It’s tempting to outsource more and more tasks to powerful AI tools. But how far should we go? Have we already reached a point where we’re blindly handing over too much control? And what harm is this already doing to our growth and critical thinking?

In a recent post, I discussed keeping AI siloed, and here’s an example of what I meant. When I’m with a client, I take notes while we’re talking. This helps me better process everything and puts my brain into an intentional mode. Which, in turn, helps me come up with important questions to ask in real time and also triggers ideas for solutions to their workflow.

Even so, sometimes real-time note-taking isn’t possible. For instance, the other day, when I was helping an independent professional, I was demonstrating how to use the Timeline System to build his workflow by sharing my Supernote screen. In other words, I didn’t have enough hands to type.

However, right after the meeting, I opened Voicenotes, pressed record, and started speaking as if I were typing in real time. If I can’t take notes during a meeting, I make sure to do it immediately afterward to avoid forgetting any essential details. After all, that’s the whole point of taking notes.

I usually write everything out, even if it’s after the fact. But, in this particular case, I had another appointment, and, as I said, I would rather not forget anything. (By the way, any similar application would have worked; I chose Voicenotes because it has a web app.)

After finishing the recording, I went to the web, copied the transcription, and pasted it into the client’s note in Obsidian. There, I fixed the mistakes and added additional details, which ultimately triggered new ideas, also noted down to be shared with the client in the next session.

Yes, I can hear you! Here’s why I haven’t used AI to do everything.

Imagine asking AI to create all the topics for a specific meeting. Then, it emails all participants who, during the meeting, used AI to record and summarize it. Each attendee then asks AI to generate suggestions. Finally, someone consolidates all the suggestions in another AI and asks it to create a plan of action.

You’ve probably seen jokes about this online, but is it that far from reality? If you are afraid of AI taking your job, at least stop helping it by handing everything over on a silver platter.

I know, we’ve passed the point where not using AI is possible. It’s challenging to avoid something that’s excellent for many tasks. However, I strongly believe it is a terrible idea to put it in control. If I had used AI to record, transcribe, and summarize everything, I would never have had the insights, which, in the end, would have made taking the meeting notes pointless.