From Me to You (and to Me, Too): My Little Robot Elf

ByDavid

It’s easy to give advice. I think I find it easy to take advice too.

But for me to heed the words that I say to others? Not so easy.

So this one is for both of us.

A little background: I’m a big Simpsons fan, and that TV show was a major part of my family’s life for about the first 15 or 20 years or so that it ran. It’s been on since 1989, so about 35 years. Wow.

From that era, I greatly admired the performers and the writers. One writer in particular, John Swartzwelder provided an amazing bit of writing philosophy. This is from his 2021 interview in The New Yorker:

“I always write my scripts all the way through as fast as I can, the first day, if possible, putting in crap jokes and pattern dialogue,” he explained. “Then the next day, when I get up, the script’s been written. It’s lousy, but it’s a script. The hard part is done.

“It’s like a crappy little elf has snuck into my office and badly done all my work for me, and then left with a tip of his crappy hat. All I have to do from that point on is fix it. So, I’ve taken a very hard job, writing, and turned it into an easy one, rewriting, overnight.”

Some of us are better writers, some better editors. I generally edit as I write.

But with the accessibility of AI, I now command a capable crew of tiny robot elves (named ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot).

They have written first drafts for me.

Did I use AI for this thing you’re reading right now? No. I promise.

Have I used it before in my posts? Just a handful of times. I swear.

Will I use it more in the future?

Yeah. I will.

But remember, the elves work for me.

They will do my bidding and I will make sure the squeaky little voice you hear is mine, not theirs.

We have to live in the present with an eye on the future.

Take advantage of the resources around you.

You can do it. You’ll be glad you did.

(And so will I!)

See you tomorrow!

(ALSO! My friend Rob and I just published the latest issue of our podcast for you to enjoy. Find “Marketing vs Sales” on your favorite podcast platform. Pull up a seat and join us, and let us know what you think!)