How to use AI to make life easier, not replace your brain - Ep 92
AI is everywhere right now. It’s in our feeds, in our conversations and in our businesses.
And depending on who you ask, it’s either the most exciting tool creators have ever had or something we should be deeply cautious about.
Even though it seems like AI is at the forefront of every conversation now, it didn’t appear overnight.
It’s been working in the background of our lives for quite a while.
Create & consume:
What Austen is creating this week: A makeup tutorial for a full-face of drugstore makeup options
What Austen is consuming this week: Love Is Blind Season 10
In this episode:
The origins and emergence of AI
If you’ve ever used Amazon’s product recommendations, watched a Netflix suggestion, or relied on Google autocomplete, you’ve used AI.
For years, artificial intelligence worked quietly in the background. It analyzed behavior patterns and predicted what we might want next.
Back then, it wasn’t creating content—it was organizing and recommending.
When Siri launched in 2011, AI moved into our pockets. A few years later in 2014, Amazon Alexa brought it into our homes.
Throughout the 2010s, machine learning made platforms smarter from Spotify to TikTok.
The real shift happened in the last five years when AI became generative.
Instead of simply predicting or recommending, AI can now write, design, code, create images, edit video, and mimic human language patterns.
How AI has evolved for me
About three years ago, I made a YouTube video inspired by Casey Neistat where I asked ChatGPT to write a script in the style of my channel.
The result was… not great. It felt vague, robotic, and very obviously not in my voice.
Recently, I tried something similar. I asked it to come up with a new video idea for my channel. It suggested:
“A week of outfits as a full-time creator in NYC. This blends fashion, creator life, NYC as a backdrop, and behind-the-scenes realism — which your audience loves.”
What surprised me most was the specificity. It referenced that Monday is typically my admin day and Tuesday is my filming day.
It understood my content pillars and the direction I’ve been moving toward. Three years ago, it felt like a gimmick. Now, it feels like a legitimate creative tool.
I also recently upgraded to the ChatGPT Go plan, which is $8 per month, and the improvement has been noticeable.
How I use AI in my creator business
I don’t use AI to replace my creativity. I use it to support it.
I use it for ideation and brainstorming when I need fresh angles. I use it to refine creative assets like hooks, thumbnails, and episode concepts.
Sometimes I’ll ask how to make a YouTube thumbnail more engaging or how to elevate a concept for The Glow Up series.
It’s also helpful for drafting emails and positioning rates. It allows me to articulate my value clearly and confidently during negotiations.
I use AI to help structure podcast show notes and blog posts like this one. I use AI-powered tools to clip podcast episodes more efficiently.
And I use it when reviewing my annual goals to help think through strategy and big-picture planning.
It speeds up processes, but I’m still the decision-maker.
How I use AI in my personal life
AI isn’t just a business tool for me.
I’ve used Canva’s Magic Edit for home planning visuals. I’ve used ChatGPT to mock up renovation concepts and layout ideas.
When I wanted to increase my cycling time this year, I had it calculate exactly how much I needed to add weekly to hit my goal. I even used it to help break down shared costs for a bachelorette trip.
It saves time on logistical tasks that would otherwise require multiple apps or spreadsheets.
Where I set boundaries
This is the probably the most important part—I never copy and paste something from AI as it is.
AI for me is a first draft or a brainstorming partner, but I don’t blindly publish what it gives me.
Here are some boundaries I set with AI, to name a few:
I don’t outsource freelance client work to it.
I don’t use it to communicate with my community.
I don’t rely on it to fully write blog posts for my personal brand.
It’s very simple: at the end of the day efficiency will never come at the cost of my integrity and the promises I make to myself, my clients and my community.
AI and content creators
I think creators need to ask themselves one important question:
Why would someone choose to watch your content instead of getting a highly personalized answer from AI?
AI can generate information instantly. What it cannot replicate is lived experience, taste, storytelling, and emotional nuance.
As AI improves, originality becomes more valuable—not less. I talk more about this in episode 86, what’s really working on social media right now.
In summary:
At the end of the day, AI helps me move faster. It reduces friction in my workflow.
It prevents burnout by taking some of the logistical weight off my plate.
It gives me more time to focus on creativity, big-picture strategy, and the parts of my business that only I can do.
For twenty years, AI was quietly organizing our world. Now, we get to decide how we collaborate with it.
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