AI Transparency Statement
Why I Use AI
Technology should amplify human potential, not replace human judgment.
A Quick Note Before You Read
If you’ve received an email from me, read one of my articles, or followed me on social media, you’ve almost certainly encountered work that was created with the assistance of artificial intelligence.
That’s intentional.
I also think it’s worth explaining what that means… and what it doesn’t.
These Are My Thoughts
First, these are my thoughts.
Every opinion, conclusion, recommendation, and perspective is mine. If my name is on it, I own every word.
Maybe that’s not quite right.
I don’t just own the words.
I own the thinking behind them.
AI doesn’t decide what I believe.
It doesn’t replace my judgment.
It doesn’t write around gaps in my thinking.
What it does is something much more interesting.
It helps me think.
That probably sounds strange until you realize we become better thinkers all the time because of conversations. A great mentor makes us think differently. A challenging book changes our perspective. A thoughtful friend points out a blind spot we didn’t see.
AI has become another one of those conversations for me.
It asks questions, challenges assumptions, points out inconsistencies, helps me digest complex information, and occasionally tells me I’m wrong.
I value that.
It Also Helps Me Communicate
If you know me well, you also know I’ve spent years joking about my ADHD. I’m the guy who can hyperfocus on an ethics paper for six hours, then walk into the garage and completely forget why I went there. (IYKYK.)
Over the years I’ve built systems to compensate.
Mindfulness.
Checklists.
Calendars.
Slowing down enough to be where my feet are.
AI has become one more tool in that toolbox.
It helps me organize ideas that already exist. It catches the spelling mistake I somehow miss three times in a row. (Looking at you, miscalcylations… yes, I know it’s miscalculations. Thanks, AI.) It helps me get the ideas out of my head and onto the page with less friction.
That doesn’t make the ideas any less mine.
Can AI Make Me Smarter?
Can AI make me smarter?
Not just sound smarter, but actually smarter?
I think the honest answer is yes.
Not because it’s replacing my intelligence, but because it helps me sharpen it. It challenges my reasoning, exposes weak arguments, broadens my perspective, and helps me learn faster than I could alone.
That’s what good teachers, mentors, editors, and colleagues have always done.
AI simply makes that kind of partnership available to more people.
Case in point: I actually worked through a Johari Window exercise with ChatGPT. I didn’t expect much.
I was wrong.
It was genuinely eye-opening.
The Conversation I Think We Should Be Having
Nobody criticizes an executive for having an assistant who proofreads correspondence, organizes meetings, prepares research, catches mistakes, or helps manage an impossible workload.
Those assistants have always existed.
Most of us simply couldn’t afford one.
I am worthy of assistance.
I just can’t afford it.
For me, AI is not a shortcut.
It’s access.
It gives me capabilities that were once available only to people with large budgets or large staffs.
Used responsibly, I believe that’s one of the most exciting things about this technology.
But Let’s Be Honest About the Risks
That doesn’t mean I’m blind to the risks.
I’m deeply concerned about people outsourcing their judgment, accepting answers uncritically, or allowing AI to replace curiosity, skepticism, and genuine learning.
Those concerns are real.
I think they’re among the most important conversations we’ll have over the next decade.
The answer, however, isn’t to reject the technology.
Nor is it to embrace it uncritically.
Somewhere between those extremes is a path built on curiosity, humility, responsibility, and integrity.
That’s the path I’m trying to follow.
My Philosophy
AI doesn’t think for me.
It thinks with me.
And in the end, every decision, every opinion, and every word that leaves my keyboard is still my responsibility.
If you’re curious about how I use AI, or if you completely disagree with my approach, I’d genuinely enjoy the conversation.
Oh… and by now you’ve probably figured this out, but yes… AI helped me write this.