Quick Buzz Feed
I was skeptical about ChatGPT and Claude at first. Then I started to come around—and I’m glad I did.
The author, a professional writer, initially harbored significant skepticism towards AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude, aligning with critics who viewed them as mere toys rather than useful professional instruments. This skepticism stemmed from concerns about AI's potential for destructive uses and a general distrust of its developers. However, through personal experimentation, the author found that AI has become remarkably impressive, especially in removing minor friction points that previously hindered productivity. The article references a previous interview from February 2025 where the author agreed that chatbots lacked strong use cases, but now believes this view is outdated, citing examples like Claude Code's ability to quickly generate portfolio sites from interview data. This demonstrates a shift from viewing AI as a limited tool to recognizing its unbelievable, albeit specific, capabilities, without necessarily rewiring every element of day-to-day life.
The author now regularly integrates AI into their daily writing process, not for generating full content or replacing core journalistic tasks, but as a valuable assistant. This contrasts sharply with the 'fantastical' claims made by social media influencers about AI completely transforming careers (e.g., gaining 50,000 followers in three months), which the author dismisses as exaggerated or false. Claims that AI has 'just killed graphic designers' or 'accountants' are also considered BS. The article emphasizes that AI's most worthwhile applications are less dramatic but significantly beneficial, focusing on streamlining mundane, time-consuming aspects of the job rather than undertaking complex creative or analytical roles typically performed by humans.
One of the most impactful uses of AI for the author is in transcription. Previously a 'bane of existence' since high school, meticulously transcribing lengthy phone interviews has been revolutionized by AI tools like Rev and local transcription models. These tools provide accurate transcripts, which are then fed into AI bots like Claude. The AI can be instructed to quickly identify and extract relevant information on specific issues from hours-long conversations. While caution is advised against blindly trusting AI-generated insights (as they can still 'make things up' more than a year ago, though less frequently), the ability to rapidly pinpoint key sections for verification is highlighted as a 'massive time-saver' and one of the most favored technological evolutions in the author's career.
Beyond transcription, AI-powered dictation software, such as Monologue, has greatly improved the author's ability to capture and organize thoughts. This is particularly useful for brainstorming while on the move, allowing the author to record voice memos during walks and automatically send transcripts to a Notion database called 'Idea Dump.' The author has even developed a custom AI 'skill' (a Markdown text file) to ensure these ideas are correctly labeled for easy retrieval within Notion. This workflow addresses a long-standing personal weakness: forgetting exciting ideas or converting them into indecipherable scribbles, thereby enabling the author to capitalize more effectively on creative impulses by systematically storing and categorizing them.
The utility of AI extends beyond professional writing into the author's personal life. A notable example is its application in weight loss management, where the author has successfully lost 17 pounds. The author uses a kanban board for weekly meal planning and leveraged Codex to create a shopping list that integrates with their project management system. This system automatically pulls necessary ingredients from uploaded recipes, addressing the common problem of forgetting or duplicating grocery items. This '10-minute buildout' significantly reduces grocery shopping inefficiencies and wasted food, illustrating how AI can simplify routine tasks and improve organization in everyday scenarios.
Despite the numerous benefits, the author acknowledges a significant concern: the potential for 'deskilling.' Using AI notetakers for meetings, while theoretically freeing up attention to focus on interlocutors, has paradoxically led to a decrease in the author's attentiveness and information absorption. This is likened to a high school student being 'deskilled' by using ChatGPT to write papers, as the perceived safety net of AI reduces the human effort in critical cognitive processes. This highlights a crucial balance: while AI can offload grunt work, over-reliance risks diminishing human skills and understanding, emphasizing the importance of conscious engagement even with technological aids, especially with co-worker consent for such tools.
The author concludes with an optimistic yet realistic view of AI's future impact on professional writers. The belief is that AI will not replace human writers in popular publications, despite attempts by some audacious media executives to push for it. This is largely attributed to human audiences' general aversion to machine-generated content, even if it passes a blind taste test. The author also personally enjoys the act of writing and doesn't want AI to remove the creative 'agony' or valuable struggle inherent in crafting good prose. Instead, the most positive scenario is that AI will augment writers by reducing 'grunt work' (like tedious transcription), thereby allowing them to dedicate more time and energy to the more meaningful, complex, and sometimes despair-inducing aspects of their craft, allowing their unique writing voice to flourish.