Hey good folks and happy Thursday! Well, well, well, I did it! I bought tickets to Every’s Thesis 2027 event in New York this fall. I’m very excited to attend and hear from other editorial minds on how they are building AI tools, using AI to write, and how they are approaching all the problems that causes––alongside the cool opportunities!

Let me know if you’re going to be there. I’d love to say hi!

Now, onward!

Last week, I was in a bit of a mood about how AI is changing how we all work, and not in a good way. And, it wasn’t because of AI itself. It was based on how humans were using AI to do tasks that, well, I don’t think AI should do.

So, I’ve spent the week mulling over it all and have formulated an early POV. Here it is:

Team members should demonstrate curiosity, a willingness to learn, and sound judgment in applying AI responsibly to improve efficiency and impact.

Be mindful of sending AI generated documents or commentary to colleagues that you have not thoroughly reviewed, understand, or agree with. You will be held accountable to what you deliver, no matter how it was created.

Here are a few areas in which AI usage is not recommended:

• Do not use AI to think for you. AI can be a thought partner, but individuals need to go into the work, find the most interesting things, and really hone what we want our message and strategy to be prior to AI usage.

• Do not use AI to project manage. It doesn’t work well, and often causes more hassle and confusion than not. Please manage your tasks manually.

• Do not use AI to respond to coworkers, whether that is in comments in docs (as feedback) or in Slack. Feedback and responses should come from individuals, not AI. If folks wanted to know what AI thinks, they’d ask it.

• Do not use AI for strategy edits or copy edits. Great AI copy and editorial requires multiple humans in the loop. Our editors cannot be the only humans in that loop. We need all team members to deeply edit their assets prior to handing off to copyediting. Editing includes: Does this read well? Does it make sense/is it accurate? Is it interesting? Would I actually want to read this? Is it interlinked? Are all claims cited appropriately? Does it fulfill the need of the ask?

Remember that clear, direct, and succinct communication is best. Be prepared to back up any recommendations with documented examples or logic on how you came to that conclusion.

I’ll continue to hone this with my internal team and leaders, but it is already finding its way into my team operating system. And so far? Folks have found it to be incredibly useful guidance! AI is great for efficiency, for eliminating a blank page, and lots of other use cases.

But humans––oh goodness––we are the magical ones, y’all. Act like it.

A NOTE ON THIS ADVICE

You do you!

One content marketer’s best practices aren’t always right for another one, though I do try to distill out the main concepts and core practices I believe everyone can benefit from. That said, you must use good judgment when deciding whether to take advice given from folks on the internet. I am an expert, and this advice comes from my direct experience, but I am not smarter than you, and I have nothing to gain or lose because of what you do.

THINGS KEEPING ME CONTENT

• What I’m eating: I had dinner near the Embarcadero last night in SF, and the weather was immaculate––which meant the views were wonderful! Sens was where we went, which was fine, but the view? Highly recommend!

• What I’m reading: I’ve picked up Big Swiss to read on the plane but haven’t gotten into it quite yet. GoodReads reviews are…mixed.

• What I’m wearing: I’m back on my sweats game since I’m in SF in 60 degree weather. By the time you read this though, I’ll probably be back in 100 degrees in Austin. Le sigh.

Thank you so much for reading. Let me know what you think by replying to this email.

Very excited to be here with y’all. 

Tracey