Hold That Thought…

This week I've been thinking about Al as “the cause of — and solution to — all of life's little problems”. That quote was from Homer Simpson. He was talking about beer, but nevermind. Here are three four things on AI to turn mental energy into meaningful action:

1. Many of us use AI to help us get started with writing. But I wonder, what if we tossed the crutch and got good at doing the hard part instead? (And what happens if we don't?)
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2. ​I don’t care about AI, because AI is neither the product nor the solution. By Gregg Bernstein.
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3. ​Bored of it by Paul Robert Lloyd
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4. ​What does slow AI look like? asks Sari Azout

This week's underthinking link is a neat way to explore '1001 albums you must hear before you die', on the daily.

Extra thoughts…

While I was writing this newsletter, I received this email from Academia.edu:

I left them some feedback, which I will summarize here as, “Just, no.”

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On a more positive note, something else has occurred to me…

In a world that's increasingly overrun by AI slop, it's never been easier to have an authentic voice. To put yourself out there in a way that differentiates who you are.

You simply have to write something and share it.

And like I mentioned last week, it doesn't need to be perfect. In fact, this is yet another arena where messy is better. Where 70% shines more than 100%.

If you want support with that — from content to courage to publish — I'm here​

Thoughtfully yours,
Kim

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After all that, you might be surprised to find that I'm actually not anti-AI. There are many ways it supports the work I do. For example…

• I use Otter.ai to share transcripts with people I meet with. If you work with me and a transcript of our call would be useful, I provide that for free. And I absolutely do NOT allow Zoom or Otter to “sit in” on the call (I manually import the audio recording file after).
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• I meet people regularly with Lunchclub.ai — it's a hidden little gem of a networking site that has broadened my world immensely.
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• And I find great newsletters through TheSample.ai (this is a referral link that helps you find great reads and others find Hold That Thought)

In fact, AI has been supporting all of us for years and years. In an article from a while back, here's a short list from one small area: NLP is not what you think​

So the question again is this: where in your life is AI actually helpful and where might it be holding you back?

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If you have been enjoying Hold That Thought, here are two quick ways you might support me: share a thought or send me a pebble.

As always, you can find other content from me here:

• ​My links and current projects​
• ​Worksheets and other free tools​
• ​My Medium articles. I also curate many useful lists​
• The latest insights on my blog​

Hope you enjoy these things as much as I do creating and sharing them!

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Hello! I'm Kim and I’ve spent over four decades overthinking absolutely everything. Here's how I made sense of it all.