Photo credit: Håkon Grimstad on Unsplash
Change has always been constant since the dawn of time. Every generation of people faces new ways of working. Some generations experienced subtle slow change and others, like ours today, experience rapid fire run as fast as you can change!
Many people have opinions on changes, is it good? Is it bad? I'd suggest it just is and how we adapt to any change is the secret to moving forward. Everyone has used elements of AI in their day for many years now. What is changing for us is how we are using it in our work, our learning and how we live today.
Here are three things I do differently than I did a year ago because of AI tools.
1. I have a virtual thinking partner.
Where I used to use AI in the form of Google search, I now use different models to help me research an idea in a dedicated discussion. It's not a single search query; it's a conversation that keeps going over days, weeks, months. I have the ability to discuss and ask for more information as I consider new ideas and choose a direction on a topic. These discussions are saved in chats and can pick up right where we left off with the context of prior thinking preserved. I discuss what I learn with peers and add to my research and virtual thinking partner conversation.
This allows me to keep a conversation going as I refine my ideas and do additional research.
2. I research differently
One of my favorite ways I leverage AI models is the speed of research. In my work I need context for understanding what has happened in the past, what is happening right now, what needs to happen in the future, and where the gaps are. I need to do my research to find past information, and this can be labor-intensive. With the help of an AI research expert and a clear prompt, this is done in minutes compared to hours!
I still need to know what to ask for but I do not have to seek and find on my own! I have a virtual partner to help. I also need to confirm what the results are, and they may not be 100% but I have a much better idea where to dig deeper if I have to research more.
This frees me up to review the information and decide how I interview to discover the future.
3. I have a documentation partner
My least favorite and most important part of my work is documentation. I come from a foundation of business requirement documents. These documents are beautiful things with the context. assumptions AND the requirements for software design all in one place. As we work on agentic AI solutions this documentation is more valid than ever.
The day I was able to ask my documentation expert partner to use the conversations and research I had accumulated to create the documentation was a game changer for how I work. I still need to review to confirm the documentation is accurate. I do make some changes and additions, but the lion's share of simplifying the work I do in interviews is done.
This frees me up to spend my time studying the gaps, asking follow-up questions and queries to complete the understanding of what is happening today and what needs to happen in the future.
Things are changing rapidly and I am excited for the additional assistance I have in my life. I still need to apply my knowledge and experience to identify and solve problems; I can do that differently today.
Rather than letting how we do things frustrate or scare you, do some research and look for ways to improve how you are living. Changes will not stop, when you embrace them and use them; you can be part of the changes. This is much better than being run over and passed by.
