An eggcellent AI AMA | #143

Happy Easter! + this week's Good Reads (treats inside)

@lanafursa

Happy Easter! Have an eggcellent long weekend.

AI has side-tracked me this week – an AMA with J. Thorn (aka Tim Desmond) at the Leading Expert Alliance. 

He’s just returned from SXSW, where he gave a presentation on using AI creatively. This year's rock stars were the OpenAI attorneys - walking around with bodyguards!   

I can see why, reading this piece by Ted Gioia (also there), consumers are getting angry about new tech (and not just AI). 

I had a long convo/argument with my sister about AI. She’s doing a PhD in Music at Glasgow Uni and has written a paper on the impact of AI on the industry (she’s new to Substack, give her some love here). 

AI is a big deal for musicians, and people are pissed off, she says. It got a bit heated, so we had to change the subject.

We’re seeing exponential growth, things are moving very fast and it’s hard to wrap our heads around. 

Here are some key titbits from the convo with J. Thorn. He said a few things that resonated with me, so I wanted to share them. 

Like many of us, he’s veering between ‘AI will save the world’ and ‘fuck, we’re all doomed.’

How to use ChatGPT 

Here’s one tip you can use instantly that will dramatically shift how you see this tool.

Don’t use it as a search engine.

Think about the tasks that you typically do—or do on a regular basis—and instead of asking ChatGPT to do them, ask it what it needs for you to accomplish them.

Try it and see. He says you’ll be shocked at what you get back, so now you know what you don’t know! 

It’s a big mindset shift to start conversing with ChatGPT rather than telling it what to do as we would with Google. 

• The Pro version is worth paying for (several people said this) – it’s stronger, multimodal, and can analyse text, images, and voice. 

• On setting your ego aside as a writer. “The purpose of being a writer isn’t to write words; it’s to get your message across.” Love that, keeping it at eye level.

• More personalised AI is coming – an encrypted AI assistant that can remember everything you’ve ever written and store all your personal info.

• Licensing is a key area—musicians will be able to make more money from licensing their voices than doing the voiceover work. 

Hmm, where’s the fun in that!? We enjoy the creative process and the sense of achievement that it brings.  

• The quantity game is over, so you need to focus on making the highest quality content that only you can write. And supplement it with IRL events and experiences (which don’t scale…) 

I feel like we’re coming full circle—from global to local, more intimate community events.

In many ways, the next several decades will force humans (in the West, maybe globally) to redefine purpose because AI & robotics will do what we’ve done for ourselves for generations. 

Much food for thought and a positive conversation. Thanks to Tim & the team.

💌Creative AI Digest [J. Thorn] 

And some Further inspo from Brian Clark in his newsletter this week on 'Why it’s time [for Gen X] to adapt (again).

Because your wisdom and experience (armed with AI) in your own gig can do some seriously amazing things.

We’ve been around the block and can remember how life was before the internet, and that’s our superpower!

My dad sent me a pic of his new birthday shelving: books, maps, DVDs, VHS tapes (us as kids), WD40, cans of Stella, and survival tins. He says it holds up to 50 tee-shirts (or more!)

So if it all goes to pot, he’ll be ok!

ChatGPT-5

It’s coming soon…maybe in June - and it will be even smarter. 

Interesting to hear Sam Altman say that ‘ChatGPT-4 sucks!’ on the Lex Fridman Podcast. I love how he gets right in there: ‘Take me through the OpenAI board saga.’ 

I’m interested in learning what the next iteration can do so playing around with the Plus version and figuring out how to integrate it into my daily workflow. 

I don’t have a VA, so a little help with admin, marketing/PR, distribution, and repetitive tasks is welcome and it will free me up to do other stuff, e.g., getting OUT there and networking! 

ChatGPT is the only AI tool I use as it’s affordable. Less is more—I don’t need different interfaces to do the same job. I figure they’re all using OpenAI data anyway.

What everyday tasks are you using ChatGPT for and how is it helping?

Nika 

PS Speaking of events, last chance to grab your ticket for CEX 2024. Spring pricing ends today. Sign up and use code TOM100 to win a guest spot on This Old Marketing Pod. 

An action-packed agenda – there’s a lot on AI this year. And because it’s a niche, smaller event, there’s a strong focus on networking and collaborations.

Things I enjoyed this week

▶️Rejecting Specialization: Using vibes and voice to attract the right clients [Tom Critchlow]. An excellent piece on why specialising as an indie consultant is hard, why it fails, and what an alternative path looks like. Lean into your weirdness and POV to consistently generate senior clients. 

▶️With this LinkedIn algorithm change, your best posts could reach new readers for months. One of many new features the platform is rolling out in ‘24 to help you grow and why they’ve dropped the term ‘creator’. [Entrepreneur] 

▶️Spotify adds video learning courses in latest experiment [The Verge]. It’s offering four categories of courses in the UK: make music, get creative, learn business, and healthy living because more people are coming to Spotify to learn. Curious to see how this experiment goes!

▶️What’s happening with Substack right now is why creators need to understand their platforms' business models and incentives. [Jay Acunzo] 

Great commentary and insight on platform biz models. You still get your email list, so it’s not like YouTube. Personally, I enjoy the social side of SS—content should lead to connections and conversations, and that happens naturally in this ecosystem. I don’t mind if they bring in ads to support paid subscriptions.

▶️Travel videos, health hacks, and entrepreneur interviews by Ever Wander aka [Ashley Perona]. She and her husband have been full-time nomads since 2021 and she’s been to 47 countries, 7 continents. She’d love some tips on growing her channel.

Fascinating to see how she’s managing her content biz (& her health) while on the road. Some inspo for your next trip!

Work with me

Wanted to be Jane Bond but ended up in journalism 🤷🏻‍♀️

I run Firebird, the content consultancy helping entrepreneurs impact the world with their stories. I want to see more female founders succeed. See my services here.

Newsletter Talent Directory! For creative collaborations. Feel free to add your deets here.