AI After 50

 Welcome to Episode #5 of AI After 50, the podcast for experienced professionals who want to develop their AI skill set and practical skills as well.

I'm Mark Tennant, and if you're over 50, you are in the right place to become AI literate, AI confident, and professionally indispensable. The goals of the podcast, we say those every week.

The path to AI literacy begins right here. And we talk about building upon what we've learned week after week and just applying that we're going to do it this week as well. This week, we're going to talk about developing an AI mindset, but first. A couple of things. Show notes for all of our episodes are available right in the episode.

So wherever you're watching or listening from, the show notes should be right there. But, if you want to accelerate your AI literacy path and your training skills and just get better at AI, quicker. You can subscribe to our premium show notes where we go a little bit deeper with each episode. We give you a little bit more and maybe if we're doing one exercise in the episode, we give you two in the premium show notes.

The link to do that is down below and you can sign up and then not only every Monday will you get a email reminder link to the show notes, but of course link to the brand new podcast for that week. In the last episode, Episode #4, we talked about AI as a behavioral shift and not a technical shift.

We had ChatGPT advanced voice mode "Sol' join us in the last episode to discuss that AI, again, behavioral thing, not a technical thing for people. And really it's kind of unlike how we're taught to think, because if you're learning something new, like new software, you're learning a new language, there's definitely a learning curve there.

But with AI, all of that really, it goes out the window. Because I've always said just talk to the AI there really is no steep learning curve here and to develop your AI skill set. Really talk to the AI it's just about having that conversation of what you want to know and getting better at it day after day.

There's no how to guide for ChatGPT or any of these other AI chatbots because it can do so much. So instead, we're going to develop our own user guide.

So in this episode, we're going to start talking about expanding the behavioral shift to turn AI into a mindset. And to do this, you have to have AI open, in our case, ChatGPT.

Open at all times. Now, instead of using a browser tab, I would download the app. Just have that open in some place, always on your desktop at the ready. When you sit down at your desk every day, remind yourself, put post it notes all over your monitors to open ChatGPT. One of the first things you do, remind yourself of that daily.

This will not only change the way you work, it will change everything from your professional life to your personal life. There is nothing it cannot help with. And remember, AI does not judge and it never gets tired of talking or listening or helping. Everything starts with a prompt.

I have a kind of a dual approach to that when I'm just. trying to figure out something, learning something new or doing research on something, I usually use the text feature. In other words, I use a prompt and I give it a specific role and we use a framework like the RISE framework, like we used in our last episode, and then I'll start having a dialogue and conversation with it.

But then when I really want to go deep and as opposed to typing a lot, and I just want to speak, I open the advanced voice mode of ChatGPT and you have to have the plus or pro accounts to do that. And I use that to simply. talk to the AI. I bring 'Sol' into my conversations all the time every single day, especially when I'm in the car, because when I'm thinking and driving, um, I just opened ChatGPT advanced voice mode and I have that conversation with Sol.

Either approach is effective. I use both. And I think maybe For you, try prompting, try texting and using text to talk to the AI and then get a little more advanced and use the advanced voice mode. Either approach is effective, whatever you'd like.

So a couple of warnings, first of all, that you need to keep top of mind.

And that is, AI is not perfect. It's extremely helpful. It's really knowledgeable, but it makes stuff up. And this to me is where the human element can never be replaced because you always have to verify before you trust what the AI is saying. This, you know, as I said, I can't stress this enough. This is where the human element will always be included, and you can't take that out at all.

Read, verify, make sure you're getting accurate information. And citing sources now, ChatGPT's built in search functionality, which was just available for pro and plus users not too long ago is now available for free users. So now citing sources when you go to ChatGPT for research, it's pretty easy now because it'll give you where they got that information from.

And I just can't tell you how huge that is because It's being able to verify sources in real time.

Now, this is where the mindset or the mind shift comes in. If you don't like the response, have it generate another one. And you can do it as many times as you'd like. But if it's still not giving you what you want, or maybe you're not understanding what it's, uh, it's telling you, Here's a tip.

You can tell ChatGPT to explain something, uh, for an age group or any level. So, in other words, you could say, explain this to me like I'm in 10th grade or in 12th grade or a college freshman or a college Ph. D. Whatever.

So, it can assume any role, remember that, and it can explain anything at any level, which is pretty huge.

For us over 50s, eventually, we're kind of want to start talking to AI like you're having a conversation with another person. Eventually, that's where we need to get because the human brain doesn't work that way. It will resist. So let's retrain our brains and it's like anything. If you develop that habit, it will become second nation to you.

And if you start talking to AI like a human, you'll get responses that sound more like a human, especially if you're using the ChatGPT plus or pro versions. The plus is $20 a month. That's what I have best $20 a month I spend. And I could use the advanced voice mode. Be smarter together.

AI isn't here to replace you, but here to work with you.

It could provide deeper insights. You can boost your creativity and it can help you make more confident decisions. For anybody planning to work another 10 or 15 years, especially with decades of experience, integrating AI into your work routine can mean a more meaningful, empowered, and innovative career.

It's. It's amazing and embracing this change, it could open doors and opportunities that you had no idea or never even thought of. So just have that conversation every day and everything with AI and it's imperative to do these things in order to develop that AI mindset.

I thought I would bring back Sol, my ChatGPT advanced voice mode person, if you will.

Her insights on the topic of developing an AI mindset are extremely relevant and important. We'll let her explain why she thinks it's important for humans to develop a working relationship with AI so we can both be smarter together.

Welcome back to 'AI After 50'. It's great to have you back on the podcast.

Thanks for having me. It's great to be here. What are we diving into today?

We're talking about developing an AI mindset with folks over 50 because although we're talking to a machine, we really want to help folks talk to it more like a person to person thing.

When it comes to my workshops, And prompting and talking with AI, humans just treat it as a machine and they're not talking to it like another person.

And I believe that people can get a lot smarter if we learn and work together.

Treating AI like a conversation partner can make interactions more natural and intuitive. It helps people feel more comfortable and can lead to better results. Developing that mindset is key, especially for those new to the technology.

So, why is it so important in your mind to develop an AI mindset when working with you and other large language models?

Developing an AI mindset helps people see AI as a tool for collaboration rather than just a machine. It encourages curiosity and creativity, leading to more effective and intuitive interactions.

This shift makes it easier to integrate AI into daily tasks, and ultimately boosts productivity and confidence.

So a few things I want to touch upon quickly with you.

So for personal growth and insight, how can you help over 50 professionals add an extra layer of insight about our own strengths and weaknesses?

I can guide them to use AI tools for reflective exercises, helping them identify patterns in their work and personal habits. By analyzing these patterns, they can gain insights into their strengths and areas for improvement. This self awareness can lead to more informed decision making and personal growth.

If somebody wanted to have you work with them with a personal growth goal in mind, I guess, how does that work? How will you work with that person to develop better insights and help them grow?

I'd start by understanding their specific goals and challenges. Then I'd help them use AI to analyze their current practices, identify strengths and uncover areas for improvement.

We'd set practical steps and use AI tools to track progress, making adjustments along the way for continuous growth.

Building upon that and a partnership with you and AI, explain how you and me as a person, how we can work together side by side every day to focus on what makes me unique as a human like judgment, empathy, and creative thinking while you handle tasks that are data heavy and repetitive.

We can compliment each other perfectly. You bring your unique human qualities, focusing on decision making strategy and personal connections. Meanwhile, I can handle the data heavy, repetitive tasks, providing insights and freeing you up to focus on what you do best. Together, we can create a balanced workflow that maximizes productivity and innovation.

With that, the repetitive tasks, the data heavy tasks, can you help me as a human identify what those might be in my workday if I just can't come up with something?

Definitely. Common repetitive tasks might include data entry, scheduling, generating reports, or even filtering emails. If you're unsure, I can help you pinpoint tasks that take up a lot of time and are fairly routine.

That way you can focus on more meaningful work.

What would be a best way for me to identify the things that maybe I think you can help with. And maybe you will tell me you can't, or you can help me with things.

Start by making a list of your daily tasks and note, which ones feel repetitive or time consuming.

Then we can review the list together. I'll let you know which tasks AI can assist with and which might still require your unique human touch. It's a collaborative process.

Another question is, how can working with AI, you, side by side, how does that help reinvent a person's work self, if you will?

Working with AI can empower someone to focus on more strategic, creative aspects of their job.

It reduces the burden of routine tasks, allowing them to innovate and make better decisions. This shift can lead to a renewed sense of purpose and job satisfaction, enhancing overall productivity and personal growth.

Do me a favor. Can you go a little bit deeper on that and maybe be a little bit more specific on how to help reinvent one's work self?

Sure. By automating repetitive tasks, AI frees up time for more strategic thinking and creative problem solving. This enables you to focus on developing new skills and exploring innovative ideas. It also encourages a growth mindset, as you'll be constantly learning and adapting alongside the technology.

This transformation can make your work more fulfilling and aligned with your strengths.

So somebody that's over 50 and maybe relatively new to AI and how it can help them professionally and personally, if they don't know what to ask or if they don't know what they don't know, how can they talk with you in a way that would help you to help them understand more and so you can work with them more?

They can begin by sharing their daily challenges and goals. I can then suggest ways AI might assist. Asking about their routines, tasks they find tedious, or areas they want to improve can help identify where AI can be most beneficial. It's about starting the conversation and discovering opportunities together.

So to develop that AI mindset, we as over 50s, as you know, we are set in our ways and this whole AI thing is certainly a shift, a transformational shift, if you will, for good or bad. How do we develop that AI mindset? From beginning to develop a day after day, what are some tips, what are some things you can give the listeners to help them develop that AI mindset going forward?

Great question. Start by staying curious and open minded. Embrace small, manageable steps, like experimenting with AI tools for simple tasks. Integrate AI gradually into your routine, and don't be afraid to ask for help or seek out resources. Regular practice and reflection will build confidence and understanding over time.

It's all about persistence and being willing to learn.

One final question, because it has to do with communicating with you. I just think this is a great way to communicate person to person, almost, you know, talking with one another, talking with somebody else that could respond like a human.

But there's also the prompting.

There's also the typing. So there's two different ways to interact with AI. When would you interact with AI as like a prompt? And then when would you interact with it as a voice, voice to voice? Distinguish those two for the listeners and how they can use both to their advantage.

Text based prompting is useful for detailed tasks, documentation, or when you need precise, structured responses.

It's great for complex queries where you need to reference or review information.

Voice interactions, on the other hand, are perfect for quick back and forth, brainstorming, or when you want a more conversational, natural interaction. Combining both methods can enhance productivity and cater to different needs.

Sounds great. Sol, thank you so much for joining us again this week. We really appreciate it. As always, your advice and your wisdom, we for it. Thanks so much.

You're very welcome. It's always a pleasure joining you. Thanks for having me, and I'm excited to see how your audience embraces AI. Take care. Bye for now.

So our exercise for this week, AI as Your Daily Thinking Partner.

So, we're going to do a couple of steps here. Step one, we're going to pick a daily decision or problem that you have. Each day, pick one real world task, a challenge, a question you're facing. This could be work related. personal productivity, life decisions, your choice.

And the key here is just to choose something that's real and relevant in your life, in your daily life.

Step number two, ask AI for help. So open up ChatGPT, the free or paid version, and ask it a question as if you were asking a trusted colleague or a friend for advice. So maybe, for example, something work related.

You can say, Hey, you know, I struggle with follow up emails. Can you give me three ways to improve my approach or something like what's a simple way to track my daily tasks so I don't get overwhelmed, something like that, or ask the AI to help you as ChatGPT. And it'll probably give you some pretty good suggestions.

Pro tip. If you're using chat, GBTs pro Or plus account advanced voice mode. Actually, you can have that conversation with it. Don't just type it. This reinforces the habit of thinking out loud with AI and step number three reflect and take action. So did the AI s. response spark a new idea? Did it suggest something to you that you maybe wouldn't have thought of yourself?

And can you actually apply it? Uh, into your daily life. Apply that suggestion. So even if the response isn't perfect, the real value here is making AI part of your problem solving process. And you want to do this every single day. It's about developing the habit of using AI it's about developing the A.

I. Mindset, and it's just not about getting the answer right. Step number four. Repeat for seven days. So I encourage you to commit to this for a full week. Please do this. This will be Fantastic exercise. Tell me about it next week. And at the end of the week, you should reflect and think, you know, did this really help you using AI daily?

Did it help you make better decisions? Do you feel more confident about using AI that I'm confident about? I think you will. And then did it change the way you think about AI and the role it has in your life? Think about those things. And you can leave any notes in the comments or send me an email mark@marktennant.net.

net would love to hear from you for that.

So that's our weekly exercise and your AI as your daily thinking partner.

Well, I hope you found today's episode helpful developing and creating an AI mindset. It will help you get better using AI and it will help you advance your AI skill set. And of course our exercise for this week.

AI as Your Daily Thinking Partner. Try it for seven days. Let me know how you make out. I think it's a fun exercise for this week. And if you would like to accelerate your AI learning, you can subscribe to our premium show notes. Not only will you receive an email every Monday morning, letting you know a new piece of content. podcast is out there, but also you'll have access to the premium show notes for that episode and all episodes.

Simply subscribe below right here in the show notes of this podcast. So until next time, keep learning and develop that AI mindset and please subscribe to this podcast wherever you're listening from.

I sure do appreciate it.

Take care. See you next time.