I Use AI. AI Don’t Use Me.

I recently saw a story about a man claiming an AI agent handled a Facebook Marketplace transaction for him. Meta Muse allegedly negotiated the price, arranged the pickup, and even gave the buyer the man's address.

My first thought was: What the hell?! 😂

The only thing AI should be doing for me is creating systems and visibility, NOT making sales for me.

And that got me thinking about the way people are starting to use AI.

I love AI. I use it regularly. But there is a major difference between using AI to make yourself more efficient and expecting AI to run your entire business. AI should be a tool like anything else for business.

It can help you research. It can help you brainstorm. It can help you create content, develop systems, analyze information, improve your SEO, increase your visibility, organize your processes, and eliminate repetitive work.

That's leverage.

But somewhere along the way, people started confusing automation with autonomy.

Those are not the same thing.

I want systems that work while I'm sleeping. I want my website working. I want my content being discovered. I want potential customers finding my business through search and AI recommendations. I want technology handling repetitive tasks that don't require my personal attention.

But when it comes time to actually make a business decision?

I'm making that decision.

• AI isn't deciding what price I'll accept.

• AI isn't deciding who I want to do business with.

• AI isn't committing me to an appointment.

• And AI damn sure isn't giving somebody my address and telling them to come on over. 😂

You Still Have to Know What You're Doing

People are always looking for the next shortcut.

Now AI is being marketed like the newest version of “make money while you sleep.” But technology cannot replace competence.

If you don't understand your customers, pricing, operations, finances, or sales, giving AI more authority doesn't suddenly make you a better business owner.

You might just automate your mistakes faster.

And AI itself can be wrong. It even tells you that by giving it's disclaimer.

That's why I go back and forth with AI. I question it. I disagree with it. I tell it to check something again. I point it in another direction. Sometimes the first answer isn't what I'm looking for, and we keep working until I get something useful.

That's how it's supposed to work.

The human controls the AI. The AI does not control the human.

Efficiency Without Giving Up Authority

I'm not anti-automation. I'm actually very pro-automation. But I believe technology should reduce unnecessary labor without removing human judgment.

• Use AI to build the system.

• Use AI to strengthen the process.

• Use AI to increase your visibility.

• Use AI to help you work smarter and faster.

Then use your own experience, knowledge, common sense, and judgment to run your own business.

There is no AI shortcut around actually knowing what you're doing. Technology can shorten the route once you understand the route.

It shouldn't be driving the car because you never learned how to drive.

I use AI. AI don't use me.