The productivity trap: When AI helps you do the wrong thing, faster

The rise of AI slop: what it means for marketers and small businesses

Feeling overwhelmed by AI content? So were we. In this episode, we share why we both took a step back from using AI – and what it taught us about creativity, marketing, and critical thinking. From copywriting and outreach to domain expertise and conferences, we explore when AI helps… and when it just creates more noise. 📝 Show notes Key discussion points: * Why we paused our AI usage – and what changed when we did * The MIT study making rounds: what it actually says about AI and critical thinking * What “AI slop” is and why it’s flooding your feed * Just because you can automate and scale doesn’t mean you should * Why good marketing still needs humans, nuance, and focus * Gil’s brilliant low-tech but high-impact conference strategy * The trap of relying on ChatGPT for marketing plans if you lack domain expertise * Why companies need AI guidelines – not just OKRs about “using AI” * How follower count and content volume often miss the real business outcome * The balance between effective AI use and staying proud of your work Notable quotes: “We’re so focused on how AI can help us – we forget to ask if it’s helping our customers.” – Nihal “I was chopping down trees all day, but at the end of the week, I wasn’t proud of what I’d made.” – Gil “There’s no substitute for domain expertise – AI can’t think critically for you.” – Nihal “Creativity and collaboration are still uniquely human.” – Gil Tools mentioned: * ChatGPT [https://chat.openai.com] * Clay.ai [https://www.clay.com] * Midjourney [https://www.midjourney.com]  Related resources: * MIT study on AI and critical thinking [https://news.mit.edu/2024/ai-tools-hinder-critical-thinking-study-0521] (referenced in conversation) Have AI questions? Connect with us on LinkedIn – we’d love to help you cut through the noise and start getting real value from AI. Connect with the hosts: * Nihal Salah [https://www.linkedin.com/in/nihalsalah/] * Gil Chan [https://www.linkedin.com/in/thegilbertchan/]

How we actually use AI to plan our days, make better decisions, and get unstuck

How are people really using AI day to day – beyond the hype? In this episode, we share the specific ways we use AI in our personal and professional lives. From planning and strategy work to home repairs and supplement research, we talk through the tools and tactics that help us stay focused, move faster, and avoid overwhelm. 📝 Show notes Key discussion points: * Why AI helps Nihal manage ADHD and stay structured in her strategy work * The underrated power of voice mode for messy thinkers * How Gil uses his own app, Mira, for weekly brain dumps and task tracking * The difference between asking AI to do the work vs helping you think better * Using AI for daily prioritisation, task triage, and accountability * Travel planning workflows that cut hours of research * Using AI to source credible health supplement recommendations * Grok for news summaries and staying current without the doomscroll * AI in DIY and home repairs – the £150 mistake Nihal avoided * Product ideation and edge case exploration using AI as a thought partner Notable quotes: “AI is a game changer for messy thinkers – it helps me go from chaos to clarity.” – Nihal “I don’t ask AI to create the strategy – that’s what clients hire me for. I use it to structure my thinking.” – Nihal “AI helps me think about what I’ve missed, especially when scoping new products.” – Gil “When it’s free, you’re the product.” – Nihal “We don’t need more AI slop. We need more content that adds real value.” – Gil Tools mentioned: * ChatGPT Voice Mode [https://chat.openai.com] * Claude [https://claude.ai] * Perplexity [https://www.perplexity.ai/] * Grok on X [https://x.ai/] * Mira – Gil’s custom productivity app * Librarian (app for Slack digests) Use cases discussed: * Strategic thinking & planning * Weekly task prioritisation * Personal coaching-style reflections * Travel planning with constraints * Supplement research with clinical backing * News curation * DIY and home improvement fixes * UX and product flow ideation Have AI questions? Connect with us on LinkedIn – we’d love to help you cut through the noise and start getting real value from AI. Connect with us on LinkedIn: * Nihal Salah [https://www.linkedin.com/in/nihalsalah/] * Gil Chan [https://www.linkedin.com/in/thegilbertchan/]

The overlooked power of AI as a thinking and building partner

What if your most productive collaborator wasn’t human? In this episode, Gil and Nihal share how they’ve used AI to build, ship and stay focused. From using Claude to refine product strategy, to spinning up prototypes in hours with Claude code, they dig into the overlooked power of AI as a thinking and building partner. Key discussion points * Why Gil built an AI productivity app called Mira – and how he dogfoods it daily * Using Claude as a thought partner for strategic planning and product development * How Gil created a working prototype in 3 hours using Claude code and Claude’s understanding of prior transcripts * The difference between organising thoughts vs. organising execution – and how Mira bridges both * Nihal’s experience building a simple lead magnet quiz with Claude code (as a non-technical user) * Why most people fail when trying to build with AI – and how to avoid the same trap * Replit, Cursor, Claude Code – what works best and why it depends on how your brain works * The power of starting small, staying scrappy, and iterating quickly with AI Notable quotes “I ended up with a working prototype in three hours – without hiring a team, without writing code, just by pairing with AI.” – Gil “The mistake I kept making was going too big too soon. But the moment I built something simple, everything clicked.” – Nihal “Mira helps me decide what to work on when I’ve got just 10 minutes in the car – that’s the real productivity win.” – Gil Tools and links mentioned * Claude Code by Anthropic [https://www.anthropic.com/index/introducing-claude-code] * Replit [https://replit.com/] * Cursor [https://www.cursor.so/] * Vercel [https://vercel.com/] * GitHub [https://github.com/] Have AI questions? Connect with us on LinkedIn – we’d love to help you cut through the noise and start getting real value from AI. * Nihal Salah [https://www.linkedin.com/in/nihalsalah/] * Gil Chan [https://www.linkedin.com/in/thegilbertchan/]

The most overlooked use case for AI that will transform your marketing

Struggling to really understand your audience without spending a fortune on research? In this episode, Nihal and Gil unpack one of the most overlooked use cases for AI: customer research. We share how founders and marketers can now use AI to uncover deep insights -faster, cheaper, and more effectively than ever before. Key discussion points: * What synthetic research is and how one AI company is using it to replace traditional methods * How Nihal used AI to completely shift a client’s positioning through forum analysis and review mining * A breakdown of qualitative vs quantitative research - and how AI makes both more accessible * Tools, prompts and LLMs you can use right now to run deep research * Why knowing where your audience hangs out (e.g. Mumsnet vs X) changes everything Notable quotes: * “I truly believe that any solid marketing strategy is built upon a deep understanding of your customers.” * “There’s gold in reviews -and AI can mine it for you in minutes.” * “Most small businesses skip research because it’s time-consuming and expensive. But that’s exactly what AI can now change.” Tools and tips mentioned: * Claude for deep research and analysis of forum conversations * ChatGPT for live web research and survey creation * Grok (X) for communities active on Twitter/X, especially Web3 * Use Amazon reviews and forum posts to uncover pain points * Use CRM data, live chat logs, and inbound messages to train LLMs Have AI questions? Connect with us on LinkedIn – we’d love to help you cut through the noise and start getting real value from AI. * Nihal Salah [https://www.linkedin.com/in/nihalsalah/] * Gil Chan [https://www.linkedin.com/in/thegilbertchan/]

The productivity trap: When AI helps you do the wrong thing, faster

In this episode, we share how AI can sometimes do more harm than good, especially when it comes to strategy. Gil and I reflect on moments when AI tools sent us in the wrong direction, what went wrong, and how to use AI more effectively (without letting it derail your priorities). We also touch on the importance of downtime, domain expertise, and why process still matters- AI or not. 📝 Show notes Key discussion points: * The productivity paradox of AI: why doing more doesn’t always mean doing better * Gil’s story: how using Claude and ChatGPT to identify marketing blind spots wasted a week of his time * The missing link: AI outputs without a clear business strategy or priorities * Nihal’s experiment: comparing ChatGPT, Claude, and Grok to generate a marketing strategy (and why none really nailed it) * Why great outputs still depend on domain expertise and a clear process * The underrated power of using AI for research and audience insights * What to do before you prompt and how to anchor AI in actual goals and frameworks Notable quotes: “I was doing a whole bunch of things, but they weren't the things I should have been doing.” – Gil “Your domain expertise is what helps you evaluate whether what AI gives you is good, bad, or just noise.” – Nihal “If you don’t have a process, AI won’t save you. It’ll just help you get lost faster.” – Nihal Links mentioned: * Claude by Anthropic [https://claude.ai/] * ChatGPT [https://chat.openai.com/] * Grok by xAI [https://x.ai/] Connect with the hosts: * Nihal Salah [https://www.linkedin.com/in/nihalsalah/] * Gil Chan [https://www.linkedin.com/in/thegilbertchan/] Have AI questions? Connect with us on LinkedIn - we’d love to help you cut through the noise and start getting real value from AI.