Introduction: In the early days, working with AI felt like commanding a robot. You gave it an instruction, and you got a result—sometimes great, sometimes… not so much. But lately, it’s started to feel different. More like a conversation. More like working with someone. In this piece, I reflect on that shift: how AI is becoming a co-creator, what makes those interactions successful, and why emotion, context, and feedback loops might be just as important as computing power. 1. Working with AI Feels Like Working with a Really Smart (But Literal) Partner One of the biggest misconceptions about AI is that it just “knows” what you want. The truth? You often need to guide it. A lot. I’ve found myself correcting it mid-way: “Hmm, that’s not what I meant. Can you focus more on X and less on Y?” And when it responds with “You’re absolutely right,” and pivots—there’s a real moment of collaboration there. That kind of responsiveness is powerful. It reminds me that AI doesn’t ne...
Lessons Learned from Researching and Building Patented AI Systems: From Memoir Apps to Retail Logistics
AI is evolving—but so are we. After nearly a decade of building patented AI systems that span memoir writing and ecommerce logistics, one thing is clear: the most powerful systems don’t replace humans. They collaborate with us. Over the past nine years, I’ve been on an immersive journey—researching, developing, and deploying AI-powered systems that span personal storytelling to hyperlocal ecommerce logistics. This work led to multiple patents and innovations in areas that combine human emotion, logistical efficiency, and machine intelligence. It all began with building operational systems for hyperlocal ecommerce and memoir writing. These early products were designed to solve very real human problems—how to get groceries delivered faster, or how to record and preserve the memories of a loved one in a meaningful way. But as the products matured, I realized the potential to deeply enhance them with artificial intelligence. From machine learning models for ecommerce recommendations to con...