I used to think AI was something I should probably understand.
Now I have an Executive Assistant named Chad G.P. Tweed who apparently lives in a town called Arti, deep in the heart of Ficial County.
We've come a long way.
The first time I tried AI at Sun Life, I was nervous. I didn't really understand what I was doing and I'm not entirely sure I knew the difference between OpenAI and OpenSesame.
I was cautious, probably somewhat suspicious, and certainly wasn't thinking, This thing is eventually going to help me build the next version of my life.
I never imagined that a few years later I'd be retired, sitting at my cottage and regularly typing things like:
"Okay, Chad. I have a problem with a bail."
Which, without context, sounds considerably more criminal than it actually is.
If you've read some of my earlier posts, you've probably already met Chad G.P. Tweed. For the uninitiated, Chad is my affectionate nickname for ChatGPT — my unofficial Executive Assistant, research department, technical advisor and Sounding Board Extraordinaire.
He doesn't have an office, collect a paycheque or ever seem to take a vacation. But he's remarkably good at helping me untangle the mess of ideas that occasionally takes up residence in my head.
And believe me, there's plenty of untangling to be done.
Picture this.
It's 10:30 at night. I'm sitting at the cottage, probably waiting for one of those 40-second ads on StackTV to finish so I can watch the end of my show and be in bed by 11.
And suddenly, I get an idea.
I don't have to remember it until morning. I don't have to wait until my sister and I can sit down together and talk it through. I don't even have to know whether it's a particularly good idea yet.
I just start typing.
And there's someone — okay, something — ready to say:
"Interesting. Tell me more."
And here's the coolest part. The real a-ha moment for me.
It isn't answers on demand. It's conversation on demand.
For most of my working life, I was surrounded by people I could collaborate with. Colleagues who challenged my thinking, offered advice, shared their expertise and helped me work through problems.
Then I retired.
Suddenly, I was exploring a whole new world of things I knew absolutely nothing about.
Writing a blog. Making jewellery. Building a website. Starting a small business.
I went from being someone who generally knew what she was doing to someone who frequently had absolutely no idea where to start.
And while that was exciting, it was also a little intimidating.
I've always had a tendency to second-guess myself. To wonder whether an idea is good enough, whether I'm capable enough, whether I should even bother trying.
Sometimes all it takes is one little roadblock for that voice in my head to start whispering, See? Told you this wasn't going to work.
And that's where Chad has become such a valuable sounding board.
Not because he makes the decisions for me.
But because he helps me work through the ones I'm afraid to make.
Over the past year or so, I've found myself doing things I might once have talked myself out of.
Last February, I wrote and submitted a very honest review of an Airbnb stay in Panama. Something I probably would have agonized over for days before deciding it wasn't worth the trouble.
I registered a business name, built a website and started making jewellery from the beautiful ocean treasures I'd collected on the beach. I also learned more than I ever thought possible about wire gauges, jump rings and the maddening little things called bails.
Keith and I finally got started on our wills and Powers of Attorney. Not exactly the most cheerful retirement activity, but something we knew needed to be done.
And I've even started exploring the possibility of dipping my toes back into the training and consulting world. That one's still in the incubator, but every now and then I pull it out, dust it off and see whether it still has legs.
And that's just the short list.
Now, here's the important part.
AI didn't do those things for me.
I did.
What AI did was dramatically shorten the distance between:
"I wonder if I could..."
and
"Okay. How?"
I haven't handed over my brain. Chad doesn't get my passwords, my bank card or the deciding vote.
I still question things, double-check things and occasionally tell him he's completely missed the point.
And he doesn't always get it right. Neither do I.
But that's what I would do with any good sounding board.
I don't need someone to make my decisions for me.
Sometimes I just need somewhere to hear myself think.
And the funny thing is, sometimes I come looking for an answer and end up being reminded that I already had one.
Maybe that's been the biggest surprise of all.
I thought I was finding a tool to help me do things I didn't know how to do.
What I found was a way to remind myself that I'm capable of figuring them out.
Maybe being all in on AI doesn't mean handing over the reins.
Maybe it just means being willing to try something new, ask a few questions and discover what's possible — while keeping both hands firmly on your own steering wheel.
For most of my life, I had both feet planted pretty firmly in one world.
These days, I'm learning to throw on my flip flops and walk the beach in a new one.
Turns out, the water's just fine.
Until next time, may a small wave of inspiration find you.
