Look at Me, I'm Using Chat GPT
If you’ve spent any time online lately, you’ve probably noticed that artificial intelligence is everywhere.
Depending on who you listen to, AI is either going to revolutionize humanity or destroy it. It’s being discussed in boardrooms, classrooms, coffee shops, podcasts, and news headlines. Conversations range from sustainability and ethics to workforce readiness, creativity, regulation, and the future of work itself.
And if I’m being honest, it can feel overwhelming.
So how are we supposed to navigate this brave new world while the technology continues to evolve at a pace that seems almost impossible to keep up with?
I don’t have the answer.
And frankly, I don’t think many people do.
What I do have are a few principles that I’ve found helpful as I try to make sense of it all.
As I write this article, I’m using AI to help me.
Why?
Maybe it’s because I don’t always trust myself to craft something brilliant on my own. Maybe it’s because I recognize the time savings that AI can offer. Maybe it’s both.
Whatever the reason, using AI has forced me to think more intentionally about my relationship with technology and how I want to engage with it.
The first principle I’ve adopted is simple:
Be Curious
Curiosity has always been one of the most important skills for navigating change.
When personal computers emerged, people who were curious learned. When the internet arrived, people who were curious adapted. The same is true today with AI.
You don’t need to become a machine learning expert. You don’t need to understand every technical detail behind large language models.
But if you’re curious about how AI might help you think, create, learn, research, organize, or solve problems, start exploring.
Ask questions.
Experiment.
Play with it.
See what works and what doesn’t.
Curiosity doesn’t require certainty. It only requires a willingness to learn.
And in times of rapid change, curiosity often becomes a competitive advantage.
Be Aware
While curiosity encourages exploration, awareness provides balance.
One of the things I’ve noticed about AI conversations is that people tend to fall into extremes. Some view it as a magical solution to every problem. Others dismiss it entirely or fear it without fully understanding it.
Neither approach feels particularly helpful.
AI is incredibly useful, but it is not infallible.
I often think of AI the same way I think about a talented coworker or trusted employee.
If a respected colleague told me they found a better process, I’d listen.
If they conducted research for me, I’d review it.
If they offered recommendations, I’d consider them.
But I wouldn’t stop thinking critically simply because someone sounded confident.
The same applies to AI.
I might use it to summarize research, generate ideas, organize information, or help me think through a problem. But I still want to bring my own judgment to the process. I still want to verify important information. I still want to question assumptions.
In a world where information is becoming easier to generate, our ability to observe, evaluate, and think critically may become even more valuable.
Some people call that critical thinking.
Others might call it intuition.
Whatever label you prefer, don’t outsource it.
Be Open
The final principle is perhaps the most difficult.
Be open.
There is a tremendous amount of hype surrounding AI right now. Some people believe it will unlock unprecedented human potential. Others believe it represents an existential threat.
The truth is likely more nuanced than either extreme.
What seems certain is that change will continue.
Technology will evolve.
Capabilities will expand.
Regulations will shift.
Jobs will change.
New opportunities will emerge while others disappear.
There will undoubtedly be moments of excitement and moments of uncertainty.
And if you’re following the first two principles—remaining curious and staying aware—then openness becomes a natural next step.
Being open doesn’t mean accepting every new idea uncritically.
It means recognizing that our current perspective may not be the only perspective.
It means being willing to reconsider assumptions.
It means staying flexible enough to adapt as new information becomes available.
This can be challenging in a world that increasingly rewards certainty, strong opinions, and polarized viewpoints. Yet some of the greatest breakthroughs in business, leadership, and personal growth happen when we’re willing to entertain a perspective different from our own.
The same may prove true with AI.
Final Thoughts
I don’t know exactly where AI will take us.
I don’t know which predictions will prove accurate and which will look ridiculous ten years from now.
What I do know is that fear alone has rarely been a good strategy for navigating change.
Neither has blind optimism.
For now, I’m choosing curiosity.
I’m choosing awareness.
And I’m choosing openness.
As I write this article—with the help of AI—I find it somewhat ironic that the technology itself reinforces the lesson.
The value isn’t in letting AI think for us.
The value is in using it to help us think better.
And perhaps that’s the real opportunity in front of us.