Ep 388: The Duality of AI Productivity – Can It Be a Bad Thing?

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Enhancing Productivity through User Control and Flexibility

Unlike rigid systems that force users to adapt, Copilot embraces a personalised approach. Offering user autonomy, this tool empowers individuals to tailor its functionality according to their unique needs. As a copilot—not a captain—it complements, rather than commands.

Amplifying Human Potential with Insightful AI

Aside from its administrative duties, AI can help improve human efficiency. Through careful analysis of work activities and energy management, tools like Copilot can provide deep insights into productivity. This resonates with the ultimate goal of AI: unleashing human potential by fostering creative problem-solving and amplifying individuals' impact.

Guaranteeing Integration and Security

Protecting data while simultaneously extracting value from it is essential. Integrating with Microsoft 365, Copilot ensures both. Thanks to Microsoft Graph, Copilot can access calendars, emails, and documents securely, without leakage.

Encouraging Iterative Engagement and Experimentation

As the adage goes, "practice makes perfect." Indeed, with AI, continual experimentation and interactive usage can lead to proficiency. It encourages refining output to suit personal preferences, which in turn enhances familiarity with the tool and uncovers impactful use cases.

Security and Privacy in AI

When it comes to AI, data security and privacy concerns are crucial. Any data accessed by Copilot is securely kept within Microsoft's ecosystem and is not used for training future models, ensuring user privacy.

Continuous Learning Opportunities in AI

AI is an ever-evolving field. As such, there are copious resources available to learn its intricacies. Numerous content and courses on platforms like LinkedIn provide an excellent opportunity to understand AI tools better, enabling individuals to take full advantage of these technologies.

AI in Everyday Scenarios

AI tools shine when applied to real-world scenarios. For instance, Microsoft's Copilot can recap meetings, provide detailed insights, and suggest actionable steps—ideal for times when one finds themselves triple booked.

Finding Balance with AI

With all this power comes the need for caution. Mindfulness and balance are integral in avoiding over-dependency on AI tools. Simple strategies such as setting timers and taking breaks can help maintain healthy work-life boundaries.

Verification of AI-Generated Information

Although AI offers numerous advantages, it is crucial to verify the accuracy of AI-generated information due to its emerging nature. This approach nurtures a culture of continuous sharing, insights integration, and feedback for improvement.

Overall, AI's duality of productivity, while enhancing efficiency, isn't without its pitfalls. Over-reliance on AI tools can potentially lead to burnout. However, with conscious planning, intentionality, and a balance between human and AI tasks, we can unlock AI's true potential—advancement of human innovation and productivity.

Topics Covered in This Episode

1. Training and evolution of AI use
2. Practicality and use of AI in daily tasks
3. AI adoption, productivity, and deep insights
4. Highlight of Copilot’s utility

Podcast Transcript

Jordan Wilson [00:00:16]:
One of the first things that people chased when using generative AI was increasing their efficiency. Right? Upping their productivity. And I think that's one of the lowest hanging fruits of generative AI. It's probably something that if you're listening to this show, we all experienced it. But can too much AI productivity be a bad thing? Can it actually lead to mental drain? I think that there is a duality of AI productivity that we don't talk about a lot, enough, not just here on the show, but in general. And can it impact your mental health? And what are some ways that you can use AI maybe to combat that? So we're gonna be talking about that today and a lot more on everyday AI, and I'm excited for our guest today from Microsoft. So more on her in a minute, but actually have to shout out Microsoft, our partner here. So the WorkLab podcast from Microsoft is made for leaders who want to understand the future of work.

Jordan Wilson [00:01:23]:
It offers expert insights on everything from how to approach digital transformation to how AI can help unlock more value from your company's data. That's w o r k l a b. No spaces. Available wherever you get your podcasts. So where do you get your podcasts aside from the WorkLab 1? You can go to your everydayai.com. So thanks for joining us. You probably already know. My name is Jordan, and welcome to Everyday AI.

Jordan Wilson [00:01:48]:
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Jordan Wilson [00:02:13]:
Alright. Before we get started, let's do as we do every single day and go over the AI news. Hey. Livestream audience. We got a secret poll. Let me know. Alright. So first, Claude has introduced a powerful new analysis tool for enhanced data insights.

Jordan Wilson [00:02:30]:
So Claude from Anthropic has just rolled out a new built in feature that allows users to better write and run JavaScript code significantly enhancing its analytical capabilities. So this tool is now available to all Claude AI users in feature preview marking a pretty notable advancement in how users can interact with their data. So this analysis tool functions as a code sandbox enabling Claude to perform complex mathematical computations, analyzing datasets, and generating real time insights. So this feature allows Claude to systematically process data, cleaning and exploring it step by step to ensure accurate results moving beyond abstract analysis. So users can upload various types of data such as customer interactions, global sales figures, or financial data if you have access to do that. Right? Always check, prompting Claude to deliver more tailored insights that can drive decision making. Alright. Speaking of model updates, probably one of the biggest ones that everyone in the AI world has been waiting for is the next big new model from OpenAI.

Jordan Wilson [00:03:34]:
So OpenAI is, according to reports, set to release its new Orion AI model by December. So, OpenAI's, upcoming Orion AI model is generating a significant amount of buzz as the company, according to reports, plans to gradually roll it out to trusted partners by, sorry, by December 2024. That's according to reports from The Verge. So this, new, Orion model, that could come out. Right? This is, again, just reports. It's rolling out to select partners first, which could be Microsoft, and that could be announced in November according to The Verge. Yeah. So keep keep your eyes on the, the Microsoft conference, Ignite 2024.

Jordan Wilson [00:04:20]:
It's happening in Chicago here in November, so maybe we'll get more official word. But we'll have more on those stories as well as Meta's new exclusive partnership. Adobe's making some creatives upset, so make sure to check all of that out in our newsletter. But you tuned in today to talk about AI pro productivity or to hear about it. Alright. And this is, an important topic that I have, I think, one of the best people in the world to discuss this. So I'm excited to bring on to the show. There we go.

Jordan Wilson [00:04:50]:
Help me help me welcome, Yen Anderson, copilot champ, Azure and AI at Microsoft. Yen, thank you so much for joining the Everyday AI Show.

Yen Anderson [00:04:58]:
Thanks for having me. I'm really excited.

Jordan Wilson [00:05:00]:
Oh, I am stoked about this one. And, also, Yan, people like, a lot of people listen on the podcast, but this is also a livestream. So thank you for waking up at, you know, 5 AM your time to to join us. We appreciate that as well.

Yen Anderson [00:05:12]:
Of course. Of course. For you, Jordan. Of course.

Jordan Wilson [00:05:15]:
Alright. So, Yan, real quick. Can you tell everyone what what what does your role entail at Microsoft?

Yen Anderson [00:05:21]:
I am a customer success account manager. So what that means is I help our enterprise customers with their digital transformation, through our cloud services on Azure and also, Copilot. So Copilot's our hot topic right now.

Jordan Wilson [00:05:36]:
Oh, it's yeah. And, like, everything that's been, announced recently. Right? We've covered it here on the show. You know, earlier this week, Satya Nadella, Microsoft CEO, kinda previewed the Copilot Studio, and, you know, we have the now Copilot wave 2, all of these new announcements. I I I it feels like there's this tremendous buzz now, right, with all, everything that Microsoft's been able to accomplish. But, you know, yeah, maybe if you could even walk us through a little bit, like, so what are you doing? Like, are are you training, employees internally? Are you training employees externally? Can you take us a little bit behind the scenes?

Yen Anderson [00:06:10]:
Right. So I'm I'm an early adopter of Copilot and, and unofficial to my job, I I have a passion of demoing, Copilot to my, my internal Microsoft, employees globally across the world. And, I'm really passionate about it because I love to see those gain efficiencies that we have with Copilot, and I love to share my knowledge in doing that. And it's it's just something that I'm super passionate about. And I've been doing it for over a year now, and I'm just having a great time meeting everyone.

Jordan Wilson [00:06:43]:
Alright. So let's I I wanna come back, in a little bit and talk, more about how you even train internal employees. I think, you know, our audience can can learn a bit, a little bit from that, but I kinda wanna jump ahead and just talk about, the main topic for today's show. So this duality of AI and, you know, hey. It can make you very productive and efficient. Is that a bad thing? Can that be a bad thing? Can being too productive actually

Yen Anderson [00:07:12]:
be bad? It it is if if if we're only the goal is to be extra productive and keep turning out work and things like that, I I believe the power of using Copilot is that we save time and give time back to to doing the things that humans do best, which is to think and have breaks and and have that restful time in order to do that. And mental health as well, to have that work life balance. But if we keep going with full productivity nonstop, as if we're machines, then yes, that could be a bad thing.

Jordan Wilson [00:07:50]:
Yeah. Yeah. Like, I I I feel that way, Subtai. Right? And even, you know, a very quick personal story. I I I was in meetings in person meetings yesterday for about 9 hours straight. I didn't take hardly any breaks, right, aside from, like, to use the restroom or refill my water, but 9 hours straight. And what's weird to me, Yan, is, like, I didn't feel as tired or as mentally fatigued as I do normally in an hour using AI pretty heavily, and I was kind of struck by that. Right? Do you do like, do you find yourself going through those similar things? Like, is is using AI do you feel like more of a mental strain even in the same amount of time, or am I just, like, weird on that one?

Yen Anderson [00:08:35]:
Well, what your story is actually really common. We do know that, people are in back to back meetings and they just don't have enough time to process information and just, you know, just to think. And, and with me using AI, like in my meetings or recapping meetings or even prepping for meetings, it takes that, information overload, like, out of my head. And and it's really, truly a virtual assistant that really helps me as I'm going throughout my day. And because I'm doing that and I'm sending Copilot on behalf, you know, when I can't attend all these meetings, I'm actually in less meetings because of that. Because I'm sending Copilot for me And and that means that I'm not falling behind my work. I still have all the information. I just have this virtual assistant now that that's helping me.

Yen Anderson [00:09:26]:
And, and and most importantly, I don't feel that burnout. I don't feel that, like, you know, the 9 hour days and and feeling like I I I can't process information. I have Copilot now to help me with that.

Jordan Wilson [00:09:38]:
Yeah. No. That's that's that's huge. And, you know, hey. Real, real quick live stream audience. You know, if you do have a question for Yen, please get it in. I'm super stoked. I, like, I I was very persistent in asking Yen to come on because, like, I know so many of you guys always have copilot questions, so now's now's your time to get them in.

Jordan Wilson [00:09:56]:
But, you know, Yen, can you maybe even walk us through a little bit, of your own journey personally, right, using, you know, Copilot and, generative AI in general? How did you kind of deal with this, maybe productivity shift? Right? I think for some people, it happens pretty quickly, and then they just oh, well, now they just double down, and they're just working more and more. And, you know, some people find, like, a good balance. But maybe could you even walk us through your own maybe early journey of using, you know, Copilot or any other AI tools that you were using? And then how did you and how do you continue to try to find that balance of of productivity, but, like, mental clarity?

Yen Anderson [00:10:35]:
Right. Right. Great question. So I was an early adopter of Chat GPT. I was actually hired, into Microsoft the same month that Tap GPT was announced in the world. I was super super excited. And, I I I started using it to actually write bedtime stories for my kids. It is a very common use case.

Yen Anderson [00:10:55]:
Right? And and I just was just blown away by it. And and so I I had this, like, hunger for to learn more. So I I started going on forums, meeting influencers, things like that. And then a few months later, Copilot was announced by Microsoft. And I thought, oh my gosh, this is a game changer. Enterprise, tools with AI in there. Oh my gosh. And so what I did was I was very intentional about, how I would introduce AI into my daily workflow.

Yen Anderson [00:11:27]:
So I wrote down 2 columns, things that I wanted to keep doing myself and then the other things that I wanted Copilot to do for me. And so as soon as I got Copilot, I looked at my list and started embedding that within my workflow. And what it what I started with was, like, using in meetings, using it to write emails, better professional emails without having to worry about typos or grammar, things like that. And and then also, I I just started demoing it out to my team. By the 2nd day I got Copilot, I was showing my coworkers, like, hey. Look at this. And word got around, and I started, being invited to other teams to do the demo. Then I started doing town halls and conferences.

Yen Anderson [00:12:12]:
And what's really interesting is that, I I used to be really really shy in meetings. Like, even with, like, 5 people. I you know, I'm really really shy. And now I present to thousands of people at a time. And, and it's because I found this I found, you know, AI to be so impactful, and I'm so passionate about it. So it broke me out of my shell because I wanted to share this knowledge so much. And, and then now I do it on LinkedIn and other platforms as well, and I I just can't stop talking about my family has asked me to stop talking about it. So that's why I'm out there in the world talking about generative AI so much.

Yen Anderson [00:12:50]:
But, but it's been it's been, you know, life changing for me, and I just want to share the knowledge with others. So hopefully, they can see the full benefits of it too.

Jordan Wilson [00:13:00]:
Yeah. And I wanna dig a little bit deeper on something that you said there, Yan, because it it really resonates with me. So, you know, early early on in your journey, you said you wrote down kind of your main task in 2 columns, things that you wanted to keep doing and things you kind of wanted Copilot to do. Like, that's great. I, like, I haven't even intentionally done that. Right? I always say I still write our newsletter every day. I write it with my my my hands. I don't use AI even though I could because it's something I still enjoy.

Jordan Wilson [00:13:30]:
Why did you kind of make it into those 2 columns? It sounds like very early on, you kind of drew a line in the sand. Why did you do that, and and what benefits do you think that that has had for you, whether it's in terms of productivity, you know, mental clarity, creativity, like, walk us through that.

Yen Anderson [00:13:48]:
Right. So so I knew that Copilot was gonna change a lot of things, especially with these Microsoft tools that we've been all using for for a long time. And I was really intentional about breaking habits that I've developed using Word and PowerPoint and Outlook and things like that. And so I wanted to reframe how I looked at these tools with the lens of AI coming in Copilot. And so, in order to do that, I needed to observe my work behavior with these tools and and then see where Copilot come in can come in and assist me. So I kinda did that prep work to kind of, evaluate myself and how I work in order for Copilot to get to be invited in and help me. So I was really, really intentional about, like, reframing my thinking around that.

Jordan Wilson [00:14:44]:
The WorkLab Podcast from Microsoft is made for leaders who want to understand how work is changing. Effective leaders adapt. They stay on top of trends. They embrace any edge that they can get. They learn from the ways technology is transforming other fields and how it's enabling organizations to work more efficiently and productively. So for real world lessons and actionable insights to help you stay ahead, check out the WorkLab podcast. That's WorkLab, no spaces, available wherever you get your podcast. You know, one thing you just said there is is breaking habits.

Jordan Wilson [00:15:24]:
Right? I I almost go through it as, like, saying you need to unlearn things because sometimes those habits are maybe good habits. Right? And but maybe they were just extremely inefficient habits that AI can do better. Right? How, like, in in your experience because, you know, you have trained, you know, thousands of employees at Microsoft as well. How can they kind of determine, right, hey. What should I keep keep on my kind of human to do list versus, you know, what should be handed off to AI if some of those things are maybe things that they're really great at or things that they love. Right? Is it still good to do things very manually in an inefficient way if it's something that gives you energy, gives you joy? Like how can people really, you know, granularly break that down?

Yen Anderson [00:16:12]:
Right. Right. So, this is such a great question. I love that. So we have to remember that we are in control of this and Copilot is the Copilot here to assist us. So we're not taking the human out of this equation, right? And anything that brings you joy, I'm a big believer on if it brings you joy, keep doing it. Even if it's manual, and you love it. Things like that.

Yen Anderson [00:16:38]:
The the great thing about CoPilot, it's it's meant to come in and take care of those really repetitive administrative tasks that, you know, kind of takes up time and you don't enjoy doing it. And so I I looked for those type of things. And, you know, as far as, like, maybe document creation or, you know, brainstorming where I get stuck. I use Copilot to get me to my next level, my human potential level. Right? And, and for me, I found a lot of joy in that, you know, extra joy, using AI. But, but no, like if you, if you love writing emails, if you love writing meeting notes and meetings, yeah, please, by all means, keep doing that. The the great thing about Copilot is it's flexible to your needs and what you wanna do. And, you know, it it just it's truly your companion, and you use it however you want.

Yen Anderson [00:17:32]:
You're you're the pilot in in this whole, equation.

Jordan Wilson [00:17:35]:
Oh, look at that. Look at that. Yeah. You're the human's the pilot. The AI is the copilot. Right? Yeah. Just dropping these these gem quotes on us. Yeah.

Jordan Wilson [00:17:44]:
And so, you know, one thing you said there is, you know, one thing that you're using it for is to actually push your human potential. Right? So I I I do wanna go over here in a minute more about some, maybe more practical and productivity focused use cases. But maybe what are some of those use cases that you've seen that actually helps people, improve themselves. Right? Because I think when we think of AI, we just think of getting tasks done quicker, getting more tasks done, but not necessarily pushing your human potential. Can you give us an example or two of what that looks like?

Yen Anderson [00:18:19]:
Yes. So what I do is I use Copilot to analyze my my my work activities. Like, where do I spend my the majority of my time? Am I communicating? Am I in meetings? Am I creating documents? Am I you know, so I use it to really have some insights and then also to manage my energy level throughout the day as well. And so because I have those insights, I can, you know, change my work behavior and activities with those insights to amplify my impact in my human potential. And so, I also use it for brainstorming because, with Copilot and, you know, being, a large language model, it has access to so much information, more information that I can hold in my head, obviously. And so the power of, like, having, different perspectives, connecting different dots that I haven't thought about, you know, things like that. Yeah, and quickly simulate, you know, problem solving techniques and you know more of those advanced techniques, reasoning techniques, with Copilot. It just it just takes my work to the next level.

Yen Anderson [00:19:29]:
And, and that's really we want to get. Yes, we're summarizing. Yes, we're recapping and all that stuff. But we want to start moving towards deeper insight into our work and and getting into that, next level of thinking with with AI where it can assist you and get you kind of unstuck, and seeing from different perspectives. So that's how I use Copilot. Like, to to look for ways where I can think about things a little bit differently and better.

Jordan Wilson [00:19:57]:
Yeah. And and maybe, Yen, for those that maybe don't use Copilot a lot or maybe who their organization isn't using Microsoft 365 65 and and, you know, the Copilot integration. How can how can it do that? Right? People are like, wait. How how does Copilot know all these things? Right? So, you know, how how can you just talk to Copilot and it knows, oh, you're spending maybe too much time here or here's everything you have going on. Like, how does that actually work?

Yen Anderson [00:20:23]:
Right. So the beauty about Copilot is it's tied to your Microsoft Graph. And what that means, it's your m 365 applicate applications. So it has access to my Outlook, which is my calendar, all my meetings, all my emails, in my my teams channel, all my documents. I have access to SharePoint sites, things like that. So, throughout the day, it knows what I'm doing. It has access to all those things. And, and and so when I use Copilot for deeper insights into, you know, what I do, then it just amplifies my, you know, my like, it just has access to more data than, than I can pull up myself and go manually searching for it.

Yen Anderson [00:21:07]:
So it's just fantastic. And the fact is that, it's it's one of the more secure options out there because it works within Microsoft's, security boundary. So you know that the the data never leaks out. Also, the data is, never used to train, future models or things like that. So you can rest assure that, Microsoft has that handled. And so, I I just I knew that was a game changer. As as soon as it it was, Copilot brought into our enterprise environment tied to our Microsoft Graph, I knew that this would be so different than, anything else that we've had.

Jordan Wilson [00:21:46]:
Yeah. And, I have a lot well, I have a lot more questions for you, Yan, and, livestream audience, get yours in now, but real quick, gotta take a quick little water break for everyone here and, quickly shout out Microsoft, our partners. So, the WorkLab podcast from Microsoft is made for leaders who want to understand how work is changing. Effective leaders adapt. They stay on top of trends, and they embrace any edge they can get. They learn from the ways technology is transforming other fields and how it's enabling organizations to work more efficiently and productively. So for real world in lessons and actionable insights to help you stay ahead, check out the WorkLab podcast. That's WorkLab, no spaces, available wherever you get your podcasts.

Jordan Wilson [00:22:31]:
Alright. Yeah. Go make sure you go check, the the new episode out, y'all, that just dropped. It's great. So so, Yen, I wanna ask, you've trained what? So you said 6 16,000, employees at Microsoft, something like that? That's Okay. That's so many. What what have you learned? Right? So over the past, 2 years, so you said that you started right around when Chat gbt came out, which which I love. What have you learned kind of in your journey of training employees internally? Because I'm sure that many of the people listening to this very episode are in are doing the same thing you're doing.

Jordan Wilson [00:23:06]:
Right? They're just a little further behind. Right? Which but you're you're the company that makes Microsoft, but they're probably training their team. So what have you learned throughout that process, and how has it evolved?

Yen Anderson [00:23:17]:
Right. Right. So so prompting when we first started, it was so different, and it's fantastic, where where it's evolved to today where it's using more of these advanced breathing techniques and it's it's it's so fun to play with it. But having trained so many people, you know, I've learned that that experimentation is key. Have that that sense of curiosity and just try it. I think one of the hardest things is like, you know, we have these, maybe fears or hesitation for trying something new. The thing is, with with these chatbots, they're using natural language processing and they're, you know, it's sort of like having a conversation similar to what we're doing here. And when you, interact with it in that manner, this back and forth, you know, and, you know, have this iterative process and and push the boundaries of what these chat bots can do.

Yen Anderson [00:24:12]:
That's when you see the real insights and get the real value of it. And so if you if you just prompt one thing and prompting is like how you message with these chat bots. But if you just prompt and then run, you know, you're not gonna you're not getting the full like value out of it. And so so I always recommend have that back and forth. Have that that conversation. Have that insight. Another thing that I do is, I always ask for, like, variations. Like, if I ask for an email, drafted, I'll ask for 10 versions of it.

Yen Anderson [00:24:43]:
And so I'm the editor. I'm not like I select the ones that I like, and then I refine it and and make it in my own voice. But, but yeah, it's been quite a journey. But the first step is just to try it and try it every day. See it as like, you know, building a muscle. You go to the gym, right? And you want to get really, you know, powerful and and do these things. Treat Copilot the same way. Use it every day little by little and, you know, look for those use cases that that will, be impactful in your role.

Yen Anderson [00:25:14]:
And then also share that knowledge out. Share it, with other impactful in your role. And then also share that knowledge out. Share it with other people so they can see the benefits of it too. One of the best things about generative AI tools is the community of learners around it. And the fact that things are constantly evolving and changing, new features, new models, like, everything, new capabilities, it's so fun to find your your tribe of learners or your community and and and just be out there because there's there's a lot that is available. You can certainly check out my LinkedIn. I I put out a lot of content, but, there's there's great, training and courses that you can take.

Yen Anderson [00:25:56]:
LinkedIn has, really great ones. And, you know, this is the this is the time for you to learn and in this era of AI, and it's never been easier to create and produce things. Like I'm building games with my my middle school kids and simulations and dashboards and, you know, all these fun stuff. And, because this is like low code, no code, you don't have to be a programmer. You don't have to know how to code and you're using natural language, like a conversation with these chatbots to do things that I never thought was possible. Like, I didn't know that I would spend my weekends building apps and cadence and all this stuff. And I I think it's it's just so fun. It's so fun right now.

Jordan Wilson [00:26:43]:
Oh, it's it's, so speaking of fun, we have some fun questions. I'm gonna try to do a little bit of a of a rapid fire here, so maybe we can get to a couple of them. But, you you know, sabbatical life here joining us from YouTube. Earlier, you said that you sent your copilot to your meeting. So she says, trying to imagine how that works. How does that work, Yen?

Yen Anderson [00:27:02]:
Right. So as long as the meeting is recorded. Right? And and and, Microsoft and Outlook, if you can't attend the meeting, just say follow. And then, and then you'll get a meeting recap, of the notes and things like that. And so, I when I'm triple booked for meetings and things like that, I have to choose the one that I want to go to. By the end of my day, I'll ask Copilot to recap the meetings that I wasn't able to attend. So it gives me a nice summary. And so I still have the information and what's nice is I can interact with Copilot for, for deeper insights into the the meeting.

Yen Anderson [00:27:37]:
So I'm not just, you know, getting meeting notes. I'm having a conversation with Copilot, with that information saying, what does this mean for my role? What what steps do I need to take? What what do I need to do for the next meeting if I'm if I'm able to attend? So it's just so powerful in that way. So I don't have that that, fear of missing out anymore. I'm sending my virtual assistant on on behalf of me.

Jordan Wilson [00:28:02]:
Right. And that and and then that, Yen, that requires that your organization, you know, has Microsoft 365 Copilot's, licenses enabled for everyone. Right?

Yen Anderson [00:28:10]:
Yes.

Jordan Wilson [00:28:11]:
Okay. Perfect. Alright. Another great question here from Quran asking, you know, trying to talk about how you can use AI to get the most out of it, but to not, become too dependent or addicted to AI tools. That's a great question. How can you balance that?

Yen Anderson [00:28:27]:
Right. So, for years I've been kind of a productivity nerd and I, and I'm kind of obsessed with like different mental frameworks and systems thinking and things like that. And so, I am the believer that we're human and not machines and we shouldn't have worked endlessly and things like that. And, and, and you're right. Like there, there is the aspects of addiction because, you know, these chatbots are always available to us. And we we have to remember that, you know, they're there to assist us and we're still human at the end of the day. And humans need rest and we need breaks, and we need time to just think and process, and we need time with our family and friends and things that bring us joy. Right? And so we have to be mindful of that.

Yen Anderson [00:29:18]:
And so I set a timer for myself. I also have, you know, a puppy that loves me and tells me that he needs walks and things like that. So, you know, I have, I put these things in place to make sure that, that I'm, you know, taking care of myself, my mental health and things like that. Because, yeah, it can be a lot of fun, but, you know, we're still human. We we still need, you know, our time to take care of ourselves and the people that we love.

Jordan Wilson [00:29:45]:
Yeah. I think I think that's such an important call out, Yann, especially those that are using AI, like, every single part of their day. Like like, I'm sure you do and and I do as well. Another great question here from Monica asking, how long did it take you to go from simple productivity improvements to real in-depth insights and deeper knowledge with Copilot? Great question.

Yen Anderson [00:30:06]:
Wow. This is a great question. I I think let me see. So, I I say like a couple of weeks or so. Like, I think studies have shown that, if you spend about 10 hours, you become pretty proficient with, a chatbot. And you kind of learn the tips and tricks and things like that. But, I started small. I didn't try to overload my entire system and, you know, things like that.

Yen Anderson [00:30:33]:
I started like finding little things that I can make changes to, and then those little things compounded over time. And so I think, I really started seeing the real benefits after a few weeks of those deeper insights because also I needed to learn how to prompt and like, you know, how to do it better. But, but now with these latest models, you know, the learning curve is not as difficult as when we first started and we're trying to fumble around and try to figure out what what, you know, what it was. And now it's so much easier. But but yeah. I I recommend starting small, finding those little things here and there, and then it adds up over time.

Jordan Wilson [00:31:11]:
Yeah. And I think the compounding improvements, Yan, is especially important. Right? As as Microsoft and other companies, you know, start coming out with, you know, autonomous AI agents, you know, that are so easy to use, right, and reasoning models. I I think that's important. I think we have time for one more here from Cecilia. So she's saying, Yan, love your intentionality and mindfulness. But how did you verify that Copilot was accurately doing what you would have done, and how long did it take you to go through this transition?

Yen Anderson [00:31:42]:
Oh. Oh, yeah. So verify. Okay. So remember, this is emerging technology. Right? And so we always wanna make sure that we verify, things for accuracy and do our due diligence as being a human, pilot in in all of this. So how long did it take for me to go through the transition? It I don't know if there was like a specific time. I think that my journey has been pretty long because, not only did I, introduce it in my life, you know, and, and personal and work life to, to really enhance my productivity and, you know, all the benefits of it.

Yen Anderson [00:32:22]:
But I'm also teaching others as well. And so, I don't think it was the exact time. I think, you know, it was just, sharing as much as possible because as soon as I learned something, as soon as a prompt I thought, you know, was really impactful and really great, I share it immediately to to see, you know, to a wider distribution to see what people thought about it. So, I, you know, it was kind of cyclical, like, you know, constantly trying things, you know, excited about it, showing people. And then they come back to me and there's feedback, in that. So, I will continue doing that, going forward because I love it. I'm passionate about it. I so I would say I'm still transitioning.

Yen Anderson [00:33:10]:
I'm still learning. It's certainly, there's so much more. There's so much more to do in this space and I don't I don't see the end any at any time.

Jordan Wilson [00:33:22]:
Yeah. Alright. So Yan, we've covered a lot. We can't keep you forever because you probably have 1,000 of more, of of your employees, and and coworkers to collaborate with on. But maybe as as we wrap here, what's your maybe one most important takeaway for our audience who's wanting to, you know, get the most out of, you know, copilot and to be ultra productive, but to still balance it and, you know, not have it lead to burnout. What is that one most, important piece of advice?

Yen Anderson [00:33:52]:
The most important thing is take care of yourself. You're the human. These, these chatbots are here to assist us and help us. And and you decide. You decide how it works for you. And and if you take that, intentional approach, I think you're gonna see real benefits and value of it. And, yeah, this is just remember, you're the human. That's the most important thing and take care of yourself and and just introduce, AI to see how you can enhance your humanness from it.

Jordan Wilson [00:34:21]:
Yeah. I I I love that, Yan. And like what Marie said here in the comments, the human is the pilot. Right? You still are the pilot, you know, and then now we just have a better and better copilot to to help us along. So, Yan, thank you so much for joining the Everyday AI Show and taking time out of your day to be with us. We really appreciate it.

Yen Anderson [00:34:40]:
Thank you for having me.

Jordan Wilson [00:34:41]:
And, hey, as a reminder, y'all, we did cover a ton there. You know? We appreciate Yen taking time to come and share with us. We shared a lot. We covered a lot. So if you haven't already, please go to your everydayai.com. Sign up for the free daily newsletter. If this was helpful, tell someone about it. Right? If you're, in the livestream comments, go ahead and tag your coworker, tag a friend, help them out.

Jordan Wilson [00:35:04]:
So thank you for tuning in. Like I said, go to your everyday dayai.com. We'll be recapping today's conversation in the newsletter. Thank you for joining us, and we hope to see you back for more everyday AI. Thanks, y'all.