The AI Revolution: Finding My Place and Building A Business
So, the 60-day challenge is underway! If you've been following along, you'll know I'm attempting to build an online business from scratch, with a limited budget (£500) and even more limited experience of the skills needed for success.
Underestimating Artificial Intelligence
Mo Gawdat has opened my eyes to how much I have underestimated AI. I have been using ChatGPT for a while now to assist with work tasks, but had viewed it as a very smart search engine and something to help me with drafting documents. It does these things and has saved me huge amounts of time, but this is really peanuts in relation to the revolution that is underway without us really knowing about it.
Next I read The Aligment Problem by Brian Christian. In an AI context, the ‘alignment problem’ refers to the challenge of ensuring that AI systems' goals and behaviours are aligned with human values and intentions. It's about making sure that as AI gets more powerful, it does what we actually want it to do and doesn't cause unintended harm. If you want to know more, then why not try this prompt in ChatGPT:
“Can you please give me a brief summary of The Ailgment problem by Brian Christian and also give me a user friendly description of the concept of what 'the aligment problem’ in an AI context”
The big message I took away was this. Humans very easily misunderstand each others’ motivations. We often don’t fully understand our own. So we’re in dangerous territory when we try to ask super intelligent machines - machines that their creators cannot explain the workings of - to do what we think we want.
AI and The Book Whisperer
I'm now convinced that AI is going to revolutionise the future of work, not in the far off future, but within the next five years. We're talking about a fundamental shift in how businesses operate, how we create, and how we interact with the world. I don't want to be caught off guard. I want to understand these tools, to learn how to use them effectively, and to be prepared for this new landscape. I’m writing these blogs in the hope of inspiring others to engage productively and ethically with AI as well.
The Book Whisperer is not an AI business. It's a book business, driven by a human passion for literature and a desire to create beautiful, meaningful things. My goals are clear:
Build something I love: To create a business around something I'm truly passionate about – books, reading, and the arts.
Offer real value: To inspire others, to provide entertainment, and to foster a sense of community among fellow book lovers.
See if I can generate an income: I have a full-time job, so this is a part-time project for personal development. Additional income would be nice, and my initial £500 won’t last forever, but is far from the main driver.
Give back: Ideally if this does make any money, I'd like to structure The Book Whisperer as a social enterprise, using profits to support literacy charities like The Book Trust and the Adult Literacy Trust and other arts-based projects. This is a longer-term aspiration, but it's at the heart of what I want to achieve.
So where does AI fit into all of this? For me, it's about three things:
Personal Development: I see this whole challenge as a learning opportunity. I want to develop new skills and gain a practical understanding of how AI can be used in a small business context. I want to be, in a small way, 'future-proof'.
AI as a Mentor: I'm using AI tools, primarily Gemini, as a kind of business mentor. I'm asking it questions, bouncing ideas off it, and using its responses to guide my decisions. It's like having a 24/7 consultant, albeit one that occasionally gets a little confused by what I want (I will talk about this in the next blog).
AI as a Practical Tool: Let's be realistic. I'm a one-man band with a limited budget and even more limited time. I can't afford to hire a graphic designer, a marketing expert, and a web developer. And I certainly don't have time to master all those skills myself. AI tools can help me bridge that gap. I'm using them for things like:
Brainstorming product ideas and names.
Generating initial design concepts.
Drafting copy which I can personalise to reflect my own voice and values.
Researching suppliers and market trends.
Automating some administrative tasks.
The key here is that AI is a tool, not a replacement for human creativity or effort. It's about augmenting my abilities, not outsourcing my soul. I'm striving for a human-centered business, powered by passion and enhanced by technology. I'm aiming for a collaboration with AI, not a takeover!
I'm excited to see how this unfolds, and I'm committed to sharing the journey with you, honestly and openly. I believe that by embracing AI responsibly and ethically. I think we can all find new ways to pursue our passions and build something meaningful.
