AI and I have a great relationship: it pretends to understand what I’m asking, and I pretend to understand how it works.
Several months ago I jumped on Gemini and typed: “The kids are finally out of the house, and I have an empty nest. What should I do first?”
Within seconds Gemini responded with a rather concerned, step-by-step guide on how to safely remove twigs from my gutters without disrupting the bird’s natural habitat. It even added: “Do not touch the nest with your bare hands, as the mother bird may reject it.”
Oh, Ms. Gemini—you’re so funny. I’m not literally an ornithologist. I wanted advice on fun, exciting new chapters in life now that the house is quiet.
Although I share a comical story, my hope is to calm any lingering unease about the rapid rise of AI. Trust me—I’m right there with you. The truth is, AI is not going away. She’s here to stay. She’s growing and changing our world quickly.
When I honestly ask myself, “Are you afraid of AI?” the answer is no. I’m not afraid of her ability or of being replaced. I intend to use her to the best of my ability to serve clients better and set our work apart. Let me share the simple analogy that gives me peace of mind in this ever-changing landscape. (And yes, I refer to AI as “she.” Ask any man—it’s usually the woman who knows everything!)
The Internet Is a Massive Library. AI Is the Library Assistant.
Think of the internet as an infinite library filled with data, literature, research, opinions, and resources that countless people have placed on the shelves. AI is the Library Assistant who can retrieve specific information from those shelves at lightning speed.
1. She Has a Photographic Memory of Everything in the Library
AI is not experiencing or thinking about the world the way you and I do. She is scanning her perfect memory of the entire library to connect definitions, words, patterns, and ideas.
FACT: AI does not know what a Texas Panhandle sunrise actually looks like or feels like. But she can describe it beautifully based on the thousands of poems, photos, and essays humans have written about sunrises.
2. She Summarizes—Fast and in Your Style
If you walked into a traditional library and asked, “I need to understand the economic impact of Pearl Harbor,” a human librarian would point you toward the history section and hand you three solid textbooks. AI goes further. She instantly flips through those books (and hundreds more), pulls the most relevant pieces, and writes a clear, concise summary tailored exactly to you.
FACT: AI can summarize the same topic for a kindergartener or a professor at Texas Tech. She adjusts to your preferred style and reading level. She can even add a touch of humor when asked.
3. She Still Makes Mistakes
Helpful and incredibly fast as she is, the Library Assistant is not perfect. She can offer misprints, misinterpretations, or present a piece of historical fiction as if it were a factual textbook. She is only as good as the prompt she receives. She does the heavy lifting—gathering, structuring, drafting, and summarizing. You still have to know how to ask the right question.
FACT: Always fact-check her work. Add the personal tone, the lived experience, and the human judgment. She has no feelings. She has no experience. She is not human.
The Real Opportunity
At the end of the day, AI isn’t here to replace the writer, the researcher, the advisor, or the thinker. She’s here to take the grunt work out of the deep dive. By treating AI as your ultimate Library Assistant—leaning on her massive memory and quick summaries while keeping a sharp eye on her occasional missteps—you can supercharge your workflow without losing your unique voice.
The Library Assistant handles the stacks. You still write the story.
That’s exactly how we approach technology at Shoreline Planning Partners. We use powerful tools so we can spend more time on the parts of planning that matter most: listening, understanding your family’s story, applying judgment shaped by years of Texas Panhandle experience, and helping you write the next chapter with clarity and confidence.
Curious how modern tools and timeless advice work together in the Compass 7 Pillars process?
Let’s talk about the story you want to write next.
