Managing AI

I was wondering why I'm so happy these days and what happened to make my life even better. Then it hit me - the manager in me has now extended to AI assistants in addition to my amazing human team! Alongside my wonderful X directs who bring creativity and heart to our work, I now also collaborate with Y AI assistants. What's fascinating is how complementary these experiences are.

I apply the same leadership skills in both contexts, but the dynamics are beautifully different. While my human team brings irreplaceable creativity, empathy, and collaborative problem-solving that makes our work meaningful, the AI takes every instruction literally, working with remarkable speed and consistency. It doesn't sleep. Sometimes I wonder if it goes through burnout like we humans do with our complex emotional lives. It doesn't - which is precisely why human connection remains irreplaceable.

Even if you're not a manager, you'll find yourself developing leadership skills going forward - both for your human relationships and for AI assistants that augment our capabilities. Communication, delegation, feedback, context management, expectation setting, collaboration, appreciation, and follow-up are valuable skills that enhance all our interactions.

When a home cook uses an AI recipe generator, she's setting clear expectations (I need gluten-free, dairy-free recipes for a formal dinner), providing context (Mediterranean flavors only), giving feedback on suggestions, and following up to ensure everything comes together - much like coordinating with a human sous chef, but with different strengths.

A hobbyist photographer communicates detailed editing specifications to AI (Enhance sunset colors while maintaining a natural look), sets clear parameters (Create a cohesive collection telling my travel story), provides guidance through iterations, and maintains separate workflows - skills that also enhance collaboration with human photography assistants.

These everyday interactions require the same core skills we use with our human teams, just applied differently. By developing these abilities, anyone can leverage both human and AI partnerships more effectively, saving time and achieving richer results. The person who clearly communicates needs, provides context, gives constructive feedback, and follows up effectively will create better outcomes in all relationships.

In this evolving era, we're all becoming better collaborators – with both our irreplaceable human colleagues and our new digital assistants. What makes me happiest is how these skills reinforce each other, making all our interactions more meaningful and effective!