Hi Reader

This morning there was a message from my sister on the WhatsApp family group chat.

“Does anyone have spare straighteners I can borrow? I left mine in Abersoch and won’t be able to get them back for 10 days.”

Before I could reply, her best friend came to the rescue. My sister has a stop-gap measure. A temporary fix.

When she gets hers back, she won’t have to worry about returning them to anyone. They are hers.

The idea of ownership has been on my mind recently. Especially when it comes to AI.

And especially when I was preparing my talk for Codsall High Year 12 students last week.

(If you read last week’s CharLatte, I mentioned it then - thanks for reading).

It was about AI and Applications: How to Stand Out.

As well as talking about how you can use AI to find experience, I spoke about the need to make AI generated content your own.

Because when you ask ChatGPT or Claude to write something for you, it’s a bit like getting someone to do your homework for you.

It might save you time up front, but the work doesn’t disappear completely. It comes up in different ways (or you get detention 😂).

BUILT vs BORROWED

This came up with a friend a couple of months ago. We were talking about AI and how we’re using it. She told me about how her husband had been using it to prep for a job interview.

He’d taken a list of questions and his CV, and asked ChatGPT to come up with some answers.

It’s a smart move. They’re personalised to him. But did it remove all the work? No. He had to put effort into learning the answers.

I’ve heard this in other places too. My friend Clare is the curator of TEDx Wolverhampton. She said some people had clearly used AI to write their application. They were generic and didn’t get through. We hear about this a lot.

Then there were other people who had either used AI to help develop their idea or worked with someone to write their application for them.

When they got to the interview stage, they weren’t able to talk about their idea in more detail. Something was missing. So they didn’t get selected.

THE STRUGGLE MAKES IT STICK

AI has made many things quicker and easier.

Before AI, when I was writing or working on a website project, there was usually a stage where I doubted my skills. I wanted to give it all up. It was too hard.

In fact, I wrote it into my plans as a reminder that this happened.

Did I enjoy it? No. But I kept persevering and thinking about it. I asked more questions and gathered more information.

Then something shifted. There was a breakthrough. It clicked into place.

Now, I can use AI to give me perspectives and ideas. In seconds.

It’s helped me move more quickly. Get ideas off the ground. Edit my work.

And it gives me more time to speak to people and do things in real life. And understand what they need.

But I’ve found that I need the struggle to help things stick. I don’t want to rely completely on AI.

Yesterday, I was going through an interview transcript from a past client. I’d printed it out and I was writing notes by hand.

AI can do this in seconds.

But by reading through it, and thinking back to our conversation, I started thinking about what she said, the struggles of the people who attended the session.

Real experiences, real struggles, real conversations.

Now I have a new idea for a workshop. Which I have been building out with the help of ChatGPT. (More details coming soon)

There’s so much of this world which is borrowed. It’s not a bad thing, but it places limits.

Subscription services like Spotify and Netflix mean you have access to a huge range of entertainment. But when you stop paying, you don’t have it anymore.

Social media platforms give you a place to connect with others and share your news. But you’re at the mercy of the algorithm and big tech. If Meta decides to close your account, you lose access to the community you’ve built (which I’ve seen a number of times and has had devastating impacts on people’s businesses).

So now, Reader, I’m wondering: if we’re subscribing to AI tools, what happens to our thinking and learning if we don’t do it for ourselves?

I have lots of questions, but I don’t have all the answers.

What I will keep doing is building experiences. Building relationships. In real life.

Because these are ours.

Best,

Charlotte

P.S. The struggle makes it stick. In Conference Prep VIP sessions, we don’t borrow someone else’s presentation style or script AI answers. We build YOUR way of speaking - from your stories, your experience, your voice. Because that’s what people remember. April bookings open. Hit reply.

NEXT WEEK: The Feedback Loop

PROMPT TO TRY THIS WEEK: EMBRACE THE STRUGGLE

Before you ask AI for an answer, try this:

Spend 10 minutes wrestling with the problem yourself. Write down: - What you already know - What you’re unsure about
- Where you’re stuck

Then ask AI:

“Here’s what I know [paste your notes]. Here’s where I’m stuck [paste]. Don’t give me the answer - help me think through it. What questions should I be asking? What am I missing?”

Why this works:

The struggle makes it stick. By thinking first, you’re building understanding, not borrowing solutions.

HOW THE COVER WAS CREATED

This week’s cover was inspired by pulp comics. Copilot helped me write the prompt. ChatGPT generated the image.

Two paths show the difference between built vs borrowed. The cyber path is smoother and eye-catching, more people are on it, but it’s fragile and crumbles.

The built path is rocky and long, but heads into the sunset.