AI Is a Tool. Are You a Tool?

Introduction

For most of human existence, most humans had no footwear. It was miserable. Especially when you remember that there were also no antibiotics. Sooner or later you were bound to step on something sharp, and get an infected cut. Such an infection could get so bad that you could be forced to lose your foot or else die. So obviously there was a strong incentive to make and wear footwear.

People did wear footwear. But the truth is not very many people wore footwear because it was simply too expensive. Why? Lasting. This is the process of attaching the top part of the shoe to the bottom sole. This is highly skilled and labor intensive. A professional laster would need to train for several years, and even the best laster could only last about 50 shoes per day.

That is until Jan Ernst Matzelliger invented the  automated lasting machine. A single machine could last 150 to 700 shoes per day, dramatically lowering the cost of shoes. For the first time in human history, the majority of people had access to footwear.

It’s Just a Tool

Why do I share this story in a post about AI?

A few years ago, I was working when a coworker and I noticed that we were wearing the exact same pair of shoes. We laughed, realized that we both shopped at Walmart and moved on with our lives.

Here’s what we didn’t do. We didn’t complain that machines put several skilled hand lasters out of work. We didn’t lament that the machines sucked the humanity out of footwear and worry if artistry will be forever dead. We were both happy to have shoes available at a ridiculously low price.

Did Matzeliger’s invention put hand lasters out of a job? Absolutely. (The spell check on my computer doesn’t even recognize that laster is a word.) Did his invention make the world a better place today? Absolutely. Did his invention destroy all art in footwear? Heck no. People still make and wear beautifully crafted shoes. Matzeliger’s automatic lasting machine is just a tool and so is AI.

AI Is Just Another Tool

Last night I found this video claiming I Can Spot AI Writing Instantly — Here’s How You Can Too. Aside from the fact that he’s making an unfalsifiable statement, the biggest problem I have with this video is that it doesn’t matter. In the 80s and 90s we got spell check. Here’s a question: Can you tell which pieces of writing were written with the help of spell check and which weren’t? If that sounds like a dumb question maybe it’s because none of us care if spell check was used.

And in a few short years, none of us will care if AI was used to create a writing. What will we care about? The same thing that we always cared about. The actual content of the writing. Does the writing convey a message worth reading?

Here’s a fun way to waste your time. I used AI to help me write roughly half of the blog posts on this site. Can you guess which ones they are?

It doesn’t matter if AI was used or not used. It’s just a tool. An implementation detail. What matters is the actual quality of the work. What matters is how you use the tool.

Copilot vs Agent

So many people are quick to denigrate anyone who uses AI without even acknowledging that there is more than one way to use AI. So many think that using AI just means Hey dingus, write my blog post for me. But AI is not human so of course it’s not going to have more personality than a human.

What is AI good for then? Why even use it? Because AI is a tool. Tools help you do things, they can’t do them for you. This is why I actually like that so many AI products call themselves copilot. That’s a fairly good description. They can co-pilot. They can’t do it for you. That’s also why I’m not such a fan of using the phrase agent¹ to describe AI. A copilot is here to help you, an agent is here to replace you. But they won’t replace you, because you are not replaceable.²

“You’re Holding It Wrong”: How to Use AI

So what is the right way to use AI? Well the first thing to realize is that you don’t have to use AI. Use whatever tools you want. If you don’t want to use AI, don’t use it. But if you do want to use it, then that is totally valid.

But if you’re going to use it, use it for the things that it’s good at. Just like any other tool. You wouldn’t use a hammer to cut wood, so don’t use AI to write your blog posts for you. Experiment, try things and discover what the tool is good at.

In my practice, I’ve found that AI is terrible at:

• coming up with original ideas
• writing in my voice
• writting in a way that is genuine and authentic

But AI is really good at:

• Converting ideas from one format to another
• Generating outlines
• Summarizing long texts

And AI is kinda good at:

• Critiquing my writing
• Brainstorming ideas
• Writing rough drafts from an outline

When I write a post, I never have the AI write everything for me. Instead I:

• convert my scattered notes into an outline
• expand my outline into a rough draft
• ask it to offer editing suggestions

Every single time that it writes something, I read it and decide if it stays or goes. Because at the end of the day, each post has my name on it. If that post sucks, I get all the blame.

Are You a Tool?

Are you asking AI to do your work for you? Then you are asking a tool to replace you. You are being a tool. But if you’re using AI to help you do your work, then you are using a tool. You are not a tool. You are a craftsman, an artist, a creator. You are a human being.

Don’t be a tool. Use tools. That’s a very human thing to do.