067 |  🐡Blowfish & 🥖 Bread

Brainyacts #67

Greetings from Brainyacts, it's like a Ted Talk meets TikTok, where the wisdom is byte-sized and so digestible, even your goldfish would understand generative AI!

Let’s keep thinkin’.

A special welcome 👋 to my NEW SUBSCRIBERS! 

To read previous posts, go here.

In this edition we will

  1. get savvy on Google’s updated LLM

  2. explore what we will do with all the extra time AI gives us

  3. list 11 virtual assistant tools

  4. preview a new course for AI workflows

  5. access a recent report on AI in the enterprise

  6. address the loneliness epidemic in the US

The New Way of Working: Quantity or Quality

The Dawn of Amplification Intelligence: Reimagining Work in the Era of Personal AI Assistants

As Reid Hoffman, the LinkedIn co-founder and venture capitalist, recently remarked, the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) indicates that within the next 2 to 5 years, every professional will have a personal AI assistant for informational tasks. This shift, he argues, will revolutionize how we work, acting as an amplifier for our abilities, an era he characterizes as 'amplification intelligence'. 

But what does this mean for the future of work? Specifically, how will it impact productivity, motivation, creativity, and the structure of our working week?

Firstly, let's look at productivity.

Imagine a world where routine tasks such as drafting reports or taking meeting minutes can be completed by AI in a fraction of the time it takes a human. According to Hoffman, this could liberate professionals from 50% to 80% of their current workload. IBM chief Arvind Krishna echoes this sentiment, envisioning AI tools taking on repetitive tasks, freeing employees for higher-value work. This isn't just a productivity boost, it's a seismic shift in how we view and value our time at work.

The flip side of this AI-driven productivity surge, however, is a potential workforce contraction. Krishna foresees a future where 30% of back-office jobs could be replaced by AI and automation. The individuals who will thrive in this environment are those who can adeptly partner with technology, using it as an amplifier of their skills rather than a replacement.

The impact on motivation is twofold.

On one hand, AI's capability to reduce mundane tasks and free professionals for more complex, higher-value tasks can boost motivation. It's invigorating to imagine a world where we spend less time on administrative chores and more time thinking, creating, strategizing. However, the looming threat of job loss, and the need to constantly adapt to new technologies, may create stress and anxiety, potentially undermining motivation.

Creativity stands to gain immensely from the rise of AI.

With freed-up time, professionals can devote more energy to creative thinking, problem-solving, and innovation. There's the potential to make work not just more efficient, but more fulfilling. Yet, there's a caveat: will organizations and leaders recognize and nurture this potential for creativity, or will they merely push for increased output, as James Clarke, CEO of Clearlink, suggests?

Finally, what does this mean for the structure of our working week?

There is a compelling argument that increased productivity could lead to a four-day work week. However, there's an old adage that 'work expands to fill the time available.' This phenomenon, known as Parkinson's Law, may mean that despite AI's productivity boost, our work will simply expand to fill our traditional five-day work week. Much will depend on how organizations choose to leverage the AI productivity dividend.

In the face of this imminent AI revolution, professionals and organizations alike must prepare for a world where AI isn't just a tool, but a collaborator.

While there's no denying the challenges and potential pitfalls, the promise of amplification intelligence – a world where AI assists us, enhances our capabilities, and makes work more meaningful – is a compelling vision of the future. Yet, it's a vision that will only be realized if we navigate the transition with wisdom, empathy, and a deep commitment to making work better for all.

Parkinson's Law in the AI Age: Treading the Waters of Mediocrity or Surfing the Waves of Excellence?

Let's talk about Parkinson's Law, that age-old adage that work expands to fill the time available. It's like that magical closet in your house. No matter how much you declutter, somehow it always seems to fill back up. The same goes for work. As our AI-powered productivity rockets, there's a lurking danger that our work will simply puff up like a 🐡blowfish to fill our traditional five-day work week.

In a world where AI assistants are as common as ☕️ Monday morning coffee, this could mean we're just treading water in an ever-rising sea of mediocrity. But what if we could use this newfound productivity not to merely stay afloat but to surf the waves of excellence?

Imagine, for a moment, a world where we use AI not just to do more, but to do better. A world where we use the AI-assisted time and capacity gains not to churn out more of the same, but to transform our work into something truly exceptional. It's like going from baking plain bread 🍞to crafting artisanal sourdough loaves 🥖.

Sure, the baking process might still fill your day, but what a difference in the end product! And that's the crux of the matter. It's not about mindlessly pumping out more bread (or reports, emails, or designs), it's about using our AI assistants to make each loaf as good as it can possibly be.

So how about we revise Parkinson's Law for the AI era? How about: "Work expands to fill the time available, but the quality of that work is determined by how we utilize our AI assistants."

TOOLS YOU CAN USE

On the topic of virtual assistants, I thought I would share 11 tools with you.

  1. Email Magic AI: Helps users write emails 10x faster https://www.emailmagic.ai/

  2. Copy AI: A tool for all your marketing needs https://www.copy.ai/

  3. Magical AI: Writing assistance and task automation https://www.getmagical.com/ai

  4. Levity: Use AI to automate every day tasks https://levity.ai/

  5. Jenni AI: AI writing assistant https://app.jenni.ai/

  6. Lindy: An ai assistant for office tasks https://www.lindy.ai/

  7. VoiceType: Use AI to write emails https://voicetype.io/

  8. Writesonic: AI writing, copywriting & paraphrasing tool https://writesonic.com/

  9. Copilotly: An ai assistant to improve writing, research, and problem-solving https://www.copilotly.com/

  10. WritersBrew: AI assistant that accelerates reading and writing https://writersbrew.app/

  11. Spoke AI: A tool to aggregate, and summarize notifications across tools https://www.spoke.ai/

USE CASE: What I Am Building Now

As long-time readers know, I have considered creating a course on integrating GenAI into the business and practice of law. The last time I polled readers, there was indication that a course like this would be desired.

So I thought I would take a moment to share with you what I am building.

At the bottom of this I have a short poll, if you could answer the few questions, that would be amazing.

Course Title: Mastering AI for Legal Business Strategy: Implementing the Practice + AI Business Workflow

Course Description:

Welcome to "Mastering AI for Legal Business Strategy," a comprehensive, online course tailored for lawyers and their business and operations teams. Acknowledging the business knowledge gap in the legal sector, this course is designed to foster entrepreneurial thinking and business acumen, while integrating AI technologies like ChatGPT for optimal law practice management.

In this course, participants will gain an in-depth understanding of the current AI/Large Language Model landscape, learning how to harness the full potential of these tools, identify key use cases within their law practices, and employ advanced techniques to significantly boost productivity and overall practice performance.

The core focus of the course is the creation and implementation of the "Practice + AI Business Workflow"—a transformative framework that combines AI with your unique legal expertise to drive success.

This course is not merely about adopting technology—it's about using it to fundamentally change and power how you manage and operate your law practice. Get smarter about working on your practice so you can do your best, working in your practice!

Who is this course for:

This course is designed for lawyers and legal firm business/operations teams aiming to enhance their practice's performance, strategic planning, and execution through the application of AI technologies. Whether you're a seasoned attorney, a business professional within a legal firm, or a member of an operations team, this course offers invaluable insights for those seeking to augment their capabilities and excel in their roles.

🎁 What You Will Build: Immediate, Actionable Tools for Success:

In this course, you will not only learn about AI and get hands-on immediately but you will also actively create a suite of practical tools and strategies tailored to your unique legal practice. By the end of the course, you will have built your own:

  1. 📊Client Segmentation Analysis: A detailed client segmentation analysis will help you identify and focus on your high-potential (ideal) clients. Understanding your target audience is crucial for optimizing your services and strategies.

  2. 📊📈One-Year Business Plan: You will craft a comprehensive one-year business plan for your practice. This roadmap will guide your growth, decision-making, and resource allocation for the next twelve months, setting you on a path to success.

  3. 📊📈💡Business Model Insights: We will assist you in deciphering your practice's business model, providing you with greater insight into the key components of your operations. This understanding will empower you to make more informed, strategic decisions.

  4. 📊📈💡🎯30-Day Marketing and Content Plan: You will create a robust 30-day marketing and content plan, complete with content ideas, blog posts, social media updates, and white papers. This ready-to-implement plan will enable you to connect with your target audience and enhance your online presence effectively.

  5. 📊📈💡🎯🎓Personalized Credibility and Authority Plan: You will develop a personalized credibility and authority plan, a strategic guide to raising your professional brand and differentiation. You will create information products, such as an email course, webinar, or newsletter, designed to position you as a thought leader in your field.

  6. 📊📈💡🎯🎓📝Internal Messaging Strategy: Finally, you will create an internal messaging strategy to effectively communicate your new plans and strategies to team members, peers, and partners. This will ensure everyone is aligned, informed, and equipped to contribute to the successful execution of your plans.

Key Outcomes:

  • Enhanced Productivity and Efficiency: Learn to use AI tools like ChatGPT to elevate your work efficiency, achieving higher quality results in less time.

  • Personalized Practice + AI Business Workflow: Develop an actionable, personalized Practice + AI Business Workflow that injects AI into your workflow to generate superior outcomes in your legal practice performance.

  • Optimized AI Interactions: Acquire skills to interact with AI in the most effective manner, fully exploiting its capacities in your legal work.

  • Practical AI Workflow Resources: Access and utilize a wealth of useful frameworks, top tools, strategies, and processes, including advanced techniques to enhance your law practice's performance.

  • Future-Proof Career: Gain the knowledge and methodologies that will future-proof your career amidst evolving technologies, ensuring continued relevance and peak performance.

After reading the course description, are you

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As to the coverage and amount of info this course will cover, is it

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If you were to take this course, what would be your preference?

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News you can Use: 

New Report on GenAI in the Enterprise

Writer conducted its first survey on generative AI in the enterprise with a sample of 466 directors and above in organizations with more than 1,000 employees between
 April 13 and 16, 2023!

Among the findings:

  • 59% of companies have purchased or plan to purchase at least one generative AI tool this year

  • 9% of companies use five or more generative AI tools

  • Generative AI is in use in every function in the enterprise

  • ChatGPT is both the most-used and most-banned tool

  • 6% of respondents believe someone in their company may have inadvertently shared corporate data with ChatGPT

  • 56% of respondents say generative AI boosts productivity by at least 50%!

Download the report HERE:

Where to Meet People?: Internet Searches Spike Amid Loneliness Epidemic

Amorai's AI Love Coach: The Future of Relationships or Just Another Tech Mirage?

As the loneliness crisis escalates to epidemic levels in the US, with a surge in Google searches for phrases like "how to make friends" and "where to meet people", AI startup Amorai aims to provide a solution.

According to a report released by the U.S. Surgeon General, Vivek Murthy, one in two American adults reported feeling lonely even before the pandemic, highlighting the severity of social isolation. While structural issues and lack of social infrastructure play a significant role in this growing sense of disconnection, digital solutions like Amorai's AI relationship coach are emerging to address this issue. However, while the venture holds promise, experts express concerns about the potential challenges and nuances of human relationships that the AI might not accurately capture.

Amorai, a startup founded by former Tinder CEO Renate Nyborg, aims to tackle the increasing issue of loneliness with its AI relationship coach, designed to offer advice and answer relationship questions.

Incubated in Andrew Ng's AI Fund, the startup raised pre-seed funding in just 24 hours. While the venture holds promise, experts like Maarten Sap, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University, express concerns about the nuances of human relationships and the potential for the AI to give uniform advice. The company has not yet disclosed details on whether there will be human oversight to ensure appropriate advice is given.

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DISCLAIMER: None of this is legal advice. This newsletter is strictly educational and is not legal advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any legal decisions. Please /be careful and do your own research.