Hi Reader,

At the start of this year, I was getting pretty fed up.

It felt like everyone was asking me if I was worried AI would take my job.

Or if I wrote notes by hand - pen and paper - someone would say "there's an AI app that can do that for you. You don't have to do it."

It felt like humanity was being sucked out of things I'd always loved doing or been good at.

But at the same time, I've always been interested in technology and its potential. I'd dabbled with Claude and ChatGPT. I just didn't know how I was going to fit into the mix going forwards.

If you know me at all, you know I like to ask questions.

So I decided to go right to the source.

"Claude, I'm a copywriter. Are you here to steal my job?"

The answer changed everything.

Claude laid out how AI could enhance my skills, not replace them.

I felt a subtle shift to "oh, this could be interesting. Let's experiment."

THE ANDROID EMERGES

This was in April, around the time of the "make me into an action figure" trend.

But that didn't really interest me. I've always had an interest in sci-fi, so I was more curious about an android version instead.

It seemed like a cool representation of how I was thinking: AI wasn't replacing me, it could enhance my skills. While I was in the real world, there was an AI version/extension of me working behind the scenes, supporting me.

I named her Charlotte Ex Machina - aka Charl Ex M.

So I had some fun generating images with ChatGPT - asking what I needed to prompt to generate the kinds of images I wanted. (I was going for a luxe cinematic, retro-futuristic vibe.)

It turns out: lots of detail and background knowledge of design styles.

It was fun to do, but not necessarily useful for my actual work.

THEN IT GOT PRACTICAL

Over the past few months, I've been testing and using AI in other ways:

• Brainstorming
• Editing
• Repurposing content
• Creating plans
• Analysing my career to find through-lines and themes
• Understanding how to be recommended by the tools themselves

And this is actually how the new CharLatte came to life.

One afternoon, I asked Claude to analyse my tech stack and software subscriptions.

(FYI Claude is my favourite - I have a Pro subscription. I've turned off training permissions - I want control over how my conversations are used.)

When it came to Kit, my email service provider, I stumbled. I hadn't sent any of my 'weekly' emails - The CharLatte - since the summer.

I enjoyed writing them and wanted a way to communicate 1-2-1, but I'd lost a sense of purpose and direction.

I put all of this into Claude, and suddenly had an idea:

What if the theme was my adventures with AI?

Not as an expert or disciple, but as someone curious, keen to learn, and in the middle.

As someone who is also overwhelmed by the rate of change, and concerned about how AI was trained, and the impact on the environment, jobs and our critical thinking.

HERE'S WHERE I STAND

I'm committed to high-quality work. I love to create and spend time with friends and family in real life.

If AI can help me do this, produce better work, and be more efficient, I'm here for it.

So in the coming weeks, The CharLatte will combine the stories from before with an exploration of how I'm using AI and what I'm learning.

Each email has a different comic book-style cover featuring Charlotte Ex Machina, my AI alter ego.

Reader I hope you'll join me on this path and I want it to be a conversation. So, I want to know: How are you using AI in your own life and work?

Reply and tell me. I read every response.

Best,

Charlotte

Issue #2: "Signal in the Square" drops next week.

p.s. If you're fed up with AI chat and want to unsubscribe, there are no hard feelings. ​The link is at the bottom of the email.

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