This Thanksgiving, among many other things, I am grateful for artificial intelligence.

Not because it tells me I’m brilliant.

ChatGPT, I’m looking at you.

Not because it helps me work on my patience so I can be a better person.

Yes, Copilot. I do mean you.

As people across the U.S. gather this Thanksgiving Day and share with one another what they’re grateful for, one thing I am grateful for is AI because:

• it connects me with very smart, accomplished people like Twitter used to,
• it kindles my imagination and helps me learn new things like encyclopedias used to,
• and it is facilitating the creation of my new business.

I get it. Many people have reservations about AI.

Seemingly every day we see new headlines about why we shouldn’t trust the technology, how the AI bubble may be about to burst, how that could destabilize the U.S. economy, and how AI could imperil all humanity.

But I won’t be sharing my pdoom number while spooning Cool Whip onto my pumpkin pie Thursday because, from my perspective, AI has several tangible upsides.

Join me for a three-course AI insight feast, then let me know if you agree.

I Really Miss Early Twitter

Maybe I was just in the right place at the right time, but early Twitter was, for me, a wonderland.

It’s where I met thought leaders like Glen Gilmore and Anne Deeter Gallaher. Where I connected with people in central Pennsylvania like Rich Hauck, Kevin Smith, Stephen Juliano, and Stephanie Gehman.

And it was where some of us built a community of like-minded people. The Harrisburg Social Media Club crafted a network of business people, soloprenuers, and local brands which produced three day-long conferences and brought hundreds of people together to learn from one another.

Today, AI serves a similar purpose for me.

Through Mark Schaefer’s RISE community and in ongoing conversations about both the evolving AI industry as well as how to unlock and leverage the technology, I’m finding that same community.

Sure, RISE is about more than AI, but it is one of the key red threads. So much happens every day that I can’t dip my toe into the community chats without drowning in hot takes and fresh insights on the latest AI development.

I am grateful for this AI-focused community and how it feeds and supports me daily.

Help me learn how to…

I am a lifelong learner. “Why” and “How” questions light me up.

My parents helped nurture that trait in me by buying a set of World Book encyclopedias for the family. I repaid that investment by poring over the heavy volumes rich with images and facts, reading from one listing to another for hours.

The encyclopedia kindled my imagination. It helped me learn about far-off places and people, about history, about how a car worked. All of it.

Today, although it is possible to buy a complete 22-volume set of an actual encyclopedia, I turn to AI when I want to dive deep into a new challenge or master a new skill.

I’ve used AI to learn how to extract text from conversations in Discord channels. AI has held my hand as I’ve figured out to transcribe an hour-long video without paying for a new subscription service. And it’s helped me figure out, countless times, amazingly random stuff like how long to roast the Brussel sprouts with the chicken thighs, when to prune a plant in my backyard, and what the two Monarch butterflies might be up under a butterfly bush in the middle of the afternoon.

I am grateful for AI because it is a catalyst for my unquenchable thirst to understand how the world around me works.

An Always-on Business Consultant

And, lastly, I am grateful for how AI tools are helping to facilitate my current journey.

I graduated from Mark Schaefer’s personal branding course almost one year ago. Since then, I have written, counting this one, 52 blog posts. More importantly, though, I have developed two new business services—one of them has introductory pricing available now—and have secured my first two customers!

Where will AI and I wind up?

I have a vision for that which I’m going to keep to myself. For now.

It’s in a strange place right now. A liminal spot between the kindling spark and the place where it feels safe being shared.

Certainly, my journey is far from solely about or limited to artificial intelligence. But without AI, I’m not certain I could have accomplished all that I have in the last 12 months.

For that reason, for how it connects me to a community, and for how it fills my curiosity cup, I am grateful for AI.

I know not everyone shares my opinion of AI. They worry that it dehumanizes us, deepens our crisis of loneliness, and has significant environmental impacts as energy needs escalate.

Those are valid concerns.

But if any of my story resonated with you and sparked your curiosity, I’m here for you. Send me a note. I read every email I get and will be glad to respond; possibly even while I enjoy the first leftover turkey sandwich.