When it comes to accepting change, my college marketing professor said people fall into four categories. Those comfortable with change are the “early adopters.” They’re followed by the “observers,” pragmatists who watch from the side, wondering when it’s safe to embrace. Next come the “skeptics,” who wait until something has proven its worth beyond a shadow of a doubt. Taking up the rear are the “boiled frogs”—they never figure out the water’s getting warm until they’re poached.
When it comes to embracing technology, I’m squarely in the early-adopter camp—not because I’m a tech wizard, but because I’m always hunting for an easier way to get things done. Some call it being lazy. Like earlier technologies, AI is something I’ve embraced wholeheartedly. Needless to say, it’s getting a lot of press. People fall into two camps: those who see it as the beginning of the end, and those who call it the greatest thing since electricity.
I fall somewhere in the middle. But a recent experience suggests I may be adopting it faster than some. Maybe I’m a nerd. I was at a meeting where we were discussing marketing for an event. I mentioned I’d talked to ChatGPT, and it had some great suggestions. After the meeting, a friend came up and whispered, “Who’s Chad. Is he a friend of yours?” That’s when I realized people embrace AI at wildly different rates. So now I call ChatGPT “Chad.”
Some friends have embraced AI, but most have barely stuck a toe in the water. Professionally, it’s better but not by much. I do marketing for law firms, and lawyers have been slow to adopt.
I listen to political pundit Mark Halperin’s podcast. He’s fascinated by AI and candid about his workflow: personal to AI to personal. He starts with raw notes, drafts, and ideas for speeches, monologues, or columns. He feeds them to AI for research—quotes, citations, structure, then polishes the final product with AI assistance.
AI isn’t doing the work; it’s collaborating. I use it daily at work and home. It’s planned complex trips—golf outings to Florida, Scotland vacations—with sites to see, tickets to buy, optimal travel times, car rentals, and best airline prices. It’s a back-and-forth conversation that nails the final itinerary.
At work, I dump rough meeting notes, voice memos, and agendas into AI. Voilà—perfectly formatted minutes plus a to-do list. It’s slashed my admin time and boosted my board participation. Brushing up business plans, grammar-checking emails, prepping slide decks—it handles the grunt work wonderfully.
I see AI as an energetic intern who needs oversight but frees me to focus on the big stuff: crystallizing ideas, building relationships, making judgment calls. Doing the human contact part of my job.
You should read startup founder and AI investor Matt Shumer’s viral essay “Something Big Is Happening” for perspective. His rules:
Use AI every day on real work, not as a toy.
Systematically automate boring, repetitive tasks.
Drop the ego that says, “my job is special and immune.”
Double down on human skills (judgment, trust, relationships) while you adapt.
Treat constant tool-learning as your long-term edge.
The more skilled I get, the more fascinated and terrified—but ultimately optimistic—I feel. Yes, there’ll be job losses. But massive productivity gains grow the economy, lift all boats and kill drudgery.
Here’s my challenge for you: pick one task you hate and let AI tackle it. My go-tos are ChatGPT (Chad), Claude, and Perplexity—all free, though the $20/month upgrades are worth it. Find a 40-something mentor, like I did, to show you the ropes. Give it 15-20 minutes daily for two weeks and you’ll be hooked. Nobody wants to be a boiled frog.
Need help or have a question? Drop me a line at dbscott@gmail.com.
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