If my relationship with AI were a Facebook status, it would be “it’s complicated.”
   At first, I was resistant to the idea of using it at all. After all, at heart, I’m a writer and I’d been hearing constantly stuff like: AI is going to take your job; just have ChatGPT write the whole article in seconds; and the like.
   I hated the idea because I take great pleasure in the creative process. Now I realize – through lots of experimentation – that there is a crucial middle ground. You can use AI to enhance certain things you struggle with while resisting it in other areas. Both are important.
   For example, AI is excellent for brainstorming. Whether it's topic ideas, gift suggestions or creative promotions, it can give you a list of ideas in seconds that you can then use your creativity to tweak. Some might not be things you’d ever considered, so it can open up possibilities.
   I love asking it questions – about life, business, even relationship conflicts. Amazingly, it provides great perspective and advice while making me feel heard.
   Recently I used it to help me through a relatively minor leg injury. . . granted, it’s not a doctor but by typing in my symptoms and answering a few questions it was able to give me a few likely possibilities and conservative treatment suggestions before I could even get my doctor to call me back (and bonus: no bill!)
   NOW. . . please don’t misunderstand what I’m saying. . . in absolutely all of these cases I used AI as a tool to begin a process, not as the entire process itself. And there are things I absolutely refuse to do with AI. At the top of that list: I won’t have it write anything for me. And I’ll always remember, especially when asking about relationship conflicts, that the answers I get are only as valuable and well-rounded as the info I give it (in other words, I need to be fair).
   That’s really the takeaway of our AI feature on page 82 of the July/August issue: when used thoughtfully, AI can enhance your boutique – but remember that it’s a tool, not the whole toolbox. The key is knowing when and how to use it. Since this article went to print, two major AI headlines have already made waves: people forming romantic relationships with AI (an interesting phenomenon in and of itself) and warnings about what happens when we lean too heavily on AI (hint: it can erode your critical thinking skills). That’s the nature of this technology – it’s evolving fast.
   AI isn’t going anywhere. And if we’re smart about how we use it, it can absolutely help us – professionally and personally. Just don’t hand over the reins. Like anything powerful, it needs balance.