From +AI to AI+: Embracing AI as the Foundation of Everything You Do

Opinion
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Summary

What if AI isn’t just a tool but the foundation of how you work, create, and think?

Today there are two distinct ways to approach AI: +AI and AI+. +AI means integrating AI into an existing workflow, business, or process. It’s the approach discussed in countless books, YouTube videos, and business strategies. If you’re working, running a business, or earning money, this is the natural and logical way to use AI. But this post isn’t about that. Instead this post is about AI+ a radically different approach where AI is the foundation of everything you do.

AI is the medium of today

“The medium is the message.” – Marshall McLuhan

Throughout history, new mediums of communication have reshaped how we share and process information:

  • Voice: Oral traditions and spoken word allowed knowledge to be passed down through generations.
  • Print: Books and newspapers democratized access to knowledge, enabling mass education.
  • Radio: Instantaneous audio transmission brought news and entertainment into homes worldwide.
  • Television: Visual storytelling transformed how we consume information, making it more immersive.
  • Internet: The ultimate decentralization of information, allowing anyone to access, share, and collaborate globally.

Each of these mediums didn’t just change how we communicate they changed what we communicate.

AI is the next evolution in this chain. Unlike previous mediums, AI doesn’t just deliver messages it interprets, refines, and generates them. It’s a dynamic partner in the communication process, transforming not just how we communicate but what we communicate. Just as the printing press democratized knowledge, AI is transforming how we create, interact, and share information. Unlike the internet, which primarily serves as a vast repository and conduit of information, AI actively participates in the creation and transformation of knowledge.

This shift will redefine human expression in ways we’ve never seen before. I believe AI will reshape communication more profoundly than all the previous technological revolutions combined.

AI+

AI+ is a fundamentally different mindset. Instead of adding AI to your workflow, your entire workflow is built on AI. Every task, every process, every business function runs through AI.

AI isn’t just a tool, it’s the foundation of your business process. In an AI+ workflow:

  • Your business is AI-driven.
  • AI is your interface to work.
  • Your career, effort, and full focus are built on the premise that AI is the dominant force shaping the future.

Lets illustrate a few examples of the AI+ process

Document Writing

In an AI+ workflow, AI becomes the primary creator, while humans act as curators and refiners:

  1. Define the Document: Specify the purpose, audience, and key points you want to cover.
  2. Generate Initial Draft: AI creates the first draft, synthesizing relevant information from diverse sources.
  3. Refine and Edit: AI reviews, edits, and refines the document, ensuring accuracy, coherence, and relevance.
  4. Conduct Research: AI gathers data, verifies sources, and analyzes trends to enrich the content.
  5. Structure and Summarize: AI assists with structuring the document, generating images, and summarizing key insights.

Your Role: After AI produces the content, you step in to add the human touch ensuring the tone, style, and messaging resonate with your audience. You bring meaning, emotion, and authenticity to the output.

New research

When pursuing new research under the AI+ mindset:

  1. Define the Research Area: Clearly outline the problem or question you want to explore.
  2. Gather Information: AI collects and organizes all related research, including published papers, web content, and unpublished studies.
  3. Identify Collaborators: AI suggests potential collaborators and even facilitates the creation of a collaborative platform (e.g., a Discord group).
  4. Generate Preliminary Solutions: AI proposes multiple solutions, complete with reasoning, alternatives, and probabilities.
  5. Dynamic Knowledge Base: AI presents the findings in an easily searchable format, continuously updating it based on user interactions and feedback.

Your Role: As AI generates these dynamic outputs, you critically evaluate, refine, and validate the results. You ensure that the final product aligns with your vision and objectives, bringing human oversight and creativity to the forefront.

Humanized AI Creations

AI is improving at a superhuman pace generating images, writing documents, coding software, and analyzing data with incredible speed and accuracy. Research shows that in many fields, AI is already outperforming humans.

But AI alone isn’t enough. No matter how powerful it gets, AI will always be artificial. The real value comes from humanizing AI’s creations. This is AI+ a world where AI produces, and humans refine.

Think about elevator music compared to being at the beach or walking in the forest, listening to the sounds of nature. This is the limitation of AI it will never be human.

  • AI is the Engine: It powers the initial creation, providing speed, accuracy, and scale.
  • Humans Add Meaning: They infuse the output with purpose, emotion, and cultural relevance.
  • AI Generates: It produces raw material, such as drafts, designs, or analyses.
  • Humans Give It Soul: They refine the output, ensuring it resonates with people and aligns with their values.

Challenges and Opportunities

Adopting the AI+ mindset isn’t without its challenges. Building entirely on AI requires trust in the system, robust validation processes, and a willingness to adapt to new workflows. Ethical concerns also arise when relying heavily on AI for decision-making or creative expression.

However, these challenges are outweighed by the opportunities. By embracing AI+, we position ourselves at the forefront of innovation, leveraging AI’s strengths while retaining human ingenuity.

Conclusion

The future belongs to those who embrace AI+ not just using AI as a tool but building on it as a foundation. By combining AI’s capabilities with human creativity, we can achieve outcomes that neither could accomplish alone.

The future doesn’t belong to those who use AI it belongs to those who build on it. Are you ready to embrace the AI+ mindset?