COHN AI: Artificial Intelligence
Has anything become as ubiquitous in such a short space of time as A.I.?
Not long ago, A.I. seemed like something only scientists or people in the future could use, and today, all of us—including our moms and dads—are using A.I. on a daily basis!
In this (very meta) edition of COHN AI (Authentic Intelligence), we asked COHN members how THEY use A.I. on a daily basis.
Here’s what they said:
Show me the Mullein!
Chris Thomas
Creative Director
I use it to determine if there’s a way to monetize different plants we have growing that might be considered weeds and invasive. Spoiler alert – Mullein is the golden ticket, and we have tons of it!
Oh and for recipes, organizing lists, first drafts of content outlines for brochures and videos, and of course, in my daily Google searching using Gemini. What I’d love to see is how that’s affecting page rankings…
Part of my Tech Repertoire!
Jeff Cohn
President & CEO
If I think about my history of digital adoption, it’s usually been a step-by-step process. I start by dipping my toe and all of a sudden it becomes a part of my life. The same has been true with AI. I started reluctantly by using it as a “Google search replacement.” Now I find myself using these tools much more for online research in my business and personal life, planning and refinement of written content. I don’t tend to rely on it for original content, but I find these tools very useful to improve my communications and cause me to think about things anew. It never replaces the human element, but these tools have quickly become a part of my tech repertoire.
Operational Excellence!
Ali Lego
Chief Operating Officer
I don’t use a ton of AI in my day-to-day role, but the tools I do use are pretty basic/fundamental, but they are time savers and quality controls. For me, my focus at COHN is on “operational excellence,” so any tools that can support that I’m in favor of.
- ChatGPT: research as well as copyediting / refinement.
- Grammarly: making sure my writing is error free, succinct, etc.
- Gemini, Fathom or Zoom AI: for note-taking
I also subscribe to Superhuman, a daily AI-focused newsletter which is always full of suggestions, new tools, insights, trends, etc.
No More Overthinking!
Lisa Wieting
VP of Strategy
So. Many. Ways. But the underlying theme is “Thought Organization.” My entire professional career, I have struggled with organizing thoughts, ideas and the occasional “squirrel” that distracts me from putting my head down and translating what’s in my mind onto paper. I now use AI:
Gemini: Recording meetings and synthesizing the main points into one page cuts a HUGE amount of time out of summarizing what we heard and next steps. It also holds everyone accountable as AI doesn’t care what was said, just that it was said.
ChatGPT: Nothing can replace original thought, but having a personal AI assistant that can take those ideas and formulate them into a starting point is GOLD. I start by “idea vomiting” rapid fire thoughts into a document. Then, coming up with some guidance from tone, to length, to audience, to intent, to format, (blog post, proposal, executive summary, a 4-part process, etc.) and asking for an outline that organizes it all. OMG. So helpful. I also find this incredibly freeing in that I’m not overthinking anything, I’m just flowing versus trying to edit myself as I go.
Canva AI: I’m TERRIBLE at visualizing things, so I use the Canva AI feature to drop an idea in and ask it to turn it into a person, a flow chart, a tarot card… anything fun or silly to fuel my creative flow when I’m stuck. Sometimes it just makes me laugh, but sometimes it brings an idea to life in a way that allows me to actually SEE it for the first time and improve upon it!
Alt Text Accessibility!
Caty Carrico
Communications Director
Something I have incorporated into my workflow is using ChatGPT to draft alt text for social media graphics. I then use that alt text on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc. to ensure that posts are accessible for people who use screen readers. A small bit of effort that makes content more enjoyable for a wider audience.
Polish & Identify!
Joy Meadows
Public Relations Director
I frequently use AI as a starting point for content creation in social media. I also occasionally turn to it to “polish” writing when I’m stuck and I often ask AI to “identify action items” from meeting notes. In my personal life, I have used it for help finding the best rental car rates and suggesting travel itineraries.
Praise the GOAT!
CJ Powell
VP of Brand
It’s honestly hard to know how much of my life is built on A.I. these days, as it’s been integrated without my knowledge into so many tools that I use on a daily basis. Of course, I need to give a huge shoutout to my GOAT: ChatGPT. I should probably be a little more embarrassed by how often I’m using and talking to ChatGPT, from creating recipes to talking through issues with my family to straight-up just asking it to tell me jokes throughout the day. It’s a coworker, a therapist, a confidant… OK maybe I should shut up before I embarrass myself any more than this!
