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At time of writing, generative AI guidance and “how to” instructional posts are flooding the social media ecosystem. They’re all threads showcasing the newest AI tool and full of promise: improve productivity, save time, increase sales. But something seems off. Their cadence, tone, and structure all seem eerily similar—a telling sign they’re likely generated by AI to capitalize on the surge of interest. It’s very small “m” meta.
In the din of online content and slick marketing, the worst thing you can do is try and keep up with every post and newsletter advertising a new tool tool—an impossible task that would bury you in links and tutorials. The resulting content shock risks obscuring the true value of generative AI. To use a tired idiom: We’d fail to “see the forest for the trees” when bogged down with every new product or feature.
Heybrook Lookout Trail; Washington; 2023
Based on my own observations and experience, I propose here a measured approach and a framework for thinking about this powerful technology and how to best incorporate it into a team or workflow.
Moving forward: a mix of human and machine
Rather than replacing human work outright, the knowledge sector can marry the best of both worlds: AI can replace the rote, unfulfilling tasks that can be easily automated; and humans should guide strategy informed by experience, context and add creativity to campaigns and projects.
Two areas where generative AI currently underperform are context and nuance. Algorithms have a much harder time emulating these, and they’re important variables that guide informed decisions. “Guidelines never rules” was the adage we carried as young journalists in j-school. Situations can differ and recognizing this is important as life is not a series of equations to be followed with predictable outcomes.
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Consider a hybrid model where time-consuming, repetitive tasks are given over to AI, along with specialized tasks that take too long to complete. Humans can then add value to a team or process by adding insights from experience, apply theory, and put information into context to help develop better strategy and project design. The two—artificial intelligence and human reasoning—work together, not at cross purposes. Importantly, layered overtop of this is recognizing the audience. If a deliverable is meant for a high-value stakeholder and it’s critical to get it right, then more human involvement would be needed.
Another way the human/AI relationship can take shape is in how we decide on the specific role AI will play on our teams and in our workplaces; more specifically, what are the ethical parameters of usage and what tools do we incorporate and when. As referenced earlier, there is currently no shortage of must have tools and applications and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Here, it’s human judgment and intuition that should help us slow down and take a more measured look.
Helpful tips on tools
Don’t try and keep up with the cascade of social media and newsletter updates on generative AI. There are simply too many marketing emails and social media twittorials surging through cyberspace fighting for our attention and trying to capitalize on our fear of missing out. Instead, scan them for usefulness, author credibility (how long have they been writing about this?), and bookmark/subscribe to only those you find useful—trust your instincts.
Be skeptical. Question whether the time it takes to learn a new tool will be worth it. Don’t feel guilty ignoring some, and ask yourself:
- How useful is this?
- Will I use it?
- How much time will it save me?
- Am I learning it for its own sake, or because I actually need it?
- Does it do something that Google Gemini, ChatGPT, or Claude can’t?
Never pay for a plan without thoroughly trying the service. Many new tools will lure you in with free content creation, but force you to pay when you need to export and share what you’ve made.
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With regard to individual and team workflows, consider the following:
- Is there a task I/we do frequently that is low stakes but takes up a lot of time?
- Is there a highly specialized, time-consuming task I/we do less frequently that could be offloaded to generative AI (e.g., web scraping or image enhancement)?
- What is the barrier to entry for this new tool? How easy is it to learn?
READ MORE: Artificial intelligence set to reshape the employment landscape
Formulate guidelines for your team. Read analyses from journalists and thought leaders about the ethical implications of generative AI and its impact on society. The prevailing view is that AI can exponentially widen the gap in power and inequality between those who have and those who don’t. I recommend following the Center for Humane Technology as they have a thorough understanding of the issue and its broader affects on society.
Philosophy and approach
Concerning how much to integrate generative AI into your team’s workflow, take a strategic and focused approach rather than implementing it aggressively and broadly throughout. Target areas that will drive the most value rather than adopting AI for its own sake simply because it has been dominating news headlines and public discourse. Ask yourself: What is taking up a lot of time that can be automated? What specific tasks can I not do now that AI can? In the parlance of war (this post was published on Memorial Day), use generative AI like a homing missile rather than a carpet bomb: targeted, intentional, and strategic.
With the increased efficiency and time savings AI will afford, encourage your team to redirect their freed-up capacity to creativity and innovation—thinking outside the box and coming up with newer, bolder approaches and content ideas. Generative AI can free up mental bandwidth to think at a higher level with a wider field of view–the forest, not trees.
Some of my favorite tools
These are some of the tools I’ve personally found most useful:
- Gemini is an excellent all-purpose generative AI tool.
- Copy.ai is a good content generator for marketing copy (content reviews), HR templates (job descriptions), and case studies or reports.
- SciSpace Copilot helps distill complex academic studies.
- ChatPDF summarizes and explores PDF documents.
- Kaiber is a paid video creator that is especially useful for animating abstract concepts and ideas.
- Scribe is good for creating SOP and guidance documentation from screen records.
In addition to specific tools, make use of tool libraries like these from SuperTools and AI Search to meet specific needs.
Judging by the speed of adoption, with nearly every technology company rolling out generative AI features in their products, it’s clear we’re at a turning point in history. This wave of innovation will change the way we access information, work, and interact with others. With such broad impacts, it’s important to get ahead of these changes so that they can be steered in the right direction and help society rather than solely generate profit. But doing so involves learning and embracing innovation, not hiding from it.