The teen’s friend is a gifted artist – the kind who doodles gallery-worthy portraits. They are dragging themselves through a school system which has zero relevance for someone who is determined to focus on their art, not sullied by commercial considerations. The other day when I asked them whom they would have liked to train with for art, the answer was Michelangelo. I then uploaded their most recent painting into ChatGPT (forget mode) and asked it to give the sort of feedback Michelangelo would. The answers were very practical, and of course AI had endless patience and time to give feedback and advice on how to proceed.
Can this replace a gifted teacher? No. A mediocre one? Of course.
Are you an expert validator
When faced with a specific business challenge, I have been able to say “You should follow the principles of xxxx” and then, using AI, been able to get really finetuned, ready-for-execution advice based on that research or framework. A few iterations later – including “use the principles of x from Jessie Paul’s book Marketing without Money”, and we have a unique plan. Including recommendations of execution partners and a well crafted brief.
The key is to know the potential problems you are solving for, what kind of expertise addresses that problem, and then validate the potential solutions based on your experience and knowledge.
AI gives access to a firehouse of information. You need experts to funnel and filter this for relevance and accuracy.
What happens to the original IP
If you’re getting pre-digested frameworks and principles, should you still bother consuming -and paying for – the raw content?
This is a troubling question. I consumed Michael Porter’s 5 Forces Model as a part of my MBA education, so if I wanted to understand what the US automobile industry should do in light of Trump’s Tariffs I’d probably just add that to my prompt. If fact ChatGPT did not even need the allusion to the recent tariffs – it filled in those blanks and gave me a splendid answer to the question “Applying Michael Porter’s 5 forces model what should the US do to bring back auto manufacturing”.
The model is “public domain knowledge” as per ChatGPT so it doesn’t have to pay unless it uses the published material or the exact framework. Going forward, we’d have to have a new revenue model for high end creators like Michael Porter or Harvard as the vast majority of those benefiting from these frameworks are not going to pay for it directly in the form of a book or course.
I’ve always regretted that I have not yet had a chance to work with McKinsey. Inspired by my then-boss, Sanjay Joshi’s beautiful presentations at Infosys, I read “The McKinsey Mind” in my impressionable 30s. I do have a lot of respect for their frameworks and the ability to bring clarity to communication in an evidence-based way.
Thanks to my trusty ChatGPT I can now have a deck to bring back US manufacturing that follows those golden principles and ends with a classic line like ““The next Detroit isn’t a place—it’s a platform.”
If you’d like to brush up on your frameworks you can try this cool quiz on Marketing Frameworks.
A little knowledge is a good thing!
I went to the sort of school where “sayings” were written on the blackboard each day. It wasn’t a great school on other parameters but “A Little Knowledge Is a Dangerous Thing” was definitely seared into my memory. And a little else despite being a state topper (yes, yes, must slip that in – so few opportunities to do so after all that cramming!)
- I know that compound interest is a good thing. But I don’t know the formula.
- I know that a piñata adds fun to a party. But I wouldn’t know where the nearest piñata shop was.
- I know that guacamole is a tasty form of avocado. But I don’t know how to make it.
With the help of the internet if you know a little bit it can rapidly be expanded into practical knowledge.
That initial seed, of knowing your options, is the key differentiator.
Knowing a little about a lot is actually better in most cases than knowing a lot about a little.
Jack of All Trades can Master Many.
In Exec Search Generalists are Prized, Again
Paul Writer – that’s my company – has entered the CMO exec search space. And there we are asked for folks who have had experience managing a large range of marketing activities. The trend is definitely heading towards thinner in-house teams, of experts who can leverage tech for greater productivity.
What does this mean for marketers? The old-fashioned “rotation” across functions is useful again. Going deep into a very narrow space like SEO might leave you exposed. Invest in the basics, sharpen skills of understanding customers, understanding business challenges and innovating solutions for quick returns. And know your frameworks 🙂
CEOs are looking for agility, the proven experience of adaptation to changing circumstances. How you dealt with the COVID lockdown or demonetisation or the global financial crisis or BREXIT might be good things to spotlight in your resume.
Go Play
If you’re not using AI for search, try it out today. The results are very interesting.
Create a “I love Jessie’s Newsletter” poster with MetaAI on Whatsapp and send it to me.
Once you’ve cracked this you can make Mother’s Day cards and Good Morning greetings for your favourite groups. They will really thank you 🙂
Take any business problem (or life problem) and ask how it would be solved using a framework of your choice.
Take the Quiz I mentioned.
Have a fun Friday!
PS: Though this newsletter is about AI, all the ideas are fresh from my brain to my fingers, with no artificial filters.
