THE PATRIOT KID
BE “LEFT BEHIND” WITHOUT AI.
ONE WANTS $500 A MONTH.
AM I ACTUALLY MISSING OUT?
GENUINELY USEFUL. SOME
IS A STICKER ON THE SAME
OLD SOFTWARE. LET'S SORT THEM.
✓ First drafts you then edit
✓ Summarising something long
✓ Tidying notes, rewriting for tone
✓ Answering the same five questions
✓ Explaining an error message
✗ Anything with a legal or money answer
✗ Your customers' private details
✗ Facts nobody will check
✗ Decisions you can't undo
It states wrong answers just as confidently
as right ones — see Issue #2.
version didn't?”
A real answer sounds like a task.
A sticker sounds like an adjective —
“smart,” “next-generation,” “AI-powered.”
QUOTES AND I CHECK EVERY
NUMBER. FOUR HOURS BACK
A WEEK — AND I CANCELLED THE $500.
pick one job, measure it,
keep it if it earns its keep.
🤖 What It Actually Is
Today's AI is a very good pattern machine. It has read an enormous amount of text and predicts what words should come next. That's it — and it's genuinely more useful than it sounds.
What it means in practice: it's strong at language work — drafting, summarising, rewriting, explaining, answering repeat questions. It is not a database, an accountant or a lawyer, and it doesn't know when it's wrong. (Issue #2 covers that: you can't trust AI — it hallucinates.)
The honest summary: it makes a competent person faster. It does not replace knowing your trade.
🏷️ Real Tool or Shiny Sticker?
“AI-powered” is on everything now, including software that hasn't changed in three years. Four questions that settle it quickly:
- What task does it do? A straight answer names a job. Vagueness is the tell.
- What did it replace? If nothing got faster or cheaper, nothing changed.
- Where does my data go? Ask plainly whether your customer information is used to train their system.
- Can I try it on my own work? Not a demo — your real quotes, your real emails.
And a fifth, uncomfortable one: can I do the same thing with the free version of a general tool? Often, yes.
🛠 How to Start Without Getting Burned
Pick one job you do every week that's mostly typing — quotes, follow-up emails, job descriptions, the same five customer questions. Try it for a month on the free tier. Time yourself before and after.
Two rules, permanently: check every number and name before it leaves your desk, and don't paste anything you wouldn't email to a stranger. Nobody is left behind for waiting a month to see whether a tool actually helps.
Got a pitch on your desk and want a straight answer? Ask Chuck — he'll tell you if it's a sticker.
Got an IT problem worthy of a comic? Tell Chuck about it.