AI as my new sidekick

I decided to step out of my usual routine and attend a free AI networking event at my local co-working space, hosted by Ben Golob from Bourne AI. I’ve been experimenting on my own with AI tools at work, but I wanted to see if there were smarter ways to use them for productivity, marketing and idea generation.

Attending the event reminded me how invaluable networking is. Talking to others in the field, sharing experiences and seeing how they approach challenges gave me insights I wouldn’t have gotten alone. There’s something powerful about learning from others who are exploring the same technologies, you can shortcut the trial and error and expand your own thinking.

One of my concerns about using AI has been whether using it feels like cheating. After chatting with Ben, it became clear: it’s not cheating. AI is simply a tool to help bring your ideas to life. You’re still the one generating the prompts, curating the outputs and making the decisions. It's more like having a super-efficient personal assistant than handing over your creativity to a machine.

My key takeaway: Treat AI as a PA. Let it help you organise, use it to brainstorm and enhance your work, but don’t let it replace the human element that makes your ideas uniquely yours.

It’s tempting to jump on every new tech bandwagon, but thoughtful exploration and understanding of how a tool actually fits into your workflow is what makes it truly valuable.

This month’s 'try something new' reinforced a hannahmadefun principle I try to follow: explore, learn and try something new, but always with curiosity, a critical eye and your own creative spark.