI Content Detector Copyleaks Okay, now let’s talk about why prompting—the reason some people think AI-generated text sucks. Check Your Prompts There’s a debate between whether or not AI-generated text is passable online to other humans. Some say no. Some say yes. I say it depends on the prompting. Why do I say that? Will we Even Need to Write in The Future? The value of learning how to write cannot be overstated. It is the practice of clarifying your thoughts—putting words to paper forces this clarity. But… What if we don’t need to write in the future? According to a recent MIT Technology Review article, one of the biggest changes ushered in by AI language models like ChatGPT might be the shift in how we evaluate written text. Students might not need to write everything from scratch anymore in the future. The focus will be on coming up with original thoughts rather than just correctly formatted writing. As AI researcher Sebastian Raschka says: "It will be easier to write correctly, but it won't be easier to write originally." Essays and texts generated by AI will eventually start resembling each other as the AI system runs out of ideas, because it is constrained by its programming and the data in its training set. So while AI might make the mechanics of writing easier, it can't replace the unique perspective and creativity that only a human mind can bring to the table. The real skill of the future may not be writing itself. Instead, it will be the ability to think critically, ask the right questions, and come up with truly original ideas that push the boundaries of what's possible. Ethical Considerations of AI-Generated Content As AI-generated text becomes more prevalent, it's crucial to consider the ethical implications and potential risks, such as: Bias and discrimination from AI models trained on biased data sets Plagiarism and intellectual property infringement concerns Potential for spreading misinformation if not properly fact-checked Displacement of jobs in fields like writing and journalism A few examples of unethical content: Phishing emails Misinformation (2024 presidential campaign is going to be interesting to say the least lol) Being mindful of these ethical considerations is crucial for maximizing the benefits of the technology while minimizing its risks. Okay so now… Assuming we have original, creative ideas. And we have addressed any ethical concerns around the generated content. How can we make AI-generated text sound more like a human? Techniques to Sound More Human While AI-generated text is getting better at mimicking human writing, there are still ways to make it sound more authentic: Use personal anecdotes and experiences: AI models are trained on a vast corpus of text, but they don't have real-life experiences to draw from. Including personal stories can help make your writing feel more human. Incorporate sensory details: Describe how things look, feel, sound, taste, and smell. These vivid details can bring your writing to life in a way that AI might struggle to replicate. Use humor and wordplay: AI models can generate jokes and puns, but they often lack the nuance and timing that makes human humor so effective. A well-placed joke or clever turn of phrase can make your writing stand out. Vary your sentence structure and length: AI-generated text can sometimes feel monotonous, with every sentence following a similar pattern. Mix things up with short, punchy sentences alongside longer, more complex ones. Show vulnerability and emotion: AI models are getting better at understanding and expressing emotion, but they still can't match the depth and authenticity of human feelings. Don't be afraid to let your personality and emotions shine through in your writing. Example Prompts Here are a few examples that incorporate some of the aspects we discussed above: All Aspects Incorporated Ontological Framework: Narrator traits: Introspective, empathetic, resilient Values: Honesty, personal growth, family Experiences: Grew up in a close-knit community, faced challenges that led to self-discovery Tone: Nostalgic, heartfelt, with a touch of humor Instructions: Write a short story about a memorable experience from your childhood that taught you an important life lesson. Begin with a humorous anecdote that draws the reader in, then use vivid sensory details to describe the setting and characters. As the story progresses, vary your sentence structure and length to create a dynamic narrative flow. Show vulnerability by sharing your thoughts and emotions throughout the experience, and end with a reflection on how this lesson has shaped your perspective. Ensure that the narrator's traits, values, experiences, and tone align with the provided ontological framework. Personal Anecdotes, Sensory Details, and Vulnerability Ontological Framework: Narrator traits: Nature-loving, intuitive, mindful Values: Environmental conservation, inner peace, simplicity Experiences: Grew up exploring the outdoors, finds solace in natural settings Tone: Reflective, appreciative, serene Instructions: Describe a moment of profound connection with nature. Share a personal anecdote about a time when you felt deeply attuned to your surroundings, using vivid sensory details to paint a picture of the scene. Reflect on how this experience made you feel and why it holds significance for you. Ensure that the narrator's traits, values, experiences, and tone align with the provided ontological framework. Wordplay & Sentence Structure Ontological Framework: Brand attributes: Innovative, user-friendly, efficient Target audience: Tech-savvy homeowners, busy professionals, convenience seekers Desired tone: Witty, informative, upbeat Style guidelines: Use a mix of technical terms and layman's language, focus on benefits over features Instructions: Create a product description for a new, innovative household gadget. Use wordplay and puns to create a catchy and memorable title for the product. In the description, vary your sentence structure and length to highlight the product's key features and benefits in an engaging way. Ensure that the brand attributes, target audience, desired tone, and style guidelines align with the provided ontological framework. If you’re interested in diving deeper into prompting with writing, you can: Read my article on prompting strategies for better writing with Claude 3 Join my free Skool to learn with likeminded people With that, let’s wrap up! Closing Thoughts So, we learned: AI-generated text is actually pretty difficult to identify for humans already. The quality of AI writing depends on how well you prompt it. Techniques to make AI writing sound more human. But, does this answer our question? I think so. AI can mimic human creativity but it depends on: Original input from the human. Prompt refinement to steer the writing in a more human style. If you are worried about AI replacing you and your creativity, don’t be. Humans will still be able to inject their creativity into their works—it will just be done in a different ways than it is now. AI-generated content is a new opportunity for us to express ourselves creatively through collaboration with AI—I would recommend you start learning to collaborate sooner rather than later. That’s all for this week folks! ‘Til next time, much love and peace y’all 🤠 | Write an article about: AI is churning out increasingly sophisticated content |
Over the past 2 years, I’d built 7 different apps with my brother that went nowhere. The Graveyard Why? 0 distribution. Reflecting on my experiences, I've come to realize that we were too dogmatic in our approach. We had learned that fast iteration of the product was key, but in practice, we did not take this to heart. Every app was built in silence until it was finally "ready". And when we stepped out on stage, it was quiet. Something was missing: an audience. It was only near the end of this app sprint that we truly internalized the importance of distribution with our last app, TalkFamous. At least this time, we spun up meme accounts on short-form platforms to drive traffic to our product. But even that was a rudimentary approach to distribution. Still, the key lesson for us was that the importance of distribution could not be overestimated. Distribution is King In the world of digital entrepreneurship, the brilliance of a product can be overshadowed by the absence of effective distribution. Peter Thiel, in his book "Zero to One," emphasizes that even the best product needs a solid plan for reaching customers. His thesis underlines that distribution is not an afterthought; it's a critical component of the product itself. Everything's Connected The true realization was that everything was connected and had an impact on everything else. I started to study the founders and creators I admired who had successful businesses with millions of customers. They were all entrepreneurs of course, but they were also content creators whether they realized it or not. For YouTubers like Mr. Beast who had Feastables chocolate, it was more obvious to anyone that he was a content creator. But, the successful startup founder also left a trail of content bread crumbs at the very least if not an entire bakery of content for an audience to consume. Their content was one component of a greater system; a framework for modern entrepreneurs in the digital age. As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, the Internet has opened up the opportunity for humans to spread their ideas far and wide. The individual has more power by becoming their own sovereign media company and brand — the rules of the game have changed. The media arm of the individual is directly linked to the success of their business because that is how they get their distribution. And the inverse is also true in most cases: the business or thing that the individual is building informs the way they present their content. This is how people build narratives and stories that resonate with the masses, leading to their support and patronage. A Change in Perspective It was clear to me now that I needed to take content creation more seriously. It seems obvious today: Content is our digital resume. Sharing our learnings and insights is valuable and attracts an audience who might later be more inclined to try any product we make. Ideas have an impact and the impact is multiplied relative to the size of the audience one has. It is a forcing function for us to keep learning and growing as humans. I began to notice the feedback loops in my content and my product building. Each one feeds into the other. The problems I was solving for myself turned into content. The content I made about my interests and values attracted people who resonated with the content. More recently, I've been able to leverage AI to quicken the iteration process between content and product to 10x the entire process. Before diving into how we can leverage AI in our workflows, let's first explore content and the importance of distribution through the lens of systems thinking. The Big Picture: Systems Thinking in Action In the dynamic landscape of digital entrepreneurship, it's not just about creating content or products in isolation; it's about understanding the interconnectedness of every element within our ecosystem. The adage that a great product will sell itself is a myth that too many of us have believed. Instead, we must view our products not as standalone entities but as vital parts of a larger ecosystem, which includes content creation and audience building as equally critical components. Why Systems Thinking? Systems thinking allows us to see the forest for the trees. It's a holistic approach that understands that a product's success is not just about the product itself; it’s about how it fits into the complex web of interactions in the digital marketplace. Systems thinking in this context encourages us to ask questions such as: How does our content strategy support our product? What platforms will best amplify our message and reach our intended audience? How can audience feedback inform our product development? How are current trends outside our direct scope affecting what we are focusing on? We can also see how this mindset helps us identify patterns and causal loops within our own lives. For example, how you sleep plays a role in your effectiveness in work during the day. Overall, systems thinking allows us to step outside of a single perspective and reframe problems to come up with different solutions. Systems in Content & Entrepreneurship As I mentioned earlier, I’ve learned the value of content in my entrepreneurial journey through the results of not doing enough of it before when I was building a product. It was only after observing successful entrepreneurs that I realized the content wasn't merely a separate entity but part of a larger whole – a lever in business strategy I had neglected. As an example, let’s look at content and entrepreneurship through the lens of causal loops in systems thinking. Causal Loops in Understanding and Communicating Problems Causal loops are a fundamental concept in systems thinking, illustrating how different elements within a system interact with and influence one another. These loops can either reinforce or balance the dynamics within the system, leading to a variety of outcomes. In the context of content creation and entrepreneurship, we can identify four key elements within a causal loop: Variables: The distinct components such as Product, Story, and Content. Links: The connections that show how changes in one variable affect another. Labels: The descriptions we assign to the links, clarifying their relationships. Loops: The circular feedback that indicates the system's behavior. In content creation, recognizing causal loops can be pivotal. Consider a content creator's ecosystem comprising the product, the narrative surrounding it, and the content distributed across platforms. Each element feeds into the other, forming a causal loop: Product Influences Story: The attributes of a product shape its narrative. For instance, an eco-friendly product's design underpins its sustainability narrative, setting the tone for its story. Story Shapes Content: The product's story informs the content strategy. A focus on sustainability can steer the content towards environmental impact and responsible living themes. Content Feedback to Story: The audience's interaction with the content can lead to an evolution of the narrative. Feedback emphasizing transparency may lead the story to incorporate more behind-the-scenes insights. Story Feeds Back to Product: The narrative's evolution, driven by audience engagement, can influence further product development, ensuring it remains aligned with consumer expectations and the brand's ethos. By understanding the interplay of product, story, and content within the entrepreneurial realm, we recognize the importance of each component in this causal loop. This perspective is crucial as we now turn our focus to exploring how artificial intelligence can be integrated into this system, enhancing and streamlining our approach to content creation and distribution in the digital landscape This is just a single example of how we can view content and entrepreneurship through the lens of systems thinking. The key is to recognize that content creation, like entrepreneurship, is interconnected. I encourage you to discover and experiment with other systems thinking methodologies because understanding these principles and their application will improve your ability to create content with impact as you build a sustainable business. Now, with this foundational knowledge in place, let’s move on to how we can leverage AI to enhance our processes and augment our entrepreneurial toolkit. Systems Thinking Combined with AI: A Toolkit for Sovereign Media Companies and Businesses The internet gave us the platform to create and build value by connecting us with the rest of the world. However, the internet has also created a vast amount of information we now need to sift through to connect the dots. We need the proper tools to be as effective as possible. This is where I’ve found AI, particularly Large Language Models (LLMs), to be highly effective in enhancing the processes of systems thinking I apply to my research and learning. AI-Enhanced Learning Loops in Systems Thinking Being a systems thinker means we must have cycles of reflection and analysis to make better sense of our reality. I call these learning loops: iterative cycles where knowledge is acquired, assessed, and applied to refine the system. With LLMs, we can now iterate through cycles faster with deeper insights that might have taken far longer otherwise. This quickening of feedback cuts the time it takes to form connections from the raw data we collect and draw more meaningful solutions to problems we are facing. Pattern Recognition and Emergent Phenomena LLMs have the remarkable ability to sift through vast datasets, identify patterns, and even pinpoint emergent phenomena that elude the human eye. This pattern recognition superpower enables systems thinkers to: Identify emergent phenomena in their raw observations more quickly. Walk through different processes to find new ways to look at existing systems. Question our biases and help us identify where we may have blind spots. Being able to see emergent systems from seemingly distinct entities is a practice of redrawing boundaries, giving way to a new perspective to look at problems; this practice of reframing lets us come up with new solutions and insights. LLMs are perfect for this as they can supplement our own analysis, giving us more ways to look at a system. Application to Learning Loops As someone trying to be more diligent about practicing systems thinking in his life, I collect tons of notes, ideas, and observations. On its face, they can look like a jumbled mess of half-baked thoughts haphazardly thrown into a Notion document. But, as I analyze them, I can start to connect the dots. Once, I’ve done this on my own, I pass my notes off to LLMs to supplement my analysis. This has increased my ability to identify where seemingly disparate components are parts of a greater whole. It has also helped me notice where other emergent systems are that I might have missed. Furthermore, popular models such as GPT-4 have been trained on a majority of the internet, meaning they have knowledge or context about topics I might be less familiar with. I can use this to my advantage when I need to comprehend new concepts, and also by asking the model to apply different concepts I’m less familiar with to the situation I am dealing with. Of course, we must be careful of hallucinations — I’ve found it effective to use LLMs as a first pass in this case and later confirm the information it has provided. Reaching Conclusions at The Speed of Light The integration of AI into systems thinking signifies a shift in our approach to problem-solving and decision-making. AI is not meant to replace human intelligence — it is meant to augment and enhance it. It’s important to recognize that AI acts as a powerful assistant that amplifies our cognitive abilities, allowing us to reach solutions at an unprecedented pace. Those who learn to leverage this technology will have an advantage in the digital marketplace of ideas and products. This advantage is not just from accelerated data process and analysis; It is also from the ability to foresee trends, understand consumer behavior, and predict market shifts with more confidence. In a world where information is power, AI can help us navigate the landscape of ideas more strategically. This paradigm shift requires how we as humans operate. The future belongs to those who can effectively manage these advanced tools, see the bigger picture, and think in interconnected systems. It’s no longer just about being knowledgeable in a single domain; it’s about understanding how various domains interact and influence each other, and how AI can illuminate these connections. From Learning to Building Value Understanding and learning through AI is just the start for those looking to create value in this modern age. Once equipped with knowledge, the next step is content and media production. Let’s dive into how we can leverage AI to take our newfound insights into tangible output with impact Production of Content & Products with LLMs The key area in which LLMs help us in our output is the same as the one in which is help us with learning and understanding from the inputs: speed. We now can produce content of all kinds in various tones, styles, and lengths — depending on who we are creating for and which platform the content is going on. AI shortens the time it takes to produce the media to attract an audience. A few examples of this could be: Drafting YouTube video outlines / transcripts. Crafting tweets to convey ideas in certain formats. Repurposing content to other platforms (i.e., Articles into X and LinkedIn posts). Stunning visuals generated from image generation models. Again, we aren’t letting LLMs do this all on their own. Think of it through the analogy of a football coach: A football coach may not be the fastest runner or the biggest player, but he knows how to play the game and what game he is playing. He can see the entire field and isn’t just thinking about the next play, he’s thinking about 10 plays down the line and how each preceding play affects the trajectory of the future. We as the entrepreneur or creator are the coach. We need to guide our AI systems in the direction of the great goal; this necessitates being a big-picture thinker (guess what systems thinking helps you do?) Systems Thinking and AI: A Match Made in Heaven When we apply systems thinking to problems and use AI as a tool to enhance our workflows, we unlock a synergy that is greater than the sum of its parts. Systems thinking, with its emphasis on holistic understanding and interdependence of components within a system, is naturally complemented by AI’s capability to process vast amounts of data and identify patterns that might elude humans. This combination lets us comprehend complex systems in ways that were much harder to if not impossible to do previously. Final Thoughts As we incorporate AI into our creative and entrepreneurial pursuits, it’s important to hold a thoughtful and strategic approach. Like the football coach analogy, AI is our linemen and helps us get the job done, but the ultimate plan remains in our hands. We must be systems thinkers, recognizing the interplay between different elements and guiding AI to serve our larger objectives. This allows us to leverage AI to its fullest; to use it not only as a tool for efficiency but also a catalyst for creativity, innovation, and growth. The thoughtful integration of AI in our endeavors empowers us to push the boundaries of what's possible, blending the precision of technology with the unique spark of human creativity. We are embarking on a journey into a new era of collaboration between humans and artificial intelligence. The key to success lies in steering this partnership with intention and a vision that seeks to enrich and elevate our collective human experience. Enjoyed this newsletter? Forward it to a friend and have them sign up here. | Write an article about: Over the past 2 years, I’d built 7 different apps with my brother that went nowhere |
Are you worried AI tools don’t save you time? Do you even know how to measure if AI has helped your content strategy? Do you want to know how you can? That’s what I’m here to talk about this week because I remember thinking to myself: “How do I know it’s working?” Luckily for you, I’ve already hit my head against the wall many times over (ouch). I’m going to give you all the knowledge I’ve gained from experimentation and iteration. Before jumping into measuring an AI-integrated content strategy’s performance, let’s talk about how we can define success. Content Strategy North Stars: Definitions of Success When you’re making content, it’s important to have a North Star goal or metric that you use to determine the success of your strategy. This could be: Number of new leads Number of newsletter subscribers Number of community members in your skool Time saved You name it. It all depends on what your goals are, and it is important to reflect on this. Why? Because you can then reverse engineer your north star metric into actionable steps to achieve that outcome. Once we’ve determined what outcome we are optimizing for, we have a framework to put our content strategy up against. Then, we can start to think about how to implement these measurements through different categories: Time saved Content Quality SEO Performance Conversion rates Let’s jump in! 1. Measuring Time Saved This is probably the most obvious thing to measure first. AI helps us be more efficient with our time so if we are saving time on our content creation processes, we can easily tell if AI is effectively helping us. I used to write all of my threads from scratch ( do this still, but not 100% of the time), until I started utilizing ChatGPT and Claude to help me convert my newsletters into threads and tweets. I observed a decrease in time spent writing threads and tweets decrease from 2 hours to roughly 45 minutes (a 65.2% decrease in time spent). So clearly something was working. If you’re curious about how you can measure time saved with AI integrated workflows, you can do what I did: Create a spreadsheet with the following columns: Task, Time Spent, AI Workflow (Yes/No). Record the time it takes to complete your workflows for a week with no help from AI. Record the time it takes to complete your workflows for a week with help from AI. Compare the results This is a quick and dirty way to measure AI’s effectiveness on your content processes. If you aren’t tracking your progress, it’s all just guess work. Now that we know the why and the how for tracking time saved, let’s move on to the next category of measurement—content quality. 2. Measuring Content Quality Let’s say you’re saving time with AI already. You’ve got your process down to a science and spend far less time creating and repurposing content. But… Is the content actually good. This is somewhat subjective but the best heuristic is to identify the engagement of AI generated (or assisted) content. Here’s a simple way you can start exploring this: Go to your analytics page for whatever platform you’re analyzing Export analytics (to csv, json or whatever they let you do) Prompt ChatGPT or Claude to prime it for analysis Upload analytics file and see results I’ve used this to understand what type of content performs better. 3. Measuring SEO Performance Large Language Models (LLMs) are great at dealing with text—both analyzing and generating it. So, we can use LLMs to first analyze our current SEO and also generate new keywords that are more SEO optimized. Here’s some basic steps to get started: Use an AI tool like Keyword Insights (powered by Google AI, link in header: https://seoai.io/ ) to analyze your existing content for SEO performance. This will help identify areas for improvement. Prompt an AI model to generate new, SEO-optimized content ideas based on your target keywords and the insights from Step 1. Create content based on these AI-generated ideas, ensuring to include the suggested keywords and phrases. Monitor your search engine rankings and organic traffic for the optimized content over time—Compare this data to your previous SEO performance to gauge the impact of AI-powered optimization. 4. Conversion Rates This category can apply to various parts of your content web: Website Promotional tweets Newsletter plugs And how do we get people to convert? Good copywriting—something that persuades the reader to take action. And how can AI help with this? How can we measure its effectiveness? AI can be used to generate better copy on all platforms you publish text. People say “Oh it’s not that good at writing” but I say their prompts for the language models are subpar. If you want to learn more about writing better with AI, check out the free resources I have in my skool. Assuming we know how to prompt the models to yield better output, that still leaves us with the question: how do we measure AI’s impact on conversion rates? Similar to how you measure it now—by tracking the number of conversions before and after implementing AI-generated copy. It's that simple. For example, let's say you're using AI to generate more compelling tweet copy to drive newsletter signups. You'd track your newsletter signup conversion rate for a period of time before using AI, then track it again for the same length of time after implementing AI-generated copy. Compare the two conversion rates, and voila! You've got a clear measure of AI's impact on your conversion game. Here’s some simple steps to follow for measuring this area: Identify a specific conversion goal (e.g., newsletter signups, product purchases, event registrations). Track your conversion rate for this goal over a set period (e.g., 1 month) without using AI-generated copy. Prompt an AI model to generate compelling copy for your website, social media posts, and email campaigns related to the conversion goal. Implement the AI-generated copy and track your conversion rate for the same length of time as in Step 2. Compare the conversion rates from the two periods to determine the impact of AI-generated copy on your conversion performance. Final Thoughts And there you have it, folks—four powerful ways to measure AI's impact on your content strategy. From tracking time saved to analyzing engagement, optimizing for SEO, and boosting conversion rates, AI can be a game-changer for your content processes. But here's the thing: you won't know how much of a game-changer it is unless you're actively measuring its impact. So, take these measurement strategies and run with them. Start tracking your AI-assisted content efforts and see just how much of a difference it makes. Trust me, as someone who's been in the content creation trenches, taking the time to measure AI's impact is worth its weight in gold. It's the difference between flying blind and having a clear, data-driven roadmap to content success. So, what are you waiting for? Go forth and measure, my friends! Dive Deeper And if you want to dive even deeper into the world of AI-powered content creation, be sure to check out the free resources in my skool. I've got plenty more knowledge bombs to drop on you there. If you’re looking for more hands-on guidance, check out my One-man Studio Bootcamp program here. Until next time, much love and peace y’all 🤠 | Write an article about: Are you worried AI tools don’t save you time? Do you even know how to measure if AI has helped your content strategy? Do you want to know how you can? That’s what I’m here to talk about this week because I remember thinking to myself: “How do I know it’s working?” Luckily for you, I’ve already hit my head against the wall many times over (ouch) |
I went a little crazy this week. I started diving deep. Like, deep deep Into prompt engineering techniques—specifically for writing. Why you ask? Because I’m a nerd. Jk (sort of) What I really am interested in is just how far we can take prompting to yield the highest quality output in writing. I’m talking generated writing, comprehensive analysis of your own writing, and everywhere in between. So that’s just what I plan to share with you today: All the techniques I’ve learned & how you can use them The results I’ve seen & what you can expect All the problems I faced & helpful resources I found And there’s a lot I won’t put in here. Just know you’re getting the highest value learnings from all those hours I spent/wasted. Now, let’s talk about where my head was at coming into this, and then go over some of the experiments I ran. My Experience & Thoughts Coming Into This I had some previous experience and knowledge coming into this (such as this prompt engineering course here and building my own tools). The key things I knew going into this were: Structured data in prompts helps models understand better (JSON, toml, etc) Length is strength—not a guarantee, but when done well, it can help the model narrow its focus on the task at hand. Make explicit denotations (e.g., XML tags, Markdown, etc) Expertise makes a world of difference And let’s unpack that last point–expertise. This is such an underestimated aspect of prompt engineering. I see people on LinkedIn that complain about AI generated content being “too generic” and “easy to pick out”. I say the person complaining doesn’t have good prompts. Period. “Why don’t they have good prompts, Michael?” I’m glad you asked! Be a Generalist, Appreciate the Specialist (Expert) They don’t have the expertise to get the most out of the models—even if they could, they wouldn’t be able to validate if the output is good. That is why I have been absorbing as much information about writing (copywriting, marketing, creative, etc.) since the beginning of the year. To develop some level of knowledge for myself and to have sources of expertise to draw inspiration from. Experts have a specialized set of skills and wealth of specific domain experience—they are a necessity for the generalist. Luckily, we generalists can borrow from these fountains of knowledge to use in our own ways with AI. Be a generalist—appreciate the specialist. As you collect these nuggets of gold, you should put them in what I call an Inspiration Reservoir—your source of raw information, insights, learnings, etc. Let’s talk about this a bit more Inspiration Reservoir If you’re a creator, marketer, entrepreneur—I don’t care what. You should have a place where you store, organize and review: Ideas Inspirations Swipe Files (for copy, for prompts, specific domain knowledge etc) This is how you can manage AI more effectively—by again, reducing your own cognitive overhead. Put the expert knowledge in a place you can find it. And then when you need it? Summon it like Harry Potter: “acio copywriting expert input” Now that you know where my head was at, let’s jump into the experiments. Cookin’ in the Lab with Claude A brief overview of the experiments I ran: Ontologies to define a more focused framework for Claude Claude 3 tweet performance Analysis Crafting writing persona configurations I applied the methods from each experiment to content repurposing (newsletter to tweets or LinkedIn posts). Let’s see what I found! Ontologies & LLMs What’s an ontology? Ontologies are structured representations of knowledge within a specific domain (in the context of AI). They define concepts, relationships, and properties in a way that enables logical reasoning and inference. This allows AI systems to derive new insights based on existing knowledge and relationships (shoutout to my friend Shep Bryan for turning me onto this). How Can We Use Ontologies for Better Output in Generated Writing? This is where we get into some interesting stuff. I spent hours poring over ontologies and iterating with Claude 3 to help generate refined ontology frameworks. The key is to feed the model a well-defined structure of the core concepts, attributes, and relationships for a given writing domain. For example, I created an ontology for persuasive copywriting that defined elements like: the ideal tone (engaging, conversational) voice (authoritative, confident) persuasion techniques (logic, evidence, appealing to reader's needs) rules for strong opinions (well-informed, balanced, fact-based). How did I develop this ontology, you ask? My process is as follows: Create a prompt to generate an Ontology development framework and feed it to Claude. Create another prompt that leverages the ontology development framework generated from step 1 and takes a user input for the domain area the ontology will be about—Claude will then generate this ontology from this prompt. Start a chat with the generated ontology to inform Claude of the framework is should stick to and then continue as you wish. Side note—I used Anthropic’s Metaprompt to help refine each of the prompts in this flow (more on metaprompts later). From one of my chat’s with Claude 3 The model was able to produce much more focused, impactful persuasive writing samples. I believe there is a huge opportunity to develop comprehensive ontologies for various writing verticals and use them to supercharge AI writing tools. It takes time to thoughtfully map out the key concepts and relationships, but the payoff in output quality is immense. Claude 3 For Tweet Analysis & Improvement During my experimentation, the question popped into my head: How can I use LLMs to better understand why my high performing tweets performed well? So that’s what I set out to do. I had already done this once but recently formalized the process into: Export tweet data from twitter analytics dashboard Run Claude 3 through a series of prompts analyzing the text content of my tweets to find patterns and create a profile of a high-preforming tweets of my profile (my “content success profile”). Use this analysis to help inform the model on how it should write tweets based on a newsletter You can find a more in depth overview of that process in this video here: And I also created a free walkthrough guide which you can find here. I am happy with the results I’ve gotten so far. The key component that makes this work is the ability for Claude to match its writing style to mine. It’s able to do this because I feed it a generated analysis of my high performing tweets (along with some other info) from a previous step—then it can reference the traits identified in my writing style from the analysis to write like me. It also helped me understand what type of post performs best for me. For example, it noticed that medium form posts and posts about Austin have done well in the past—I decided to take Claude’s advice on what to write about here and it was one of the top performance tweets last week: That is why I like this experiment. Because Claude can help you generate drafts based on what performs well for you and you can also use the model to be like a coach. Telling you what kinds of posts are doing well so you can incorporate those traits into your tweets when writing yourself. If you’re stuck on a thread or one-off tweet, definitely try this method out to see how you can improve your twitter engagement. With that out of the way, moving onto my next experiment. Making Writing Personas With (and for) Claude For this experiment, I started by having Claude help me craft a JSON configuration of a writing persona: This is what it gave me: Then, I used the configuration in the following prompt: You are an expert ghostwriter and copywriter. Your goal is to help me write a full blown LinkedIn post that discusses concepts from my latest newsletter which I will provide in <newsletter> tags. For the writing, you should adhere to your writing persona configuration below. The numbers associated with the traits are scored out of 10 and inform you on the strength of that trait so you know how much that trait influences the writing: <writing_persona_configuration> { "persona_name": "The AI Copywriting Entrepreneur", "base_traits": { "profession": { "copywriter": 10, "marketing_expert": 9, "content_creator": 8, "AI_developer": 7, "entrepreneur": 8, "community_builder": 7 } }, "writing_traits": { "writing_style": { "engaging": 9, "persuasive": 9, "clear": 8, "concise": 7 }, "tone": { "confident": 9, "friendly": 7, "authoritative": 8, "inspiring": 8 }, "voice": { "active": 9, "conversational": 8, "empathetic": 8 }, "emoji_usage": no emojis, "hashtag_usage": no, "language": { "casual": 7, "accessible": 9, "jargon-free": 8 } }, "psychological_understanding": { "motivation_targeting": 9, "fear_targeting": 8, "desire_targeting": 9 }, "references": { "copywriters": [ "David Ogilvy", "Gary Halbert", "Joe Sugarman" ], "copywriting_styles": [ "AIDA (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action)", "PAS (Problem, Agitate, Solve)", "The 4 Ps (Promise, Picture, Proof, Push)" ] } } <writing_persona_configuration/> This configuration above, is not meant to be who you write as actually—never reference who you are, just write as if you were the person you are ghostwriting for. For the linkedin post, use the following examples as inspiration of how you can format and angle the post: <examples> {$EXAMPLES} </examples> Here is the newsletter you need to repurpose: <newsletter> {$NEWSLETTER} <newsletter/> Begin! I pasted the draft of this newsletter where $NEWSLETTER is. Next, I created a list of examples I thought performed well on LinkedIn and pasted those where $EXAMPLE is. Here’s what I got back: Not bad at all (and I’m probably gonna post this one)! The approach of scoring traits out of ten and giving the model that understanding intuitively made sense to me and I’m happy I listened to myself. I make this point to say that you should run experiments as an artist would with their works—do what feels right, test new techniques, have fun with it. Other Findings & Resources “The Prompt Library” So, I thought I was familiar with Anthropic’s documentation but I had no idea they had a curated library of prompts for a variety of use cases! They’re not all great… But some of them are actually not a bad starting point so I will share a few of those now: Lesson Planner–can use for courses Prose Polisher–refine your content with advanced copywriting technique suggestions Motivational Muse–Generates motivational messages based on input—for my dudes that love the platitudes, this one goes out to you (and me too lol) Tweet Sentiment Analyzer–analyze sentiment of other peoples tweets with this and understand what emotions they are evoking Brand Build–Craft a design brief for a holistic brand identity. Okay that’s good for now. I wanted to share these and just make y’all aware that this is a thing. Anthropic Meta-Prompts What is a MetaPrompt A Meta prompt is a prompt engineering tool designed to solve the "blank page problem"—it helps give you a starting point to iterate on. All you need to do is enter your task, and optionally the names of the variables you'd like Claude to use in the template. Then you'll be able to run the prompt that comes out on any examples you like. Things to note: This is designed for single-turn question/response prompts, not multiturn. The Metaprompt is designed for use with Claude 3 Opus—generating prompts with other models may lead to worse results. The prompt you'll get at the end is not guaranteed to be optimal by any means, so don't be afraid to change it! My Thoughts on The Results The results so far have been promising. By understanding the anatomy of my best performing tweets, I was able to prompt Claude to write tweets in a similar style and structure. It's still early, but initial signs point to increased engagement. This concept of using AI to analyze your own content and create a "success profile" that you feed back into the model is really powerful. I can see this being a valuable technique not just for tweets, but for optimizing all sorts of content - emails, articles, scripts, product descriptions, etc. I'm excited to keep experimenting with this approach and see how much further we can push AI-powered content optimization. That’s all for now, folks! ‘Til next time, much love and peace y’all 🤠 | Write an article about: I went a little crazy this week |
Intuition is a superpower and many people don’t use it as much as they should. "Follow the hunch" Elle Beecher said this on the last Board Walks I went to (basically saying listen to your intuition). This combined with signs you identify from the universe are a killer combo for navigating life. My thinking is this: Signs from the outside are projections of the inside(our consciousness, unconscious, emotions, etc.). The fact that it stood out to us is more significant than what the sign actually was. Think of signs as universe prompts—for us to pause, reflect and be curious about the reasons we find that sign significant. Then follow the hunch to the next place. If you can learn to listen to your intuition, you will find yourself dancing with life in a positive way. Do you struggle to trust yourself? Do you spend more time deliberating on what you should do instead of doing it? Do you wish things just “flowed’ more easily? Well, that’s what I’m here to talk about with you today. I’m going to tell you why intuition is important, how it impacts us in life and in product building, and then I’ll go over four frameworks you can try to help hone your intuition. Let’s jump in. Intuition Helps You Navigate Life with More Ease Follow your: gut, instinct, intuition—whatever label you want to use. It all comes back to that feeling inside yourself that gives you hints as to what is the “right” action to take is. “Instinct is intelligence incapable of self-consciousness.” Edwin Land (Founder of Polaroid) Edwin Land tells us that instinct represents a raw, unfiltered form of intelligence because it lacks self-consciousness. You aren’t burdened by deliberation or reflection. Your actions are automatic. You will save yourself countless hours of deliberation if you can tap into this form of intelligence (intuition), making you move about the world in a more efficient and effective way. The Hunch Also Applies to AI Products We Build In the same way we get hunches in life, we get them in things we build. You may not have all the right answers. That's okay. Learn to trust your intuition for what you are building. Are people giving you feedback that indicate you're on the right track? How do YOU feel about what you're building? Can you feel this going somewhere? It is especially important to follow product intuition today—AI is making everything on the utility axis pretty much a level playing field. And, your "hunches" may not be great or correct at all in the beginning. Intuition is a muscle that needs to be trained—the only way to train it is to use it. If you train and learn to listen to your intuition, you'll be a real life superhuman. You feel connected to yourself and the world simultaneously. This all sounds amazing, but maybe you’re wondering: “How do I learn trust my intuition?” That’s what we will talk about next. Here, I will share four frameworks I use for honing my intuition and break each of them down. 1. North Star Reflection Main Idea: Aligning your actions and decisions with your life's purpose, values, and talents to ensure a fulfilling and authentic path. Example from my life: There was a time in late 2023 where I had to do some serious reflection on my life. I had been running full speed in startup world (both at some and doing my own). During a lull in my adventure I was approached to join a new startup and I said “yes” before I could even give myself enough time to think—I was lacking direction at the time and wanted something to grab onto. My time there was short. But, it was a forcing function for me to really reflect on my North Star. I had kept my head down so long I didn’t pick it up enough to know if the direction was something I wanted. So, I cracked open my laptop and typed away in my notes folder—stream of consciousness desires, wants, fears, description of my life situation, etc. It helped a ton to get these thoughts all out of my head and clarified into written word. Then, I asked myself these questions before deciding to leave the startup and continue to do what I’m doing now: “Does this actually add value to my goals?” “Am I growing as a person here?” “How does this role make me feel in my gut?” “What would I do if I had the choice?” ( This is one is great because once you answer it, you just tell yourself “oh wait, I can make a choice”) I looked at my notes I had written down during this questioning too. It was clear to see that what was in my heart was not compatible with what I was doing—I was out of alignment. I didn’t have any other evidence but the subjective experience and feelings I had about my situation. I listened to myself and decided to leave the startup with no real plan in mind aside from the vague idea of YouTube, build something, etc. Making this decision forced me to reflect even more on myself and what I want out of life. It also gave me more confidence in my ability to stand up for my own intuitions more which has helped immensely in my quality of life. High-level steps to get started: Define your life's purpose, core values, and unique talents. Before making a decision or taking action, pause and reflect on how it aligns with your North Star. Trust your intuition and make choices that feel authentic and meaningful to you . Benefits: Greater sense of purpose and fulfillment in life and work Increased confidence in decision-making Improved self-awareness and understanding of one's values and goals 2. Flirting With Myself This is about having a playful mindset where you express genuine curiosity about what YOU want to do. Main Idea: Cultivating a playful, curious, and self-prioritizing mindset to explore and honor your own desires and interests. Example from my life: When I first heard about the Board Walks, I felt this resistance to going. It was a new thing, and part of me just wanted to stay in my comfort zone. But then I decided to flirt with myself a little. I said: "Michael, do you want to go for a walk on Saturday? It could be fun, you might meet some new people, and plus, you'll get your 10k steps in. Worst case, you got some sunshine and exercise." By playfully persuading myself, I decided to give it a shot. And man, am I glad I did. At the walk, I found this group of people who were all so genuinely curious and interested in finding truth, answering life's big questions, and learning more about themselves and others—It was like I'd found my tribe. Now, these Board Walks have become a recurring event on my calendar, pretty much forever, I'm pretty sure. And I'll be honest, they're becoming one of the highlights of my week—I leave energized, I make new friends, and I just feel good. Through this experience, I've learned to: listen to other people more listen to myself more be more comfortable with who I am. And it all started with a little self-flirtation, asking myself what I really wanted to do, despite that initial resistance. That's the power of flirting with yourself. It lets you start to answer those questions that your intuition is posing. And honestly, when I did that, my answers didn't reflect that initial resistance at all. Deep down, I knew I wanted to meet new people, I knew this was something I should do. It was like my inner voice saying, "Hey, you should check this out." Give yourself the space to be playful, curious, and to listen to that inner wisdom, even (and especially) when you feel that resistance. That resistance is fear of the unknown. When you can move past that, and tune into what you really want, magic happens. High-level steps to get started: Set aside some time for reflection and exploration (take a walk, drive, lay down on the couch, etc.) Ask yourself what you want—genuinely ask. Give yourself permission to be honest about your desires. This is a zero judgement zone. You need to feel comfortable enough with yourself to have an unfiltered response. Benefits: Increased sense of self-worth because you start to take care with your own interests. Better relationship with your intuition—if you’re in conversation with yourself more often, you get a sense of what you want. 3. Intuition Experimentation Seek out new opportunities to test and strengthen your intuition. Main Idea: Actively seeking out opportunities to test, strengthen, and refine one's intuition through practical experiences and calculated risks. Example from my life: AITX was an experiment for me. In early 2023, I met one of my co-founders of AITX (Jake O’Shea) at a SxSW event. We both had been into AI at that time so got to talking about what we were up to, the topic of an Austin community for AII—we really wanted to start one just to connect and learn more about AI with others. We were shocked to find out there weren’t that many established ones aside from some for the purely technical. We just decided we should throw one and see what happens. A little over a year later, and AITX is one of the larger AI communities in Austin (and still growing). AITX Meetup - February 2024 Through this experiment I learned a few things about myself: I really enjoy people and building communities (both online & IRL). I love helping people on their life adventure—we try to help any community member with what they need as much as we can. But… The biggest takeaway for me is that I followed this endeavor by first treating it as an experiment to give my inner voice a scenario to speak to me. And as I kept working on it, the voice grew louder—telling me “this feels right”. Through this community I’ve: Come out of my shell again. Made more friends in Austin. Connected more people with each other. Felt a deeper sense of purpose—growing the Austin AI ecosystem (and the rest of Texas for that matter). My quality of life has significantly improved and I would credit this community as to one of the reasons why. All from an experiment and listening to my intuition. High-level steps to get started: Identify areas in life where you can apply your intuition (e.g., relationships, career, personal growth). Start with small, low-risk decisions and gradually increase the stakes as you build confidence. Keep a record of your intuitive hunches and the outcomes to track your progress and learn from your experiences. Benefits: Strengthened intuitive skills and increased trust in one's instincts Improved decision-making and problem-solving abilities Greater adaptability and resilience in the face of challenges 4. Grappling With the Resistance Paradox Main Idea: The Resistance Paradox involves discerning the protective instinct of our egos (often due to fear or discomfort) and the more insightful gut feelings that guide us toward or away from decisions for more profound reasons. Example from my life: Moving to Austin from Upstate NY is an example of following intuition from my life. It was a new city and I had no friends when I moved. I knew moving here also meant ending some relationships I had too. I was anxious about the dramatic change to my life, but this little voice in my head kept telling me “You know you need to go”—and I did. I felt that being in a bigger city and getting out of my comfort zone was a necessary step for my growth. So, I made the jump. And now, three years after moving, I can say 100% that moving to Austin has set my life on a different and better trajectory than the one I would have had if I had never moved. High-level steps to get started: Notice when you're feeling resistance—Label it as either fear-based (ego) or intuition-based. Investigate the source of your resistance. Ask yourself, "Is this fear trying to protect me from harm, or is my intuition guiding me towards what's truly right for me?" Test the resistance against your core values and long-term goals. Ego-driven fears don't hold up against these. While genuine intuitive signals usually align. Discussing your feelings with someone you trust can help clarify whether your resistance is ego-driven or intuitive. Don't take their advice as gospel, just use them as a sounding board. If the resistance is ego-driven, follow the lean into it and do what you are resisting . If it's intuition, consider what it's trying to tell you and how you can heed its guidance. Benefits: Greater confidence in your actions In alignment with your true self more often Increased connection to the universe What’s Your Hunch? If you’ve made it this far, I hope you’ve gained some insight into the power of intuition and how it can guide you in both personal life and building products. Intuition is an essential tool for navigating the rapidly changing world of AI—the utility of products becomes a given because AI makes them easy to build. It’s your unique intuitions (hunches) that can set you apart and create more engaging, meaningful user experiences. But remember… Intuition is a muscle that needs to be exercised just like any other. My hope is that you can take one of the four frameworks I presented here today and carry it forward in your journey to strengthening your intuition. Before I go, I want to leave you with a question: What’s your hunch? What is your intuition telling you about your life or product? I’d love to hear any stories you have so feel free to message me on X. That’s all for now. ‘Til next time, much love and peace y’all 🤠 | Write an article about: Intuition is a superpower and many people don’t use it as much as they should |
The landscape of learning and education is undergoing a huge shift. There is a growing trend towards micro-education and online learning—creating new avenues for creators to share their knowledge and expertise. But, this change is not without its challenges, especially for creators who strive to balance of creating new content with the need to monetize their efforts effectively. This week, I want to talk about a concept that will revolutionize the way creators approach content monetization in the education sector: The Infinite Course Machine. This idea—which has been nagging at me for the past month is a game-changer for those looking to leverage their content for educational purposes. What Kind of Creator is This For? Before we dive deeper into the mechanics of The Infinite Course Machine, let’s clarify the context and audience for whom this concept holds the most significance to. I categorize content into two main buckets: Entertainment Education For this exploration, I will be writing in the context of creators in the Education bucket. Although there is immense potential for AI to generate infinite content on the axis of entertainment, there’s distinct and irreplaceable value in learning from other humans—a sentiment echoed by countless people seeking answers and insight from platforms like Reddit. DKB Blog I share this with you to show you that humans like getting answers from other humans. So it would only make sense that they want to continue learning from humans. The Changing Landscape of Learning Before diving deeper into the idea of The Infinite Course Machine, it's crucial to understand the landscape it operates within. The rise of digital and micro-education isn't just a backdrop; it's the arena where our solution plays a pivotal role. Online learning platforms are getting bigger—Coursera had 92 million users as of 2022. Other platforms like Skool, are growing in popularity as well. This is where content creators can truly shine, provided they navigate the challenges of content creation and monetization effectively. The Content-Course Conundrum There are so many smart people out there sharing valuable information (for FREE!). As the job market continues to shift in favor of small teams and individuals building their own business, creators need to find ways to monetize their work in order to continue doing it. Finding the balance between creating new content and packaging information up into monetizable content is a constant battle for creators. Where do you find the time to both create new content AND repurpose your content into content libraries you can monetize? This question has been weighing on me more lately since starting my free skool and I wanted to share an idea I have as a remedy to this problem face by creators. Bridging The Gap: The Infinite Course Machine With the landscape primed for innovative educational content, the challenge for creators isn't just to contribute but to stand out and sustain their efforts. Herein lies the power of the Infinite Course Machine. The demand for fresh, specialized content is skyrocketing as online learning platforms grow. The solution I propose empowers creators to meet this demand head-on, transforming their content into courses that engage and educate, all while opening new revenue streams. The Infinite Course Machine Flywheel Imagine this: You’re creating content all week. New content. Stuff you’re excited to share with others and hope they learn something. Now you have people enjoying this content but no money coming in (yet). People ask you “when are you making a course for this?” or “dude, are you making a course for this?”—and many variations of the like. Now you’re left with a decision: Do you double down on creating more content to attract a larger audience or do you double down on content you’ve already created to make courses (or other informational products) that you can monetize. What if you could do both. This is where AI comes in. Think of a tool that lets you continuously create content while generating course material in the background. Then every couple weeks or so, you’ve cooked up a new course on top of the new content you’ve created in the same amount of time. This is a key component of the future where the One-Man Studio is more prevalent. Content is an asset—let it work for you. You need to see the whole system of the content creation lifecycle: ideations, creation, repurposing, etc. Course creation would fall under the repurposing bucket but is not the first thing you think of when you hear “repurposing”. Let me expand on this further and share with you what I think will be a game changer for anyone creating content with hopes of monetizing their information The AI Course Creator I recently started building a tool (that I plan to share with others once it’s to a stable point) for the one-man studio. The TLDR of what it will be right now is: A dashboard with a set of AI-enhanced content workflows that you can command with just a few clicks. It will let you do anything from generate newsletter drafts with tweets from a single idea to helping prepare YouTube tags, descriptions, tweets and more from a video. There is more to it but I think it’s helpful to explain it with a few specific use cases to help you understand what I’m building. Since this tool is meant to be the command center for a one-man studio, I realized there are other aspects of the content lifecycle I was not thinking of at first. The repurposing of content only hit me as something useful for generating more output from a single piece of content. But… I recently realized it could be used for creating course material as well. My vision is this: Let users connect their social accounts to the tool. Index new content across all platforms they post on for the next 2-3 weeks. Leverage a combination of LLMs and other models to synthesize the information from the new content to create a new course based on the themes in the content. Now, this is what I call leverage. As you spend your time creating, putting more content out, you are reaping the benefits of new courses automatically with the power of AI. Closing Thoughts In a world where battle for attention will be increasingly competitive, content creators will need to employ systems to find balance in the process. The Infinite Course Machine is single component of the one-man studio but an important one. Education is favoring digital-education taught by creator educators who have had real-world experience in what they are teaching. These creators spend more time focusing on the output of content—less on the extra value we can build from that content. I hope to contribute to this future with the tools I’m building and can’t wait to share more on what I’m building soon. That’s it for now. ‘Til next time, much love and peace y’all 🤠 | Write an article about: The landscape of learning and education is undergoing a huge shift |
I’ve talk a lot about the way AI makes it easier for humans to express themselves creatively, but I haven’t explained how you actually integrate AI into your content workflows. This article is about the content flywheel and the strategy I use with AI to enhance it. Let me first explain the content flywheel before getting into some examples. What is a Content Flywheel? If you aren’t familiar with the term “Content Flywheel”, here’s a good way to think about it: Any system that involves workflows where one piece of content leads to the next or where content you produce have synergies between each other. Having a flywheel is important because it gives us a framework to remain consistent in our content creation even when we aren’t feeling as motivated. James Clear says “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”. He said this in the context of building habits, but this applies to content specifically as well—without systems in place, you cannot be effective in the marketplace for attention. So, we use these flywheels as systems to stand on to ensure that we are consistent with our content. Now, lets look at some examples of content flywheels before I talk about my content flywheel strategy (and cover a few ways I use AI within my flywheel). Examples of Content Flywheels AutoPilot’s Meme Account Strategy The founder of AutoPilot—Chris Josephs—was able to harness the power of memes and viral content to launch his brand into the spotlight. He created twitter tracking accounts for well-known political figures who were trading the stock market—encouraging followers oft he account to copy trade people like Nancy Pelosi. This innovative strategy not only garnered widespread attention but also fostered an engaged community, demonstrating the impactful blend of humor, relatability, and strategic social media use in modern marketing This example shows how you can: Create meme pages to raise awareness for brands or products Foster community around humor and culturally relevant content Imagine the power of a meme account army powered by AI, fully automating this flywheel. GymShark Gymshark's content flywheel strategy showcases a dynamic approach to marketing, beginning with leveraging fitness influencers to promote their brand. This method not only cultivates a dedicated community but also encourages the creation of user-generated content, amplifying their reach. Diversifying their efforts, Gymshark effectively utilizes various social media platforms, notably launching successful TikTok challenges to boost engagement and brand visibility. Their strategy extends beyond online presence, incorporating immersive pop-up events that solidify their status as a community-centric brand, demonstrating the power of a well-orchestrated content flywheel in action. My Content Flywheel Strategy My content strategy currently can be broken down as the following: Write a weekly long-form newsletter and publish it every Saturday. Spend 4 hours max over the course of the week in blocks of 30 - 60 minutes repurposing the long-form newsletter into posts for Twitter and LinkedIn. Make a YouTube video the following week—either a talking head video where I discuss the concepts I wrote about in last week’s newsletters or about something I’m currently working on. Collect notes and findings throughout the week and start to synthesize a new topic for my next newsletter. Each part of this process has at least one or two places where integrating AI into the process will save me time (e.g., repurposing long-form articles to tweets with ChatGPT or tool to get first drafts to work off of). Let’s dive into these so I can describe my process for each in more detail. 1. Newsletter Cornerstone The newsletter is the most important aspect of my content creation for four reasons: Writing long-form helps clarify my thoughts and communicate better. The articles inspire ideas for my YouTube videos. Short-from text posts and threads can be made by repurposing content in the newsletter. It gives me sanity throughout the week—something to anchor my content to. I like to think of writing the newsletter as loading up my content cannon with ammo for the week. I’m a general preparing to go into battle in the war for attention. And, if I'm going into battle, I want every edge I can get. AI has become my super-soldier for getting that edge. Let me explain. Where does AI fit into this workflow? Written long-form is a great use case for AI. Here are some ways I leverage it for long-form writing (steal these for yourself): Ideation The “blank-page” problem is as old as writing itself. If you struggle to start, just ask ChatGPT to give you some ideas. This isn’t cheating. This is leveling the playing field. Many people are creative. But not everyone is great at every part of the creative process (and that’s okay) such as ideation. AI will help you train your ideation muscle over time but as you are getting started, use it as your training wheels. And even after you are great at coming up with ideas, AI can still be helpful here. I’ve found it super helpful to have a second opinion on my ideas and have a back-and-forth with things like ChatGPT—talking about your ideas helps you clarify your thinking. If you don’t know where to start, have AI help! Drafting Drafting doesn’t mean letting the AI write for you. It means letting it write with you. Through carefully crafting prompts, you can leverage AI to write up full-blown drafts of articles that you can use for inspiration—it can be helpful to see a certain concept written about before you start writing it yourself. I’ve also found it helpful to paste your drafts into tools like ChatGPT and have it rewrite the draft in someone else’s writing style. I like to see what my ideas look like written in different styles so that I can see how I might write my ideas in that style. Critiquing Large Language Models (LLMs) are really good with large quantities of text, so you can paste your entire newsletter into ChatGPT (or some other chat interface like Claude), and you can ask it to critique on things like: Coherence Strength of Arugment Spelling & Grammar Key points & Themes This will allow you to iterate on drafts faster and see where you can improve your writing. Now that we know what the first phase looks like, let’s move on to repurposing. 2. Repurposing Repurposing my newsletters is next phase in the process and I am constantly iterating on how I can improve it. What I’ve landed on currently is to: Write ideas off the dome that come to me. Write tweets about points that stood out to me in my newsletter. Take ChatGPT through a series of prompts or run my article through one of my tools I’ve built for myself (check out my skool for learning some of the prompt flows I use). The main point is that after we have all of our thoughts written out in long-form from the first step, we have a great base of raw information to work off of—to mold and shape to our liking. Instead of writing tweets constantly, you get to have an extra piece of content (newsletter) and it helps you efficiently write short-form posts with quality substance. 3. YouTube as a Base YouTube videos are a great way to connect with the audience in a more engaging way (video!). I like to make 1-2 videos per week—I have started using my newsletter topics as inspiration for my videos more regularly. It’s helped me make videos in a shorter amount of time because I already have the topic I will make the video about and know how to talk about it (because I have already spent a week writing on the topic). Aside from the ease of transition from newsletter to video, YouTube videos can also be a great source of content to repurpose for X (Twitter) and LinkedIn. Using YouTube as base inspiration for LinkedIn and Twitter posts is a great way to get more content for the same amount of effort. Video is a great medium to build connections with your audience—I would recommend putting your face in the vides because it helps you connect with the audience more vs a faceless YouTube channel. The two key touch-points of this content workflow where AI can be leveraged are pre-production and post-production. Pre-Production Stage Before you start making your video, you can leverage tools like VidIQ’s Custom GPT here. This GPT is able to connect to your YouTube channel, analyze the content and provide suggestions on what videos to make that would resonate with your audience. It can also assist in creating scripts, thumbnails and titles for your videos. I will either come up with a video idea separate from the concept I talked about in the newsletter or use the newsletter topic as inspiration for my next video. Post-Production Stage There is also an opportunity to streamline the YouTube video uploading process after the video is done. For example, I created a custom tool that allows you to upload a video and generate: Tweets and LinkedIn posts about the video A YouTube SEO optimized description of the video Thumbnails based on the topic of the video As you can see, the opportunities for integrating AI into this content lifecycle span from the start of the video creation process to the end. These are just two examples that show how AI helps us be more efficient with the content we produce by aiding in reducing the friction. 4. Research & Synthesis This part of the process is both the end and the beginning of the flywheel. I usually take a day to just think and explore. But then I get serious and narrow my focus on another topic for the week. Here’s where AI (yet again) is helpful. The process at a high level is: Find interesting things and collect notes, references, etc. Use AI to help draw connections across the information I found—synthesize my findings. This synthesis is crucial—it transforms isolated pieces of information into a cohesive theme or argument for my next piece of content. Essentially, AI acts as a research assistant, piecing together disparate data points into a storyline or thesis that informs the subject of my upcoming newsletter. This cyclical process ensures a steady stream of inspired and interconnected content, keeping the flywheel spinning. Closing Thoughts I hope breaking down my process helped show you the importance of having a system—it helps us identify points in the process where AI can be leveraged. Since integrating AI into this process, I’d say I’ve saved 10-20 hours/week. Even if you don’t like writing, you should try this process out and let me know what you think! DM on twitter here. That’s it for now. ‘Til next time, much love and peace y’all. 🤠 | Write an article about: I’ve talk a lot about the way AI makes it easier for humans to express themselves creatively, but I haven’t explained how you actually integrate AI into your content workflows |
In-person meetups will make a comeback in the next decade as an antidote to the isolation that our digital world breeds. As we move our lives further online, mental health deteriorates under the weight of information overload, and genuine connections grow scarce. The core of the mental health crisis today, especially among millennials and Gen Z, stems from this shift towards superficial digital interactions and away from meaningful, in-person engagement. This exploration will delve into the critical state of our current social landscape, examine the unique value of IRL (In Real Life) meetups akin to the tradition of farmer's markets, and discuss actionable steps for the younger generation to foster genuine human connections in an ever-evolving digital paradigm. The Internet is Getting to be Too Much The rise of social media on the internet came with the decline of IRL community engagement (churches, third spaces, etc.). This combination of easier access to digital connection and less time spent with in-person connection is at the core of a lot of the mental health crisis we see today. This explains why many of the millennial and gen-z population feel lonely. Loneliness has also been exacerbated by new forms of digital connections—parasocial relationships. More people have turned to creators and influencers as sources of connection in a sea of infinite content and confusion. As we continue to move our lives further online, the factors of the internet ecosystem work in tandem to rip us farther away from our human roots. We are moving deeper into a system where humans are exploited for their dopamine and attention. Recognizing the depth of this digital dilemma, we must ask ourselves: Is there a way out of this conundrum? IRL Community is the Cure So yes, we are moving into a world that makes it increasingly harder to be a normal member of society without being on the internet. Is it game over for us? Absolutely not. The internet’s impact on mental / social human health has gotten so bad that it has become a key concern of parents, young people and governments alike. This special attention placed on the crisis may very well be part of the catalyst for more IRL connection. We see what happens when we don’t socialize in-person, and now more people are acting on their fears of loosing themselves to the mindless sea of information. Our biological makeup hasn't adapted to our rapid technological advancements, leading to a disconnect from our natural social inclinations. The Farmer’s Market of Social Connection Farmer’s markets have been around for a long time. They served both as community hubs where people come to buy fresh produce and to connect with others. Originating in the agrarian societies where community members would gather to sell their harvests, these markets have always been more than just commercial spaces. They embody the essence of human connection—face-to-face interactions that foster a sense of belonging and mutual support. Farmer’s markets are: Local. Organic. Less convenient. Healthier choice. They share similar qualities with IRL meetups. When we get together we exchange more than words. We exchange energy, emotion and all those subtle things you lose in the digital world. Online digital connection can still be good, but it is a cheaper experience than in-person. I can tell you from my personal experience with IRL communities. AITX and The Board Walks: My Farmer’s Markets A year ago, recognizing a gap in the AI community, my friends and I initiated AITX meetups. Our goal was simple: to bring together individuals passionate about artificial intelligence. However, the impact was profound. A memorable turning point was when attendance soared beyond 40 people. Witnessing firsthand the connections formed and the collaborative projects that ensued was exhilarating. This experience fundamentally shifted my view on the importance of in-person interactions. The energy and inspiration drawn from these monthly gatherings were palpable, underscoring the unmatched value of face-to-face connections. Parallel to AITX, I found myself drawn to The Board Walks—a series of 5-mile walks imbued with genuine conversation, introduced to me by my brother. These walks offered a unique blend of physical activity and deep, meaningful dialogue. The simplicity of walking side by side, sharing thoughts and experiences, provided a refreshing contrast to the digital chatter that fills our daily lives. Witnessing the growth of this initiative, with more individuals joining the walks, reinforced my belief in the power of simple, direct human connections. How Do You Start? Looking to weave real-world connections in our pixel-perfect world? Here's a quick, no-frills guide to kick-starting your own IRL (In Real Life) community meetups. Because sometimes, you just need to log off and look around. City Vibes: If possible, migrate to where the crowds are. Dense populations are fertile ground for niche interests and vibrant meetups. More people, more possibilities. DIY Gathering: Stuck in a less bustling locale? No sweat. Start your own meetup. It's the perfect excuse to get creative and bring like-minded folks to you. Mix and Mingle: Blend a theme with an activity. Think book clubs on hiking trails or tech talks over coffee. It's about adding flavor to the mundane, making every meetup a memorable one. Tap into the Hive: Leverage platforms like Meetup or Facebook groups. It’s like sending a bat signal to others who share your passions. Quick, easy, and effective. Local Love: Collaborate with local haunts—cafes, bookstores, community centers. They’re often on the lookout for events that bring in the community (and customers). Plus, it saves you the headache of playing venue scout. And there you have it—five straightforward steps to bridge the gap between digital dialogues and tangible talks. Let's make the leap from URL to IRL, one meetup at a time. Closing Thoughts As we've journeyed through the digital thicket to the welcoming shade of in-person connections, it's clear that the future holds a space for IRL meetups—a space as vital and nourishing as the farmers' markets that have fed communities for centuries. Echoing the Past, Building the Future Just as the farmers' markets have thrived by staying true to their core—fostering local, organic, and meaningful exchanges. We too must cultivate our social ecosystems with intention. The digital age, for all its innovation, cannot replicate the fundamental human need for connection, belonging, and community that only in-person interactions can satisfy. Your Role in the Renaissance of Connection The resurgence of IRL meetups is not merely a trend but a movement—a collective step towards reclaiming our humanity within the digital landscape. It's an invitation to you, the reader, to be a catalyst for change. Whether it's attending a local event, starting a meetup around your passion, or simply engaging more deeply with those around you, your actions will weave the fabric of a more connected society. That’s all for now folks. ‘Til next time, much love and peace y’all 🤠 | Write an article about: In-person meetups will make a comeback in the next decade as an antidote to the isolation that our digital world breeds |
Over the past two years, amidst a global race to lead in technology, the AI industry has taken center stage, captivating the minds of innovators, thinkers, and dreamers alike. The question on many of these forward-thinkers' minds is, "Where should I go to immerse myself in this transformative space?" My answer, resoundingly, is Austin, Texas. Austin is not just growing; it's thriving, rapidly becoming a beacon for the global AI community. It's a place where startups brimming with ambition meet tech giants eager to invest in the next big thing. But why Austin, you might ask? Having witnessed its evolution firsthand, I've seen how it has become a magnet for those who dare to redefine the boundaries of AI. Let me take you through the heart of Austin's AI revolution, providing insights and tangible reasons why, if AI is your calling, Austin should be your next home. Here are five compelling reasons to make the move, each illustrating why Austin stands out as a powerhouse in the global AI landscape. 1. Educational Initiatives & Talent Pool UT Austin is leading the charge in this front—making 2024 “The Year of AI”. UT Austin is dedicating the entire year to AI, with events, partnerships, and the launch of a pioneering online master’s degree in AI, showcasing the university's leadership in AI research and education. Historical Leadership UT has been at the forefront of AI for the past five decades. It has been home to some of the biggest pioneers in the field. Woody Bledsoe developed the first version of facial recognition technology in the 1960s, and Bob Simmons, an innovator in natural language processing, joined the faculty at UT. Both stayed for the remainder of their careers and jumpstarted AI research. Global Recognition UT Austin is recognized worldwide—ranking in the top 10 universities for artificial intelligence according to U.S. News and World Report. The city's innovative ecosystem, bolstered by UT Austin's pioneering efforts, has placed it firmly on the map as a crucible of AI development and research. This accolade reflects the university's commitment to excellence and its role in propelling Austin into the spotlight. As Austin continues to attract attention from around the world, it's clear that the city's AI community is not just growing; it's leading. 2. From Silicon Valley to Silicon Hills Austin is also home to offices of some of the biggest tech giants in AI (Meta, Google, Tesla, etc.) And more are moving their offices here such as Apple who recently announced they were moving their AI team to Austin. This signals the recognition of Austin’s AI ecosystem by large companies and it doesn’t stop there. Tesla, under Elon Musk's leadership, moved its headquarters to Austin and is constructing a massive manufacturing center that promises over 10,000 local jobs. Amazon has significantly expanded its presence with a fulfillment center in Pflugerville, alongside centers in Kyle, Buda, and Round Rock, collectively employing close to three thousand people in the city. These investments and relocations underscore Austin’s appeal to both tech startups and tech giants alike. And could you blame them? 1. Favorable tax rates. 2. Relaxed regulatory environment. 3. Vibrant talent pools. There’s no question why Austin is now referred to as “Silicon Hills” (sorry Silicon Valley, but not sorry). And there’s also no shortage of investors to funding AI startups in AI & technology in Austin: ATX Ventures Multicoin Capital Foundation Capital Antler VC 8VC Next Cost Ventures Mercury Fund You get the point. These are only a few from a growing list of investment firms based out of Austin that make it a great location for startups to be. 3. Community & Networking Opportunities With more startups and talent flocking to Austin, the opportunity to connect with more talented bright minds is a natural second-order effect. The number accelerators continues to grow as well, drawing more talent here. Speaking from personal experience co-hosting AITX events, I can say that the AI community is very strong and growing by the day. We see everything from talented engineers to business owners teaching themselves python to start using AI for themselves. The passion and excitement is palpable and I would not be caught missing out on the golden age Austin is going through in this respect. AITX Meetup, January, 2024 This theme is nothing new to Austin—it’s been home to one of the largest community building events in the world such as SxSW (the AI track this year is stacked). Combine the community with the talent & resources, and you get a recipe for a burgeoning hub for AI not just in the US, but in the entire world. 4. Austin's Quantifiable Edge in the AI Boom Austin's emergence as a pioneering city in the AI revolution is not just a matter of perception but is underscored by impressive statistics that highlight its growing influence and capability in the field of artificial intelligence. A Hub for Generative AI Startups From 2018 to 2023, Austin's metro area has distinguished itself by becoming home to 118 generative AI-focused startups, accounting for approximately 3.4% of all startups in the area. This places Austin seventh in the total number of startups, showcasing its vibrant ecosystem for AI innovation. For context, the Philadelphia metro area, ranking fifth, saw 135 startups, while Seattle ranked eighth with 113 startups. This indicates a competitive yet thriving startup scene in Austin, particularly in the generative AI sector. National AI Leadership The broader picture of AI development in the United States reveals that just 15 metro areas, including Austin, collectively house two-thirds of the nation's AI assets and capabilities. This elite group comprises "superstar hubs" like San Francisco and San Jose, as well as 13 early adopters, among which Austin is a notable member. This distinction not only highlights Austin's strategic importance in the AI domain but also its contribution to the national AI ecosystem. 5. Growing But Still Has Plenty Room We’ve covered a lot of reasons why Austin has and continues to be a great hub for AI. But, I would like to point out that it still has a ton of room to grow. If you want to be somewhere that gets you in on the ground floor, I couldn’t think of a better place. Imagine being in Silicon Valley in the 80s—that’s you if you move to Austin right now. So Should You Move Here? Let me ask a few questions: Are you eager to be at the forefront of AI advancements, where every day presents a new frontier to explore? Do you thrive in environments where collaboration sparks innovation, connecting with minds that challenge and inspire you? Are you seeking a lifestyle that blends the vibrancy of city life with the tranquility of nature, offering a backdrop to both work and play that's as dynamic as the tech scene itself? If your heart races at the thought, then Austin beckons with open arms. Austin: More Than a Tech Hub Austin offers more than just a thriving AI ecosystem. It presents a lifestyle where the pursuit of innovation is matched by an equally compelling quest for fulfillment and community. It's a place where you can kayak on Lady Bird Lake after a day of coding breakthroughs, where live music and tech talks often share the same billing, and where the next conversation at a local coffee shop could spark the idea that changes everything. Navigating the Transition Moving cities, especially for something as pivotal as your career in AI, is no small decision. But in Austin, you're not just moving to a new city—you're joining a community ready to support and elevate your journey. Resources abound, from networking groups like AITX to meetups that welcome newcomers into the fold, ensuring that the transition is as smooth as it is exciting. So if you’re thinking of moving, come through and visit Austin and feel free to reach out to me on X to let me know you’re coming down! That’s it for now. ‘Til next time, much love and peace y’all! | Write an article about: Over the past two years, amidst a global race to lead in technology, the AI industry has taken center stage, captivating the minds of innovators, thinkers, and dreamers alike |
I can write a newsletter draft and tweets from a single sentence. How is this possible? That’s what we’ll be talking about today. I’m going to breakdown how I made an AI Agent pipeline that does just that. Oh and it repurposes the draft into tweets and a LinkedIn post. The battle for attention on the internet has become more competitive overtime—we need any edge we can get. AI is advancements are rapidly increasing. The idea of a one-man media company is not that far fetched anymore. We can leverage it to do more in the same or less amount of time. This essay explores the implications of the one-man media company as well as shows you the steps I took to build an AI Agent pipeline to move me closer towards becoming a one-man media company. So let’s dive in. Why is Media Important? For centuries, media has been a pivotal force in shaping human discourse, once the domain of the few, now democratized by the internet's vast reach. In today's landscape, media stands as a crucial lever among the triad that defines modern leverage, alongside capital and technology. It's an asset that amplifies ideas across the globe even as we sleep. The evolution from the printing press to television, and now to the internet, underscores a transformative journey towards accessibility. With just a laptop and an internet connection, the power to broadcast messages and influence thought is unprecedented. This progression not only democratizes information but empowers anyone to become a central figure in the narrative of our time. Media and Code to Multiply Leverage Code, much like media, serves as a potent form of leverage in the digital age, operating tirelessly behind the scenes to amplify our efforts. When we intertwine the vast reach of media with the precision and efficiency of code, we unlock a multiplier effect in leverage, propelling us into a realm where individual creators wield the power of entire media conglomerates. This fusion births the concept of the one-man media company, where creators harness both content and technology to disseminate their ideas far and wide, with unparalleled efficiency. In this innovative paradigm, the synergy between code and media not only enhances productivity but redefines the landscape of content distribution. Bye-bye New York Times As code and content become easier to product for the individual, we will see more decentralized sources of information. The traditional media institutions don’t stand a chance. The factors that make the one-man media company more feasible today are: Distrust in mainstream news—searching for direct sources. Advancements in AI—making content generation and automation easier. Fragmentation of interests into niche parts—more appetite for niche content. These factors are wind in the sails of individual media sources. Now combine this with new ways to generate and automate content with code and AI. Boom. You’ve got yourself a one-man media business. So now we know that media and code are a match made in heaven. Strong by themselves, but stronger together. Let’s now look at how I combined these two in my latest tool I prototyped this week. Writers Room of AI Agents Bridging the gap between the transformative potential of decentralized media and practical application, let's explore how the Writers Room of AI Agents harnesses this power, turning the one-man media company from a concept into a reality. Demo The structure of the pipeline is hierarchical with a top-level supervisor agent overseeing two sub-teams of agents: The Research Team and the Writing Team. Now let’s break down the flow of this tool 1. Input Topic + Research The process starts by having the user input a topic or idea they would like to write about. Then, the supervisor agent passes the input to our Research Team (which only consists of one agent right now). The search agent uses the Tavily API to search for relevant information, create a write up of the information and passes it off to the Writer Team. 2. Writing the draft The information we get from the research is passed to our Writer team which then sends the information first to our Writer Agent. Once the writer agent has created a draft newsletter, we use our content repurposing agent to write out several tweets based on the article. 3. The Output The output is saved to local files and is presented to the UI once the process has finished. This flow has allowed me to save time I would have spent researching and drafting and reallocate that time towards editing and refining the idea. The Stack I’m currently using Streamlit, Langchain and OpenAI’s python SDK for this prototype. If you’re interested in how I built this, here is a list of resources I found helpful: Langchain’s Blog on Multi-Agent Frameworks here OpenAI’s documentation here Enhance not Replace Like other tools I have made, this tool is not meant to replace but enhance us and our workflows. I know you’re reading this and thinking “Why the hell does this guy want humans doing less work?”—that’s the wrong question to be asking; instead you should ask “What can I do now with this newfound time?!”. The goal is to find ways to use AI that give us more leverage with our time. As AI continues to improve, we can delegate more time-consuming tasks to it while we focus more of our attention on creativity and learning. Closing Thoughts As we enter a new era of digital content creation, it’s clear that AI is going to be a massive point of leverage for those looking to compete for attention. The journey from a single sentence to a comprehensive draft, further repurposed across various platforms, underscores a revolutionary shift in how we approach media production. This evolution towards a one-man media company, powered by AI, does not diminish the value of human touch in content creation; instead, it amplifies it. By leveraging AI, we're not just streamlining processes; we're redefining the very essence of creativity, allowing for a level of productivity and engagement that was once the exclusive domain of larger entities. | Write an article about: I can write a newsletter draft and tweets from a single sentence |
I’ve seen (and heard from friends) a lot of discussion around how we differentiate ourselves in a world where AI is becoming more ubiquitous and makes it so easy to replicate software products. The fear of increased competition and not standing out is a valid one—but I have an answer to this fear: Community. Community is nothing new—we’ve had them for centuries. Even the idea of a company building a community has been around for a while. Look at Apple who built a community around the ethos of quality product, design and thinking differently. In recent, years community has turned into sort of a buzzword for companies and creators alike, however, it was important before it took up more space in our minds. But why has community assumed such paramount importance now, more than ever before? In this exploration, we’ll be unpacking the “why” and the “how”. I'll share with you the mental models and frameworks that have not only shaped my understanding of community but have also been instrumental in leveraging its power effectively. So, before we dive into these transformative insights, let's first understand the pivotal role community plays in today's digitally-driven, AI-enhanced landscape. Let AI Worry About Product—Focus on Community Community is the birthplace of great products and movements. Without a core audience that is bought into your story or mission, it is difficult to stand out or have a solid footing in the marketplace of attention. People often want to make only buyers, but building community turns buyers into believers—the value of this cannot be understated. AI Commoditization of Products: How do You Stand Out? AI is making it easier to reproduce software—products and services are losing defensibility on the axis of utility. Moreover, AI has lowered the barrier to entry for building products—empowering more people to enter the arena, saturating the marketplace. This is why in recent years, the importance of community has come to the forefront of more people’s minds as they realize it’s not easily reproduced. Community has become a stronghold for people trying to stand out and outlast the competition. Jasper AI: A Case Study A good example of this concept is Jasper AI, the AI writing tool for marketing teams. Jasper was the one of the first GPT wrappers to hit the market in a big way and for a time was the only show in town. But, this quickly changed as more people turned onto the fact that they could do what Jasper was doing and so we saw storm of new products hit the market—all GPT wrappers offering their own services. Why has Jasper not lost its hold on the market and its customers? You already know what I’m going to say: community! When Jasper was first starting out, they laid the foundation with community at the forefront by starting a Facebook group back in December of 2020 (before ChatGPT released and LLMs exploded in popularity. That group today has 75.2k members—a labor of love which the founders started and soon realized it would be the shelter to help them whether the AI product storm. As you can see, community is a powerful shield for market competition and should not be an afterthought for anyone who is serious about building products that will last. Now that we’ve realized the importance of community on software products’ defensibility, we should examine frameworks for how we can think about community: how to build it, where it fits into our building process, and what makes a healthy community. The common way to build a product has been to start with the product, market it to potential customers, get feedback, iterate, and build a customer base through marketing. There is nothing wrong with this, but I’d argue that it’s a lot harder than doing it in reverse. When I first discovered this model, my mental model for how one should go about building products exploded (in a good way). Greg’s model argues for an inversion of the canonical process by which we build products: Start by building and audience from content. Convert audience members to community members. Let the community tell you what product you should be building. The key insight here is that we can start with a community without having a specific product in mind. The idea here is that we don’t need a product to start because we will have a more informed idea of what to build based on the community we created—they will pull the product out of you. This makes me think of Marc Andreessen’s argument that market is the most important factor in a startup’s success (not the team or product). In this model, we start by making the market. Then when it’s time to build a product, you will have a better idea of what to build and the market will already be there. Using the ACP framework takes a lot of the guess work out of building and ensures a higher rate of success. In the shadow of AI's commoditization of software, the community emerges not just as a strategy, but as the cornerstone of differentiation and growth Drawing inspiration from community-building stalwarts like Sam Ovens and from my personal experiences with AITX, let's delve into what constitutes a robust community. Overview of AITX I recently tweeted out some of the core elements of a healthy community and want to take the opportunity to further clarify my thoughts: Self-sufficient: It thrives, even in your absence. A community that runs smoothly without constant oversight is a community at its best. The goal of a community builder is to not be a dictator that runs the whole show but rather facilitator of connection & empowerment for the members. You should be as replaceable as car part. Word-of-mouth Advocacy: You’ll know a community is healthy when its members are telling other people how great it is. They can’t not share how valuable they find it. Solution-Oriented: Propensity towards action in solving problems signifies a strong community whose members are comfortable enough to take action proactively. This shows that you aren’t just creating mindless followers, but rather active participants who care just as much about the community’s success and the success of its members. Ownership & Initiative: This relates to the solution oriented nature of a health community because it shows that people have enough trust in you and the community to take more initiative. I like to call this the “Make yourself at home” effect—people see the community as there’s just as much as you do. Joy, not a Job: If you or others find the community to be a chore or to be draining, something needs to change. Mission & Purpose: This is by far one of the most important and underpins all other points above. If there is no North Star for the community, it is hard to take action, advocate for it or take ownership. We need something to anchor everyone to. So, we’ve identified frameworks that helps us think bout where community fits into our product strategy, and we covered what traits make a community a healthy one. This understanding sets a solid foundation, but knowledge alone isn't enough. What good are these insights if we don’t put them into action? Let’s dive into some practical steps you can use when starting a community. Practical Steps to Building a Vibrant Community Building community is just as much an art as it is a science. It requires intentionality, strategy and the human touch. Now that we’ve gone over some frameworks for how to think about where community fits in your product strategy and what makes a healthy community, it’s time to go through wha you can do today. After building AITX for over a year with my co-founders (we now have over 700 people signed up for monthly meetups), I have come up with a good, actionable list of things you can do to cultivate your community today. 1. Define Your Values Clearly articulate the mission of your community. This will act as a magnet that attracts like-minded individuals and keep the riff-raff away. At AITX, we champion AI education to enhance personal and professional lives, resonating deeply with those curious about AI's potential. To crystallize your values, I suggest a freeform writing exercise. Ask yourself pivotal questions such as "What drives this community?" and "Would I be drawn to this community if led by someone else?" This process will help uncover the foundational values that should guide your community. 2. Engage & Empowerment Community engagement is like a heartbeat, it needs to be consistent in order to keep it alive. In the beginning, fostering this environment demands extra effort from you to nurture member participation, ensuring they find value in their involvement. Empowering members is another crucial aspect of building community. A community’s success is about collective growth, not individual gain. If you come in with this zero-sum mentality, your community will die. If I could recommend one thing to anyone starting a community, it would be to make a newsletter! Emails are a direct line to your members. Especially in the beginning, I see this form of engagement as single-player mode—before getting everyone onto Slack or Discord, you may benefit from letting the community grow to a certain size first. Otherwise, you can fall victim to the ghost-town paradox of nascent communities where there are too few people in a communication channel together to make it seem vibrant and alive—this could deter future potential members. 3. Provide Consistent Value Give, give, give—this is the mindset you should have going into community. People want to join you at first because only because of the value you provide because there is nothing else to go off of but that in the beginning. Whether it’s through sharing insightful content, hosting informative meetup sessions or putting a spotlight on your community members’ work, ensure that the community is always gaining something of value. For instance, at AITX, we have members showcase the projects they’re working on to the entire community, giving them more exposure. It’s not about us when it comes to this community—it’s about the people we want to help. Here is a simple step-by-step process you can follow: Inquire extensively about member challenges. Identify and address the most prevalent issues. Tackle niche concerns as your community diversifies. Continuously iterate on this process. 4. Foster a Culture of Openness Create and environment where members feel safe: Safe to speak up. Safe to promote themselves. Safe to share their struggles. Openness is a catalyst for quality communication. If this fails, you are in trouble. One tip I can offer for this is be as authentic and raw as you can. Talk to members at the same level—because you aren’t above them anyways! Be real with them and they’ll be real with you. 5. Recognize and Celebrate Contributions Acknowledgment goes a long way. It encourages members to be proactive and take more ownership in the community. We reward those who want to make the community better and their own—neglecting to recognize community contributions makes people feel like they aren’t valued or seen. If. Why would anyone want to be a part of a community that isn’t rewarding their efforts? When people at AITX are proactive about something, we make sure to call it out. This not only signals to the member that we like to see this, but also let’s others know they will be rewarded for their proactiveness too. Keep a list of your community members and take notes of what they are doing inside the community. Recommendations to Remember Core Values: Utilize freeform writing to define. Engagement: Start with newsletters before moving to interactive platforms. Value Delivery: Focus on solving common member problems through a step-by-step approach. Openness: Be authentic and encourage genuine interactions. Recognition: Maintain a member activity ledger for personalized acknowledgments. The rapid advancements in AI underscore the increasing value of community for those looking for genuine differentiation in the market. As AI simplifies replication of products and opens the floodgates to competitors, the true differentiator is the power of community. The frameworks and actionable insights shared here are meant to help in your journey. It may sound like a platitude, but the significance of community cannot be overstated. In a world where authentic connections are a scarce treasure, fostering a community becomes not just a strategy but a mission. At the end of the day, humans crave true connections with like-minded individuals. And in the digital world that is a rare commodity. I encourage you to make your own pocket of light for others to take refuge. ‘Til next time, remember that community is all you need. | Write an article about: I’ve seen (and heard from friends) a lot of discussion around how we differentiate ourselves in a world where AI is becoming more ubiquitous and makes it so easy to replicate software products |
My Vision Pro App Logo Idea I created my MVP Vision Pro app in just 4 days. This is with no prior experience with the VisionOS SDK. But how is that possible? Well, I paid a developer to do it… Just kidding—I was able to do this because I know how to use AI to my advantage. I have developed a mindset of learning with AI as my guide. I’m going to show you how I went about building this with self-guided learning from ChatGPT and will explain why this is a microcosm of where the world is going. A world where anyone can learn and build anything. We have the tools, now all we need is the will and a way to get the most out of these tools. First, a brief overview of how to think about self-learning with AI —then I’ll show you my experience from this last week where you’ll get to see my AI self-learning framework was developed over countless hours of practice and iteration. Let’s dive in. Learning to Learn: An AI State of Mind AI is a powerful tool for those who have learned how to learn. There is a segment of people who will say things like: — “I don’t even know where to start.” — “It’s too hard!” — “What can AI teach us anyway?” These are dogmas and defense mechanisms for the close-minded. It is often because we have been programmed by society to be really good at following directions, but never solving open-ended problems. The first hurdle is knowing the right questions to ask. Luckily, LLMs are very capable of helping us get the dialogue started. When in doubt, I ask what questions I should be asking—most people are deterred by new projects because they don’t even know the rules of the game they’re playing. This is the first step to learning to learn: asking questions. My 4-Day Sprint to Building a Vision Pro App I had no prior knowledge of VisionOS development before starting this project (yes, I am a dev so I have some advantage). The point is, that I used the knowledge I did have to push the boundaries of what I was capable of. I used ChatGPT as my guide into new territory. Asking the Right Questions When learning something new, I ask ChatGPT what questions I should be asking before doing anything else—if you don’t know the rules of the game, you can’t play it very well. Here’s me asking a Custom GPT for VisionOS the main concepts of the VisionOS ecosystem: This sets the context form and gives me a big-picture understanding of the ecosystem. I now learned what was even possible and what things to consider before thinking of an idea for an app. We often get overwhelmed with new territory because we aren’t aware of the things we should be aware of. Using ChatGPT to guide you through this exploratory phase rapidly increases the rate of comprehension—we now know the rules of the game we are playing. Prompting for Lightning in a Bottle The next phase is coming up with an idea. A common hurdle in brainstorming is coming up with the ideas themselves. Having a sounding board for ideation is a great way to get the thought juices flowing: And just like that, we’ve got some ideas to play with! A great way to prompt ChatGPT for things that have more complexity is to list out what you want ChatGPT in steps—be specific. Time to Start Building The children’s story idea caught my idea—I immediately had a rough idea of how I could do this. Here’s the MVP idea I mapped out for the short story app: Prompts the user to select a base theme for the type of story they want to see. Ask the user to fill out some information on the main character of the story. With this information, we can run it through a series of calls to an LLM to generate a short story script and accompanying images for segments of the story. We then send all this back to the client and let the user enjoy their custom story. Pair Programming With AI With AI as the driver of output, I take on more of an engineering manager role. The shift in the human role with AI emphasizes the value of meta-cognition—to think at a higher level, see the big picture, and translate that into actionable steps for AI to take. Do not just copy and paste code! I use it as a way to get started with new frameworks or engineering challenges that I run into. It’s helpful as a way to talk through my ideas too—a sounding board that is always there, ready to give feedback and ideas. Challenges Faced The key challenge I faced was the setup that my original setup called the backend—expecting the story with all accompanying images to be generated and sent back to the client. But, the time it takes for this MVP pipeline took roughly 6 minutes in total which came with the following issues: Client connecting would timeout after 1 minute. Waiting for a 6-minute long process is not an optimal experience. After discussing several workarounds with ChatGPT, we landed on the following implementation: Call the backend to create a new task for generating a story in our Firestore. Use a Firebase cloud function that would be triggered every time a new document is added to the “generate_story_tasks” collection. This allowed us to have our pipeline work in the background without waiting for a direct response on the client side. The only downside currently is the user will need to manually refresh their stories page to see if the story is done being generated. But as the adage goes: “Make it work, make it right, make it fast”—the goal here was to get an MVP version of the app done, which we did. The MVP Here is what I was able to get after 4ish days of just coding with ChatGPT by my side and a helpful resource for knowledge. YouTube video demo below: Future Improvements I am excited about the concept of this app. I think the Vision Pros offer a whole new dimension to world-building. I’m happy with where I got in a short amount of time because it gets the basic idea out of my head, and now I can start refining it. Some improvements I want to make to this include but are not limited to: Better UI/UX overall—pretty basic UI right now (gets the job done but I want it to feel premium). Immersive worlds—I’m starting to explore Apple’s RealityKit more and hope to incorporate an immersive element as I believe it would add more to the story experience. Insights Gained from the Development Journey Throughout this journey, several key insights emerged, shedding light on both the potential and the limitations of AI in app development: AI as a Partner in Innovation: AI's role extended beyond a mere provider of information to an active participant in problem-solving. Its capacity to suggest viable solutions underlines the evolving nature of AI tools as partners in innovation. The Importance of a Human Touch: Despite AI's capabilities, the human element—our creativity, intuition, and adaptability—remains indispensable. The final decision-making, especially in addressing unexpected challenges, relied on human ingenuity. Learning to Learn with AI: This experience reinforced the value of learning to learn. AI can offer a vast array of knowledge and suggestions, but the ability to ask the right questions, interpret AI's guidance, and apply it effectively, hinges on our learning agility. A Future Where We Can Create Anything My journey of building this is a microcosm of a larger story—AI is breaking the limits of what we once thought was possible. Those doubts in your head? They are limiting beliefs. The reality is it has never been easier to learn new things and build value. As we stand on this frontier, it's crucial to remember that our progress is not solely dictated by technology. It's the distinctly human attributes we bring to the partnership with AI that will define our trajectory. Here's what we need to lay on the table: Curiosity: The spark that ignites the quest for knowledge, Passion: The fuel that sustains our journey. Resilience: To bounce back stronger. Vision: A clear picture of what we aim to achieve. Creativity: Connecting disparate ideas, to come up with novel ones. If you can bring these human elements to the table, you’re unstoppable. I encourage you to try this for yourself next time you can. Pick something that requires you to learn something new, build something new, and be out of your comfort zone. Then, use AI to empower your ability to bring it to fruition. Looking Forward: The Future of AI-Assisted Creativity As we stand on the brink of a new era of technological innovation, the possibilities seem boundless. This project is just one example of how AI can catalyze creativity, allowing individuals to transcend traditional limitations and bring their unique visions to life. However, the journey also highlights the essential balance between leveraging AI's potential and cultivating our innate human capacities. | Write an article about: My Vision Pro App Logo Idea I created my MVP Vision Pro app in just 4 days |
Technology has removed the need for human labor and lowered the cost of production. This gives us more time to become our best selves. We can create, develop our spirituality, and explore morality. My Journey to the realization of a different (yet brighter) future Off to College When I went to university, there was a feeling I couldn't shake. It was the looming sense that the canonical trajectory I was on, would not be relevant in the future: Get a degree so I can get a 9-5 job. Work to stay alive. Spend more time working on others’ dreams instead of my own. Have less and less time to explore my curiosities, creativity, and spirituality. It didn’t make sense. I knew there had to be a different way. This led to my departure from university for 2 years to explore the world of startups. I learned practical hard skills from building and working on a team. But, I also learned much more about myself and my view of the world. Nobody else determined what I was capable of doing but me. The importance of developing a spiritual relationship became more salient; I learned this during periods of immense stress. I also had a deeper understanding of learning being a life-long pursuit, and the onus is on us to learn more. I learned the value of creating: bringing my thoughts and perspectives into the world. After reflecting on my experiences, I realized that the intuition I had when starting university was correct. The world was changing, and it was changing fast. And how could anyone argue otherwise? History will tell us this has been our trajectory all along. A brief look back to the evolution of technology and its impact on human labor Reflecting on Technology’s Evolution: From Revolutions to Actualization The historical trajectory of human progress shows a clear pattern where technological advancements have consistently aimed to minimize labor-intensive tasks, propelling us toward a future rich in higher-level human endeavors. This progress is a testament to our desire to overcome physical limitations and enhance our capabilities. From the mechanization of agriculture during the Industrial Revolution to the digitization of information in the modern era. Each wave of innovation has eased the burden of manual and repetitive work. It has pushed the emphasis on mastery further into higher-level aspects of humanity. To understand the future we heading into, let’s first explore 3 recent key paradigm shifts in history. 1. Industrial Revolution This marked a shift from agrarian societies to industrialized ones. This era was characterized by the mechanization of agriculture and the introduction of steam power, fundamentally transforming the nature of work. The pace of progress quickened. Manual labor was automated. We were able to do more in the same or less amount of time. Each technological leap, while reducing labor, also disrupts existing job markets and skill requirements. This pattern, evident from the shift from agricultural to industrial and then to a knowledge-based economy, underscores an ongoing transformation. The OECD iLibrary highlights how these shifts have drastically reduced working hours, reflecting the evolving nature of work in response to technological advances. Technological Innovations and Labor Transformation Advancements such as the steam engine and mechanization of textile production led to the creation of factories; these became the new epicenters of work. This marked a departure from the traditional manual, home-based production methods. Large groups of people were employed under one roof for the first time, working on machines that dramatically increased production capacity. This period laid the foundations for the modern economic systems we find ourselves in today. It was a time of rapid innovation and change that would set the stage for the technological innovations that would follow. 2. The Rise of the Internet The internet was the next big inflection point in recent human history. The transition from mechanical innovation to digital revolution represents a significant leap in the trajectory of human progress. Redefining Connectivity and Access to Information The Internet, emerging as a global network of interconnected computers, redefined the concept of connectivity. It transformed the nature of information access, turning what was once a slow, laborious process into an instant and almost effortless endeavor; it brought us new ways to connect in the form of email, text, social media, and more. This digital revolution democratized information, breaking down geographical barriers and creating a new, interconnected world. Now, if you wanted to connect with other people or learn something new, you simply needed an internet connection and a portal into this digital realm. Impact on Labor and Economy The Internet's impact on labor was profound. It created entirely new industries and job roles, while simultaneously revolutionizing existing ones. The rise of e-commerce, digital marketing, and remote work are just a few examples of how the Internet reshaped the economic landscape. Traditional business models were disrupted, paving the way for innovative approaches to commerce and communication. Transitioning from the Industrial to the Information Age As we moved from the Industrial to the Information Age, the workforce underwent a dramatic transformation. The Internet not only spawned new professions but also revolutionized existing ones, bringing about a more knowledge-based economy. This shift was characterized by a growing emphasis on intellectual over physical labor, and on innovation and creativity as key drivers of economic growth. Setting the Stage for the Next Frontier As we reflect on the transformative impact of the Internet, it's clear that it set the stage for the next frontier in technological advancement: the era of artificial intelligence and automation. Just as the Industrial Revolution and the Internet reshaped society, the ongoing technological evolution promises to usher in a new era of innovation and change. 3. The Age of AI and Automation This latest inflection point is redefining the current landscape of work and what we thought was possible in human creativity. AI as a Tool for Empowerment AI technologies like ChatGPT, Midjourney, Elevenlabs, and Figure Robotics are not just technological marvels; they are tools that empower human creativity. AI automates routine tasks and augments human creativity. This synergistic relationship between humans and AI is expanding the boundary of what we can imagine and create. It’s a partnership where AI’s capabilities complement human ingenuity, leading to unprecedented levels of innovation and creativity. Redefining Roles and Opportunities Integration of AI into various sectors has led to increased efficiency and the opening of new doors, We are seeing more roles that blend creativity with technology, from AI-assisted design to data-driven storytelling. These roles highlight the evolving landscape where human creativity is complemented by artificial intelligence. The Challenge and Promise of AI The main concern in the current day is job displacement and the need to adapt through the acquisition of new skills. Even though AI brings a whole host of new challenges, there is great promise. It offers us the opportunity to redefine what it means to work and to unlock even more potential for ourselves - the potential for creativity, learning, and innovation. Our Future Defined By Our Past This brief overview paints a picture of how technology has augmented human life and is pushing us into a future where humans are poised to be more creative, curious, and free. The future is changing but it's not all bad A Brighter Future for Humans Technological advancements have their baggage. But, on the whole, they have brought us a higher quality of life. Quality of Life and Basic Needs In our modern era, technology has transformed the very fabric of daily life. Our basic human needs have become a baseline for many in the modern world. We no longer, need to worry about: Where/how we get our food. Making our own clothes & shelters. Spending countless hours laboring to reap the benefits. This change is not only about convenience; it is a fundamental shift in how we approach life. With baseline needs taken care of, we have set a new standard of what it means to live a fulfilled life in the 21st century. The World At Our Fingertips & In Our Pockets Reflect on the power of the internet. The entire expanse of human knowledge is accessible in seconds. How else would you be able to access this article you're reading right now? We have more time on our hands and more information than ever. This allows us all to learn more about the world. It has also opened up a new career path for anyone wanting to create, educate, inspire, and everything in between. Think of all the new avenues now available to the generations of today. To name a few: YouTuber Streamer Writer Solopreneur Fitness Coach Freelancer Indie Developer I could list these all day, but you get the point. You can pretty much be anything now as long as you are providing some form of value to others. More time and more tools give us the leverage to be more prolific than ever before with the value we provide to the world. You need only the curiosity and passion to do so. Time is Our Most Valuable Resource Time is the only thing that we can't save or buy. We are in a constant battle with this dimension of reality; weighing the costs and benefits of what we spend our time doing. But, we have freed up more of our time by abstracting away the tasks we were once obligated to do for survival. We also live longer than our predecessors. With more time, comes the ability to focus more on complex, fulfilling activities. It's not just about working less; it's about working smarter and on more meaningful endeavors in our lives. “Isn’t this just for rich countries? And what about my job!?” To address some common concerns about digital inequality and job security, it’s important to understand the other advancements we continue to make that make these objections weaker by the day. Bridging the Global Divide Initiatives like SpaceX's Starlink are revolutionizing global internet access. By providing affordable, high-speed internet even in remote areas, Starlink is opening doors to opportunities previously inaccessible to many in developing countries. This is a significant step towards leveling the playing field, enabling people worldwide to participate in the digital economy. The decreasing cost of technology production, driven by advancements and economies of scale, is making digital tools more accessible. Smartphones, laptops, and internet services are becoming more affordable, allowing a broader segment of the global population to connect, learn, and work online. Historical Perspective on Shifts in Labor Markets Although job disruption in the near term is a valid concern, history has shown us that technological innovations eventually lead to the creation of new industries and job roles. Similar to the Industrial Revolution, AI will open up a whole new world of opportunities. I believe it is in the form of creators. Guidelines for the younger generation that is inheriting this future How do We Prepare? It can be unsettling to think about the future in such a turbulent time where the acceleration of technology has reached an even greater inflection point than the internet. Let me break down the 6 key areas that I am focusing on, in hopes that it may give you more clarity as to what you could do. 1. Lifelong Learning and Adaptability In the future, the only constant is change. The key to maneuvering these uncharted waters is to cultivate learning as not just a means to an end, but an end in itself. This will allow us to more readily adapt as the ground of work shifts beneath our feet. Read books, follow your curiosity, and synthesize your ideas to bring your unique perspective to the world. 2. Creativity and Emotional Intelligence As more jobs are replaced by automation and AI, the only safe ground left to stand is the skills that make us human creativity, emotional intelligence, and communication. Furthermore, one must learn to cultivate the technical skills to be able to build things of value. This doesn’t mean you need to code, but you should learn something that has direct application to bringing something out of nothing; it could be no-code tools, becoming experts in the new AI tools coming out every day. Essentially something to compliment the soft skills that are human with a hard skill, allowing you to be self-sufficient and create what you want. 3. Physical Fitness & Discipline Physical Fitness Fitness is just as much for the mind as it is for the body. It is a foundation for mental clarity and discipline. In an increasingly digital world, maintaining an active lifestyle is more crucial than ever. The discipline you build through regular physical exercise will permeate other areas of your life, enhancing focus, determination, and resilience. Discipline Discipline is not a constraint. It’s a framework for life that makes you more free. When you know what your principles are and what you are going to do every day, you have a game with rules. These rules give us direction for how to live our lives. 4. Modern Spirituality: Cultivating a Personal Religion Nurturing your spiritual well-being offers balance and grounding. Modern spirituality is about finding practices that resonate with you. A combination of science and the mystical creates the perfect blend for understanding and cultivating a relationship with ourselves. For me, it is a combination of depth psychology, meditation, and bits from various religions and esoteric practices that I’ve found work for me. It can be different for everybody. The big picture here is to integrate the knowledge we have of the world and mind in the modern age with disciplines of the past that offer the proper analogy for humans to relate to this aspect of their lives. If you want to hear more about my thoughts on what personal religion in the future will look like, check out this earlier post. 5. Study Philosophy and Metaphysics Exploring philosophy and metaphysics opens doors to understanding the deeper aspects of life and existence. These areas of study challenge us to think critically about existence, consciousness, and the nature of reality. They offer a lens of life that provides a richer, more nuanced understanding of the world we live in. 6. Embrace the Change Those who say they will be replaced by AI will be. The sooner you learn to adapt to the world we are moving into, the better off you will be. Embracing this change means more than just keeping up; it's about actively participating in the transformation. The only constant is change and the only survivors are those who can adapt through learning and building. Onward and Upward Our journey of technological progress through human history reflects a continuous quest for improvement and innovation. As we face these changes head-on, we open ourselves to a new world of potential for creativity, spirituality, and understanding. In a word: Actualization. So do not fear the unknown. Learn the skills necessary to be an adaptive human. Be creative. Be curious. Be actualized. | Write an article about: Technology has removed the need for human labor and lowered the cost of production |
Personal responsibility is necessary for a good life. Without it, you are a victim instead of an active participant in your future. The journey towards material and emotional success is not only about hard work. It's very intertwined with personal responsibility. But what does it mean to have personal responsibility, and why is it crucial for your growth and success? Answering Life's Big Question: How to Be a Responsible for Yourself? The Importance of Personal Responsibility in Early Adulthood Personal responsibility isn't just a buzzword. It's the backbone of your journey into adulthood. It's the force that propels individuals from adversity to achievement, shaping their destiny. Your future outcomes are determined by the actions you take today. If we want to have a better future, we must take responsibility for our lives starting now. Now, let me share how this became a reality in my own life. A story of my first time living on my own My Journey to Personal Responsibility Reflecting on my first time living alone, I recall a period when discipline and responsibility seemed second nature until a gap year in college challenged everything. Despite my extensive reading — from Jordan Peterson's "12 Rules for Life" to David Goggins' "Can’t Hurt Me" — I was unprepared for the real-life test that awaited me. This test came in the form of a significant setback: a decline in mental and emotional health, a disregard for physical well-being, and a loss of self-efficacy. It was a new and daunting experience for me, who had always prided myself on being "on my shit." Applying the 3 Principles The moment of transformation began when I faced myself in the mirror. It wasn’t just seeing my reflection; it was about truly acknowledging where I was and where I wanted to be. This sparked a blend of self-compassion and a resolute commitment to change. Cultivating a Balanced Path to Personal Responsibility My journey to personal responsibility began with self-awareness. Through journaling and meditating, I established foundational practices that fostered a deeper understanding of my thoughts and feelings. This was my first step, recognizing that awareness precedes control and is essential to meaningful change. These practices became more than routines; they were vital to my identity and personal growth. As I deepened my self-awareness, I gradually built consistent habits that reinforced my sense of self-efficacy. Regular gym sessions and a disciplined bedtime routine became integral parts of my life, as did immersing myself in literature that resonated with my aspirations. These small, yet consistent actions laid the groundwork for a sustainable transformation, proving to be incremental but significant steps towards my goals. Along this path, I learned the delicate art of balancing self-compassion with accountability. It was about treating myself with kindness while maintaining the discipline necessary for growth. I reframed each setback as a lesson in emotional regulation and an opportunity to refocus on the present moment. This balance has been pivotal, helping me navigate the challenges and celebrate the victories along the way. Embracing the Journey: Patience, Resilience, and the Present Moment Understanding and patience have become my guiding principles as I walk the path of personal growth. Embracing a form of love that is paternal—equally compassionate and accountable—has shown me a more balanced way to foster self-improvement. This equilibrium is deeply personal and varies from person to person, inviting each individual to find their own harmony between self-care and self-discipline. Setbacks, I've learned, are inevitable milestones along this journey. They are not markers of failure but natural facets of the process of growth. The quest for instant transformation is a mirage; instead, the true pursuit lies in the ability to regulate emotions constructively. By not fixating on the setbacks and viewing them through a lens of resilience, they become valuable lessons that refocus intentions and strengthen resolve. Amidst this, the most powerful realization has been the paramount importance of the present. An overemphasis on future outcomes can lead one astray, whereas anchoring oneself in the present—embracing the moment at hand and the immediate choices available—cultivates true change. This present-centered approach ensures that I am actively engaged in shaping my life's narrative, one conscientious step at a time, towards a future woven from the threads of today's actions. The Heart of Personal Responsibility Now, you're probably thinking, "What exactly does personal responsibility entail for me?" Here's the thing about this answer: It's both simple and complex. Let's explore why embracing personal responsibility is important, and essential for your journey into adulthood. Unlocking the Code of Personal Responsibility The Three Pillars of Personal Responsibility Self-Compassion and Tough Love: Walking the fine line between being your own best friend and your own coach is a delicate art. Learning to balance self-compassion with tough love is key. This means understanding when to push yourself harder and when to offer a hand of kindness. Incremental Improvement: Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither is a responsible adult life. Embracing small, consistent changes leads to monumental shifts over time. It's about celebrating the small victories while keeping an eye on the bigger picture. Present Focus for Future Success: Concentrating on present actions to shape future outcomes is crucial. It's easy to get lost in dreams of the future or regrets of the past, but the power of change lies in the present moment. The Broader Implications of Personal Responsibility What does embracing these principles mean for you? It goes beyond just personal success; it shapes your worldview, your relationships, and your impact on society. How you navigate your early adulthood with these principles can redefine your life's trajectory. Consider the societal transformation possible when each person starts by taking responsibility for themselves. The cumulative effect can lead to a more conscientious and empowered society. Individual growth feeds into communal well-being, creating a positive feedback loop where personal victories contribute to collective progress. Often, we are preoccupied with the vast, seemingly insurmountable problems of the world, feelings of helplessness overwhelming our drive for action. Yet, by turning our focus inward and addressing the chaos within, we equip ourselves with the tools to contribute meaningfully to the world's challenges. This inward focus is not about ignoring the broader issues but about building a foundation from which we can address them more effectively. How can we hope to solve world hunger if we falter at the hurdles in our personal lives? Tending to our neuroses, organizing our immediate environment, and stabilizing our personal lives are the first steps toward making an impact on larger societal issues. Personal responsibility advocates for a world where change begins within each individual, creating a powerful collective force for global transformation. As you navigate the waters of early adulthood, the principles of personal responsibility can serve as your compass, guiding you toward a future where your impact is not limited to your immediate surroundings but extends to the broader canvas of society. It's an invitation to a journey where the ultimate destination is a life lived with intention, meaning, and profound contribution. Wrapping up Today, we've unraveled the core principles of personal responsibility for young adults. Remember: Balancing self-compassion with tough love Valuing incremental improvements Focusing on the present to shape your future These aren't just guidelines; they are transformative tools that can help you build a foundation for both material and emotional success. Embrace them, and watch as your journey towards a fulfilling adult life unfolds. | Write an article about: Personal responsibility is necessary for a good life |
How will we interact with AI in the next 10 years? It will be like the days of old. The days when polytheistic deities offered answers to life’s challenges. What is Polytheism? Polytheism is the belief in many gods. It has been a fundamental aspect of various cultures throughout history. It characterizes most religions other than Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, which are monotheistic. Gods of polytheism have specific roles and concepts. They can coexist with other belief systems too. AI will be a modern copy of this concept. There will be different AIs for different aspects of our lives. There will be a personal AI for health, relationships, therapy, etc. We will have our intimate relationships with these AIs as we did with the gods of Olympus. Why? Jung on Religious Instincts Jung believed the human inclination towards religious belief is deep in our psyche. Religion is the symbolic expression of life's meaning, stemming from the collective unconscious. This unconscious contains archetypes, and universal mythological themes central to all major religions. Psychological health is best when consciousness maintains its connection with this religious aspect. The West is more secular now, and religion has taken a backseat in most of our lives. However, religious instincts in humans remain the same. Many fill feed this hunger with materialism, thought leaders, and political dogmas. AI will be another option that can fill this religious void in our souls. We Already Cultivate Digital Relationships Rex Woodbury has pointed out that it is more common to find your “best friend” today. We are already comfortable creating meaningful relationships through a digital medium. This can extend to cultivating meaningful and intimate relationships with non-human entities (AI). People are already using apps like Replika and Digi to have relationships with AI personas right now. The experience of AI Companions will only get better with technology. The more real they get, the more real it will feel. Consumers Want Experiences We want personalities and experiences. As consumer preferences evolve, there's a growing demand for experiences that are more personalized and engaging. This trend goes beyond just using products or services; it's about creating an emotional connection. Greg Isenberg’s theory of the future of web design supports this claim as well. Products will shift from apps to personalities/experiences because of consumer demand. He suggests that the digital world will move towards creating environments and interactions that feel more real and immersive, much like a storyline or a journey. Products and platforms will transition from mere tools to becoming experiences that resonate on a personal level, shaped by consumer desire for deeper, more meaningful digital engagements. A Future of New Religions Modern and personal religions will emerge. As I already mentioned, humans have a religious appetite that needs to be fed. If we don’t, our lives become meaningless. The existential questions that plague our minds will be further exacerbated by AI replacing a majority of repetitive jobs that give our lives some semblance of purpose. There are two main camps I put these new religions into: Shared Polytheism Personal Religion / Individuation Shared Polytheism When we have more time to focus on ourselves rather than work, we will place greater emphasis on Aestheticism and Asceticism. This will be a common ground that all humans share. Aesethicism - Art & Beauty There will be a set of AI that helps us get in touch with our artistic inclinations. They will help us create more with less effort. In this envisioned Aestheticism aspect, AI will act as a catalyst and collaborator in artistic endeavors. They will not only simplify the creative process but also inspire new forms of art, encouraging individuals to explore and express their unique artistic visions. We will see a Cambrian explosion of human creativity focusing on beauty and art. It will democratize art-making, making it accessible to all, regardless of skill level, and fostering a rich, vibrant cultural landscape Ascetism - Self-Discipline The other set of AI’s will be our guides to a life of discipline and good health. The AI in this aspect of Shared Polytheism will serve as mentors and coaches, guiding individuals towards healthier lifestyles and disciplined practices. They could offer personalized fitness routines, nutritional advice, and wellness strategies, tailored to each person's needs and goals. Moreover, these AI could also encourage mental health practices, such as meditation and mindfulness, fostering a holistic approach to health. This AI-driven move towards discipline and health will create a fundamental societal value, strengthening community connections and shared goals. Common Ground In Shared Polytheism, the focus on Aestheticism and Ascetism becomes a communal experience. Aestheticism, enhanced by AI, allows for a shared appreciation and creation of art and beauty, fostering a collective creative spirit. Asceticism, guided by AI, promotes a universal pursuit of discipline and health. These shared experiences, enabled and enriched by AI, not only foster individual growth but also create a sense of community and shared values. They form a common cultural and spiritual ground where humans can connect and grow together, reflecting a unified aspect of human experience in the AI-augmented future Personal Religions I define Personal Religion as one’s relationship with oneself and the world around them. This will involve a combination of introspection of the inner world and exploration of the external world. Personal religion will be more commonplace because we won't need to rely on traditional religious systems for authority as we explore our own experiences. Having personal AI for self-reflection and synthesizing personal philosophies will be the new way we fill our souls with meaning. AI is faster with pattern recognition and analysis than humans are. We can use this technology to quicken the cycles of exploration and realization. It can be a helpful guide, answering questions we have on our journies to individuation. I don’t see this as a bad thing. AI will simply make spiritual practices accessible to everyone regardless of their competence when starting. What should we do? To the entrepreneurs looking for the next big thing to build, I would become an expert in human psychology and social interaction. Use this knowledge to create AI products that offer enriching experiences. Forget functional apps. Then execute on a product offering an experience rather than an app. For others, consider two paths: Embrace AI to streamline your life. Focus on human pursuits and passions. Adapt to the evolving job market by acquiring diverse skills. AI will automate any repetitive task away. Versatility and adaptability will be key to thriving in a dynamic, AI-integrated future. The world is only going to get weirder from here. I’m excited to be on this ride together with everyone. | Write an article about: How will we interact with AI in the next 10 years? It will be like the days of old |
Hey all! 👋 I recently made a video covering some non-obvious AI tools that people might have missed through the blizzard of GPT wrappers, and I wanted to make a simple list for readers here as well. Checkout the video here And now if you’re just here to get the quick and dirty details here is the list: 1. Eightify: Mastering Video Summarization Eightify - YouTube Summary with ChatGPT YouTube summaries with Eightify: save time on long videos and extract key ideas instantly. AI YouTube video summaries made instantly. eightify.app Eightify shines as a tool for creating concise summaries of YouTube videos, ideal for quick comprehension of extensive content. Check it out 2. Bardeen AI: Automating and Simplifying Digital Workflows Bardeen.ai | Automation is now as easy as texting Bardeen is an AI automation platform to replace your repetitive tasks. Explore our integrations with your favorite apps and hundreds of pre-built playbooks that help you stay in the flow. www.bardeen.ai Bardeen AI automates tasks like data scraping and email summarization, and generates customizable workflow templates from natural language descriptions. 3. Opus Clip: Transforming Long-Form into Short-Form Content OpusClip: #1 AI video clipping tool to create viral shorts Opus Clip turns long videos into high-quality viral clips for you to share on TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Reels to increase social media reach. www.opus.pro Opus Clip converts long-form content into engaging short-form material, streamlining content creation for a more dynamic audience engagement. 4. Sunno AI: Innovating in AI-Generated Music Suno AI We are building a future where anyone can make great music. No instrument needed, just imagination. From your mind to music. www.suno.ai Sunno AI leads in music generation, creating high-quality music from simple prompts, and expanding creative horizons in music production. 5. Eleven Labs & Audio Technology Advancements: Reshaping Audio Content and Interaction Text to Speech & AI Voice Generator | ElevenLabs Create natural AI voice instantly in any language - perfect for video creators, developers and businesses. elevenlabs.io Eleven Labs specializes lets you make long-form audio content, enhancing the creation and experience of podcasts and audiobooks. Additionally, 2023's progress in dubbing and speech synthesis has made AI voices more natural and accessible, widening content reach. 6. tldraw's Make Real Prototype: Facilitating Rapid Prototyping for Developers make real • tldraw Draw a ui and make it real with tldraw. makereal.tldraw.com Teal Draw's Make Real prototype allows creation and conversion of vector images into code components, streamlining the development process. 7. Cody: The AI Coding Assistant Cody | AI coding assistant Cody is the most powerful and accurate AI coding assistant for writing, fixing, and maintaining code. sourcegraph.com/cody Cody, an AI coding assistant from Sourcegraph, provides AI-assisted autocomplete, code refactoring, and explanations, integrating with various development environments for enhanced coding efficiency. Thanks for reading this far and hope you found this resource useful! More to come from this newsletter in 2024! Much love and peace, y’all! | Write an article about: Hey all! 👋 I recently made a video covering some non-obvious AI tools that people might have missed through the blizzard of GPT wrappers, and I wanted to make a simple list for readers here as well |
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