My first draft of this newsletter was very careful. I didn’t want to offend or ostracize anyone, because I don’t think this issue is black or white.

But it felt like I was watering down my message, and I don’t want to beat around the bush:

The growing popularity of AI is freaking me the f*ck out.

I feel like, societally, we are under an AI optimization spell — woo’d by the promise of efficiency, visibility, and ease.

Instead of questioning why so many of us are burnt out, overworked, and unable to focus, we’re being handed a robotic “assistant” on a silver platter to placate us. To increase our productivity without increasing our output. But at what cost? And why are we expected to produce SO much in the first place??

It seems like the conversation has shifted from whether or not using AI is good or bad, to accepting that it’s here regardless and how to make the best of it.

But what does “making the best of it” actually look like? Where do we, as small business owners, draw the line?

I still believe where you draw the line is entirely up to you; I don’t think any of us are bad people because we use AI.

I also believe it’s important to be open about where your line is with your clients. So, let this email serve as my line draw.

WHY I DELETED MY CLAUDE ACCOUNT

I’ve been feeling an increased sense of personal dissatisfaction with my AI usage, which led me to write this post today. As I was writing it, I felt the overwhelming desire to cancel my Claude subscription and delete my account.

I realized how much I was using it simply because it’s there, not because I actually need it. I’d catch myself trying to find new ways to use it to justify the price tag.

Also, saying I paid $20/mo for it in my AI transparency statement felt misaligned with my brand (and values).

HOW I’M USING AI MOVING FORWARD

I am currently paying a little under $30/mo on AI services. For me personally, AI is a tool I can use to make work more accessible to me and my clients:

• I pay $14/mo for Granola AI. It take notes for me during meetings. Auditory processing is difficult for me, and it helps me stay present with my clients.

• I also pay $10/mo for Whereby Embedded because it provides live closed captioning during calls for clients who need it.

• I pay $4.99/mo for Voxer Pro+AI so I can auto-transcribe audio messages from clients.

• I’m currently checking out Kommodo, an AI screen recorder that can convert videos into text-based guides and transcripts. If I like it, that’ll bring my monthly AI total to just under $45/mo.

I have my AI transparency statement linked at the bottom of every email I send, and will continue to update it if anything changes in my tech stack.

It’s a way for me to hold myself publicly accountable, and to resist the wooing of AI optimization.

Where do you stand on AI?