The Steve Jobs Approach to AI Tools [WRAP 161]

Hey Reader, I hope your February is off to a great start! This week I've been thinking a lot about how AI is changing the ways we work.

I gave ChatGPT’s new "Deep Research" feature an assignment that I used to pay someone $300 for. This assignment took the person a couple hours and Deep Research did it in four minutes.

It's both exciting and a bit overwhelming, but I think there's a huge opportunity for those who can see the bigger picture.

💡 One Big Idea: The Generalist's Golden Age

We're living in fascinating times. While many worry about AI replacing human work, I'm seeing something different emerge: a golden age for connectors and tastemakers.

Here's what I mean:

• AI tools can now process and synthesize massive amounts of research and data.
• AI agents can handle tasks with minimal oversight, and those “agents” are only going to get more capable.
• Tools like Cursor have made coding accessible and lightning-fast.

But here's the real opportunity I'm seeing: using any of these tools independently, or expecting AI to do all the work, will only get you mediocre results. You'll do the same stuff as before, just faster and cheaper (which isn't terrible, but it's not revolutionary).

The magic happens when you can see multiple angles and connect seemingly unrelated dots. As Steve Jobs famously said, the most valuable insights happen at the intersection of technology and humanities.

I've been thinking about this 2-3 times every week: the more you lean into your authentic self and unique perspective, the more irreplaceable you become. I truly believe your "weirdness" is your superpower in the AI age.

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👀 Video to Watch: The Power of Weekly Reviews

This week, I shared a video about something that transformed my productivity approach - the WRAP method. For years, I was caught in the trap of endless planning without reviewing what actually worked.

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In this video, I break down how a simple 15-minute weekly review can change everything. It's not about perfect plans; it's about learning from your results and adjusting course.

🧵 Thread I Read: Personal Agency

I came across an interesting thread about how differently we might act if we truly believed we had more control over our lives. The truth is, most of us have more personal "agency" than we think - we just don't always recognize or use it.

I asked ChatGPT about this concept and got some very insightful feedback (screenshots below). Honestly, it’s like having an always-on life coach.

Before you go, I wanted to share a lighter thread that made me laugh - especially if you remember Chris Berman's famous athlete nicknames like Andre "Bad Moon" Rison and Bert "Be Home" Blyleven. Check it out here.

Have a great weekend,

Matt Ragland

p.s. if you have a (literal) minute to share feedback, click here.