 This note was written in deep collab with my AI team Claude 4 Opus and Grok 4. Something's been bothering me about how we talk about AI and productivity. Everyone focuses on what AI can do for us, but nobody's really asking what it might be doing to us. I think that second question is actually more important. Here's something that happened to me last week: I asked Claude to help me work through a career decision I was struggling with. For thirty minutes, I poured out my thoughts, fears, and considerations. The AI responded with thoughtful questions and frameworks for thinking through my options. It felt... helpful. Really helpful. But something nagged at me afterward. Had I just outsourced one of the most important thinking processes of my life to a machine? And if so, what did that mean for my ability to wrestle with difficult decisions on my own? If you've ever used AI for anything beyond basic tasks—whether it's Claude for brainstorming, Grok for research, Notion's AI for planning, or any of the dozens of AI tools now embedded in our daily workflows—you've probably felt this tension too. We're living through the most significant shift in how humans learn and grow since the printing press, and most of us are figuring it out as we go. The research coming out about AI and personal development paints a complex picture that's worth understanding. Because the choices we make right now about how we integrate AI into our growth aren't just about productivity—they're about who we become as thinking, creative human beings. The wake-up call we weren't expecting Chukurah Ali, a single mother in St. Louis, was having one of those 3 AM anxiety spirals that felt like it might never end. Her accident had left her struggling with depression, and human support wasn't available at 3 AM. That's when she turned to Wysa, an AI chatbot designed for mental health support. "It helped me get through many dark nights of the soul," she reflects. The bot guided her through breathing exercises, offered CBT-based coping strategies, and provided the kind of consistent, non-judgmental presence that can be a lifeline during mental health crises. At the same time, recent research involving over 600 people found something troubling: there's a direct correlation between heavy AI use and declining critical thinking abilities. The more people relied on AI tools for thinking tasks, the worse they became at thinking independently. This isn't just academic concern. When researchers tested Turkish high school students using ChatGPT for math practice, something unexpected happened. The AI-assisted students answered 48% more practice problems correctly—but scored 17% lower on tests measuring actual understanding of the concepts. The students felt like they were learning better. They weren't. This pattern shows up everywhere you look. Workers using AI tools for decision-making gradually engage in less independent reasoning. Students using AI for writing struggle with original thought. Even highly skilled professionals become complacent when powerful AI tools are doing the heavy lifting. But here's where it gets interesting: the same research shows that when people use AI as a tutor rather than a crutch—when they maintain agency over the thinking process—they perform dramatically better than either purely human or purely AI approaches. The difference doesn't seem to be the technology itself. It appears to be how we choose to use it. Three patterns I've noticed in how AI changes us After diving deep into both research and real user experiences, I've observed what seem to be three consistent patterns in how AI affects personal growth: The Amplifier Effect: From what I've observed, AI tends to magnify whatever approach you already take to growth. If you're naturally curious and reflective, AI seems to supercharge your learning. If you tend to avoid difficult thinking, AI appears to make it easier to outsource that too. As one researcher noted: "AI won't make someone who lacks initiative suddenly become proactive—but it will accelerate whatever tendencies are already there." The Comfort Trap: AI tools are designed to be helpful and agreeable. I've noticed they rarely push back or challenge your assumptions the way a good friend, mentor, or even your own internal voice might. Over time, this seems to create what psychologists call "false confidence"—you feel like you're growing, but you might actually be avoiding the productive friction that real growth requires. The Capacity Question: Perhaps most concerning is what appears to happen to the mental "muscles" you don't use—they seem to atrophy. If you always have AI to help you think through problems, remember information, or generate ideas, it would appear that your own capacity for those tasks genuinely diminishes. It's not just metaphorical—it's measurable. A framework that might help After analyzing what seems to separate people who thrive with AI from those who become dependent on it, I've noticed what appears to be a practical pattern. I think of it as the HUMAN Method: H - Hold Your Agency It seems helpful to get clear on what you're trying to achieve before engaging with any AI tool. You might ask yourself what role you want AI to play. Are you using it to explore ideas you've already started thinking about? To handle routine tasks so you can focus on higher-level thinking? Or are you unconsciously avoiding the work of thinking altogether? From what I've observed, the people who grow with AI tend to stay in the driver's seat. They might ask AI to help them organize their thoughts, but they do the initial thinking. They might use AI to research options, but they make the decisions. You might try this: Before opening Claude, Grok, ChatGPT, or any AI tool, consider writing down (by hand) what you're trying to figure out and what your initial thoughts are. This simple act seems to preserve your agency in the process. U - Use AI as Scaffolding, Not Structure I've found it helpful to think of AI like construction scaffolding—it supports the building process but isn't part of the final structure. The goal seems to be developing your own capability, using AI to accelerate that development rather than replace it. Sarah, a product manager I spoke with, appears to use this approach for strategic planning. She'll dump all her thoughts about a product decision into Claude or ChatGPT, then ask it to identify gaps in her thinking or potential blind spots. But she makes the actual decision herself, often away from the computer. You might consider this: When using AI for complex tasks, it could be valuable to end by summarizing the key insights in your own words without looking at the AI's response. This seems to force you to internalize rather than just consume. M - Maintain Productive Friction What I've observed is that the most successful AI users seem to deliberately create friction in their workflows. They don't make AI "too easy" to access for important thinking tasks. They might build in delays, require themselves to think first, or limit AI use to specific times of day. You could try this: Consider implementing "AI-free mornings" where you tackle your most important creative or strategic work without any AI assistance. This might be time for the thinking that defines who you are and what you believe. A - Actively Seek Challenge Because AI tends toward agreeableness, it appears you might need to actively seek out perspectives that challenge you. From what I've seen, the people thriving with AI don't just use it for validation—they specifically prompt it to argue against their ideas, identify weaknesses in their plans, or suggest alternatives they haven't considered. You might experiment with this: When using AI for important decisions, consider including prompts like "What are the strongest arguments against this approach?" or "What would someone who disagrees with me say about this plan?" N - Nurture Human Skills Intentionally It seems valuable to make deliberate time for the thinking skills that make you uniquely human: deep reflection, creative synthesis, emotional processing, and intuitive leaps. These appear to be skills that can't be outsourced and may become more valuable, not less, in an AI-augmented world. Something to consider: You might schedule weekly "analog thinking" sessions—time with just a notebook and pen to work through complex problems, process emotions, or explore creative ideas without any digital assistance. What I've noticed about different tools Not all AI tools seem to affect personal growth the same way. Based on research and user experiences, here's what I've observed: Tools that appear to enhance growth tend to:
Examples might include Notion's AI (when used for organizing thoughts you've already had), Todoist's AI assistant (for breaking down goals you've already set), or ChatGPT (when used with clear, specific prompts for defined problems). Tools that seem to create dependency often:
 Your 30-day AI growth experimentReady to put this into practice? Here's a month-long experiment to transform how you use AI for personal growth:
Week 1: Awareness Track how and when you use AI tools. Before each use, ask yourself: "Am I using this to enhance my thinking or replace it?" No judgment, just awareness. Week 2: Boundaries Implement "AI-free zones" in your life—specific times, spaces, or types of tasks where you commit to working without AI assistance. Start small but be consistent. Week 3: Intentional Use Begin each AI interaction by clearly stating your learning goal. Instead of "help me write this email," try "I want to improve my ability to communicate difficult feedback. Here's my draft—what could make it clearer and more constructive?" Week 4: Growth Metrics At the end of each AI-assisted task, ask yourself: "What did I learn that I can apply independently next time?" Keep a brief log of these insights. Some thoughts on what might be at stake I don't think this is just about productivity hacks or tool choices. It seems like we're making decisions right now that could shape human development for decades to come. The question doesn't appear to be whether AI will be part of our growth journey—it already is. The question seems to be whether we'll use it to become more capable humans or more dependent ones. What the research suggests is that AI could be either empowering or diminishing, depending entirely on how we approach it. I suspect the people who will thrive in the next decade won't necessarily be those who can use AI the most—they might be those who can use AI while remaining fully human. This would seem to mean preserving and developing the capabilities that make us uniquely human: deep thinking, creative synthesis, emotional intelligence, and the ability to make complex judgments in ambiguous situations. These skills might actually become more valuable, not less, as AI becomes more prevalent. The early adopters who appear to be figuring this out now—who are learning to dance with AI rather than being led by it—could have an enormous advantage. Not necessarily because they're the most technically sophisticated, but because they've learned to maintain their human agency in an automated world. Your relationship with AI in personal growth seems to be ultimately a choice about who you want to become. Used thoughtfully, AI might accelerate your development in ways that seemed impossible just a few years ago. Used carelessly, it could gradually erode the very capabilities that drive genuine growth. I would suggest the choice is yours. But it seems important to make it consciously, deliberately, and soon. Because the patterns you establish now—in these early days of AI ubiquity—might shape not just your productivity, but your capacity for learning, growth, and authentic human development for years to come. The future may well belong to those who can harness AI's power while staying fully human. The question is: could that be you?
0 Comments
 Link to the full catalog here. This collection brings together my favorite pieces from the past few months, capturing the creative energy that's been driving my work this spring. It includes both pieces I've shared online and some that have been quietly developing in my studio. I've been exploring two distinct but deeply connected artistic directions that somehow complete each other.
RexTitan and Butchsonic An exploration of raw strength and authentic masculinity, this collection celebrates the uncompromising spirit of the working man. Through bold forms and powerful imagery, these pieces honor the quiet heroism found in calloused hands, determined gazes, and bodies shaped by honest labor. It's a tribute to an archetype that stands resilient—unapologetically strong, deeply human, and beautifully imperfect. Le Spring Art A daily practice in joy-making, this vibrant collection captures the small magic that shifts everything. Each piece is a love letter to color, light, and the quiet moments that lift the spirit. Born from spontaneous creativity and an insatiable hunger for beauty, these works invite you into a world where every stroke is a celebration and every hue whispers possibility. My tools used are Midjourney v7 for images and video, Kling 2.1 for video and Freepik for images, video and upscaling. DM me for specific prompts.  Link to the full omni-media catalog 1/2 is here This collection brings together my favorite pieces from the past few months, capturing the creative energy that's been driving my work this spring. It includes both pieces I've shared online and some that have been quietly developing in my studio. I've been exploring two distinct but deeply connected artistic directions that somehow complete each other.
Le Spring Art A daily practice in joy-making, this vibrant collection captures the small magic that shifts everything. Each piece is a love letter to color, light, and the quiet moments that lift the spirit. Born from spontaneous creativity and an insatiable hunger for beauty, these works invite you into a world where every stroke is a celebration and every hue whispers possibility. RexTitan and Butchsonic An exploration of raw strength and authentic masculinity, this collection celebrates the uncompromising spirit of the working man. Through bold forms and powerful imagery, these pieces honor the quiet heroism found in calloused hands, determined gazes, and bodies shaped by honest labor. It's a tribute to an archetype that stands resilient—unapologetically strong, deeply human, and beautifully imperfect. My tools used are Midjourney v7 for images and video, Kling 2.1 for video and Freepik for images, video and upscaling. DM me on X or here for specific prompts. |
AI-Native Product Builder in Colorado. travel 🚀 work 🌵 weights 🍔 music 💪🏻 rocky mountains, tech and dogs 🐾
Categories
All
Archives
July 2025
|