Edition 84.

I interrupt our regular five-byte format this week to share a confession.

But! Before I get into it...

Here’s what inspired the whole thing.

It started with a 2am design render in AI.

Picture this.

I’m one protein shake deep, eyelids taped open, pushing through an all-nighter to meet a client’s fast-moving campaign deadline.

I’m using AI to generate quick visuals while also transforming those renders into the pixel-perfect art that will be seen by, you know… the actual public.

Zooming in on every. single. character.

Double-checking no one has eleven fingers or an oddly long limb.

Retouching sleeves, shadows, and skin pixels until the image looks like it was captured on a million-dollar set, not inside my cove at 2am.

Now that’s one extreme (and professional) use of AI.

But it made me realize something important...

(In the context of all the other smaller tasks I used AI for this week).

Most people think AI is all or nothing.

Either it replaces everything, or it’s some intimidating tech you just dabble with.

Not something you use to actually *optimize* your workflow.

But here’s the truth from the frontlines.

When I’m not rendering ad-quality art, I use AI simply.

Not to replace ideas.

But to enhance decisions.

You can, too.

Because the real advantage shows up in the small ways we can use AI to make sharper decisions.

Here are 3 ways I use AI every week that have nothing to do with eleven-fingered AI models:

First use: Translate into layman terms.

Last week, I tried to read a “Terms of Use” agreement.

It felt like a legal obstacle course.

Replies from customer support weren’t any simpler.

So, I highlighted the confusing parts and asked AI:

“Explain this to me in layman terms.”

Fog lifted.

And when I want it even simpler, I go:

“Explain this to me like I’m in 5th grade.”

Not because I am.

Because clarity wins over jargon.

Second use: Source, cite, and recall.

I loosely remembered reading about a massive TikTok live shopping event this past week.

I remembered the brand and details, but not the production agency behind it.

(I wanted to add them to my agency-inspo list.)

So I gave AI the details I *did* remember.

Brand, event, date.

It came back with the agency name, linked references, and the article I was thinking of.

If something is on the tip of your tongue, share what you know and AI can fill in the blanks.

But remember: *always* double check the sources provided.

Third use: Brand tone for repeatable content.

For select projects, I feed brand voice into the LLM (large language model) so it generates brand-aligned messages.

Not to ghostwrite my ideas.

But to give structure to half-formed thoughts.

I brain dump a messy outline.

Typos and all.

And AI cleans it into something that matches the intended brand voice, with character limits and SEO logic on point.

Then I refine it with a human touch.

That last layer of judgment?

Still mine.

AI isn’t replacing my creativity or critical thinking.

It’s amplifying my capacity.

And here’s a quick example.

I met a business owner who published blog articles AI wrote *without* refining them.

Just straight up copy-and-paste.

They ended up attracting clients who didn’t align with their services.

So it’s *critical* to run any AI writing through your brand parameters and your own judgment.

That final look is yours.

AI is powerful.

But the differentiator is you: your judgment, your taste, and your refinements.

So, my challenge to you:

This week, give AI a simple task.

Translate something.

Recall a detail.

Organize your ideas.

Use it as a tool for clarity.

For enhancement.

Not a replacement.

Practice the skills AI unlocks.

Next week, we’re back with brand bytes.

This week, simplicity calls 🧠

More brand bytes next Sunday at 5!