Office Hours with Human+AI

About Office Hours with Human+AI

Human+AI is your friendly guide to the world of AI. Nicolle breaks down complex AI concepts into easy-to-understand podcast eps, so you can discover how AI is reshaping work, power, and identity. nicolleweeks.substack.com (https://nicolleweeks.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast)

Publisher

Nicolle Weeks

Category

society & culture · technology

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

3 Apr 2026

Latest episode

20 Aug 2026

Latest episodes

12 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   20 Aug 2026

   Office Hours: Watermarks... and failing marks

   If you use AI to edit your writing, you might be walking straight into a trap. In the Season 1 finale of Office Hours, Nicolle breaks down the fundamental flaw in modern AI detection and source watermarking, from Claude’s global statistical watermarking to Substack’s integration of Pangram. We reveal why current systems don't measure true authorship, but rather "copy-paste hygiene," punishing transparent creators. Learn how to protect your work, build your own proof of provenance, and navigate the changing landscape of AI literacy in 2026. Key Chapters / Timestamps The Copy-Paste Trap: How AI Watermarking Actually Works Welcome to Office Hours | Claude's New Global Watermark Substack, Pangram, and the "AI Slop" Debate The Facts: Anthropic Provenance vs. Pangram Inference The Frustration of False Positives Why Image/Video Watermarking Matters More Than Text The Real Threat: Offloading Critical Thinking How to Protect Yourself: Building Personal Provenance Season 1 Finale Announcement & What’s Next Get full access to Human+AI at nicolleweeks.substack.com/subscribe (https://nicolleweeks.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

2. 

   7 Aug 2026

   How I use AI as a parent (4 real examples) | Office Hours

   This week’s episode of Office Hours is 4 real examples from my life: A game, an app, a deck of cards, and a prompt. Our culture treats AI as either a saviour or a threat. I’m more interested in the third option: using it in your life without surrendering your critical thinking or your authority. That’s what AI literacy looks like at work, and it’s what it looks like at home too. Here are 4 examples of how I used AI to help me be a better parent. 1. I built my kids a French reading game with AI 2. The AI app that carries my mental load 3. We made AI trading cards as a Father’s Day gift 4. The bedtime prompt I use on myself, not my kids (https://theslowai.substack.com/cp/188745549) The one rule: point the AI at the adult Four examples, one rule. The AI works with the adult, not at the kid. I built a game I couldn’t build without AI. The app carries the logistics so my working memory doesn’t have to. The cards are an artifact for connection, not a substitute for it. The prompt regulated me so I could regulate the kid. Not one of these puts AI between me and my children. They all put more of me in the room. So if you need a test for anything you’re handing over, at home or at work, use this one. Does it make you more present, or less? Technology should expand our awareness, not override it. Same principle in the office and at home. Get full access to Human+AI at nicolleweeks.substack.com/subscribe (https://nicolleweeks.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

3. 

   31 Jul 2026

   Steal my 10-step newsletter framework

   1. The 3 Jobs I Delegate to AI Deep Research: Conducting 5-minute sweeps that pull relevant sources, saving hours of manual browsing. The "Contrarian" Sparring Partner: Using AI as an editorial board to challenge takes, pressure-test arguments, and point out blind spots. Distribution & SEO: Handling unglamorous admin tasks like Substack notes, social media formatting, and search/AI engine optimization. 2. What I NEVER Outsource to AI Unvetted Publishing: Every article, Substack note, and reply is personally reviewed. Fact-Checking & Verification: AI handles initial research, but every link, statistic, and study is manually cross-checked against primary sources. Opinions & Core Voice: AI helps spar, but final arguments, perspectives, and writing style remain 100% human. 3. The Truth About Substack’s AI Detectors & Accessibility AI as an Accessibility Tool: Why using AI to organize thoughts or cross language barriers should be embraced, not stigmatized. The Flaws of AI Detection (Pangram): Why detectors fail to see the human process (angle, research, fact-checking) and frequently flag non-native speakers or genuine human edits as false positives. The 10-Step Publishing Framework Scan: Read news, books, newsletters, and podcasts to discover connected stories. Angle: Formulate a clear point of view (the nut graph) and pressure-test it with AI. Report: Gather secondary materials and sources. Draft: Outline, spar with AI, draft, and iterate until reaching the story's core. Verify: Double-check every statistic and fact against primary sources ("When in doubt, leave it out"). Optimize: Audit for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Answer Engine Optimization (AEO). Refine: Polish tone, prose, and flow. Human Edit: Pass the draft to a real editor (human review) to catch jargon or logic gaps. Visuals & Layout: Design assets (using Canva or Claude Design) and review mobile/desktop preview. Distribution: Format for social platforms and Substack Notes to reach readers active outside direct platforms. 💡 Key Takeaway Define your angle in a single sentence before drafting. Topic: "AI agents are popular." Angle: "AI agents won't absorb all the busy work that AI companies promise." Anyone can search information, but your specific point of view is what readers subscribe for. Get full access to Human+AI at nicolleweeks.substack.com/subscribe (https://nicolleweeks.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

4. 

   16 Jul 2026

   Office Hours: The "confidently wrong" trap

   Are you secretly worried you’re falling behind on AI? You aren’t. In fact, half the people you work with are using it right now—and fewer than 1 in 5 actually feel confident doing it. In this video, we pull back the curtain on the massive gap between using AI and understanding it. Using brand-new data from Stanford, Pew Research, and Harvard, we look at where you actually stand compared to your peers, and reveal the one, single skill that separates people getting ahead with AI from those who are accidentally sabotaging their careers. 👉 (https://AILiteracyGuide.com/state-of-ai)Compare your stats on the live dashboard: (https://AILiteracyGuide.com/state-of-ai) https://AILiteracyGuide.com (https://AILiteracyGuide.com/state-of-ai)/state-of-ai-literacy ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 - Secret AI Anxiety 0:45 - The Shocking Data: Who Actually Trusts AI? 1:30 - The Unfair Advantage: Big vs. Small Companies 2:15 - The Harvard/BCG Study: How AI Makes Us "Confidently Wrong" 3:10 - Forget Prompting: The Only AI Skill That Matters 4:05 - The 3 Habits of True AI Literacy 4:45 - How to Find Your Demographic’s AI Score 💡 KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE The Trust Paradox: Younger demographics use AI the most, yet they trust its outputs the absolute least. The Expectation Gap: 73% of AI experts think it will help our jobs, but only 23% of the general public agree. We aren’t living in the same reality. The Harvard/BCG Warning: When consultants used AI on tasks outside its capabilities, they were 19 points more likely to make errors—because AI sounds just as confident when it is completely hallucinating. Prompting is a Trap: Prompt tricks expire every time a new model drops. Judgement is the only skill with infinite shelf-life. The 3 Habits of AI Literacy: Understand roughly how the machine works. Use it on real, everyday tasks. Question every single thing it outputs. 🔗 RESOURCES & LINKS MENTIONED Interactive Dashboard: (https://AILiteracyGuide.com/state-of-ai-literacy) State of AI Literacy Guide (https://AILiteracyGuide.com/state-of-ai-literacy) Featured Research: Harvard & Boston Consulting Group (BCG) Study on AI Capabilities, Stanford AI Index, Pew Research Center. If this video helped you feel a little less anxious and a lot more equipped, hit that Subscribe button! I run this benchmark study every year to keep you ahead of the curve. #AILiteracy #ArtificialIntelligence #ChatGPT #Claude #CareerGrowth #TechTrends Get full access to Human+AI at nicolleweeks.substack.com/subscribe (https://nicolleweeks.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

5. 

   8 Jul 2026

   Why AI resistance is essential (and how to do it right)

   Welcome to another edition of Office Hours! Lately, my comments section has been getting spicy. I’m not just getting questions about how to use AI, I’m getting folks telling me that AI is fundamentally wrong, bad, and soulless. And you know what? I’m completely okay with that stance. There are deeply valid points to be made about AI’s impact on our world, the exploitation of artists’ work, data privacy, and the commercialization of a “copy of a copy” culture. (If you’re like me and accidentally did a philosophy degree, Theodor Adorno’s The Culture Industry (https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/adorno/1944/culture-industry.htm) probably haunts your thoughts on this, too). But if you’re anti-AI, you can’t afford to be AI-illiterate. The formulaic vs. The uncopyable Working in media and digital product for 20 years, I’ve seen how formulas rule our culture. AI is absolutely displacing jobs right now, but it’s largely mastering the things that were already formulaic. It can write a reality TV script because reality TV follows a strict, predictable recipe. What AI can’t do is write an Oscar-winning script that shreds your soul, or compose a piece of music that makes you cry on the kitchen floor. For me, AI has sparked a creative renaissance. Because the gatekeeping barrier of code has dropped, I can execute my ideas instead of waiting for thousands of dollars in funding. How to resist AI (ethically and actively) Opting out of the technology entirely doesn’t stop big tech corporations or governments from optimization and monetization. If we want AI to be a public good, citizens need to dictate its direction. If you want to fight the current state of AI while staying true to your moral compass, you have options: * Go local: You can run Local AI models (https://nicolleweeks.substack.com/p/local-ai-beginners-guide-2026) directly on your computer. No data centres eating up massive energy grid resources, and no tech giants scraping your prompts. * Prioritize privacy-first platforms: Seek out companies that explicitly promise not to collect, train on, or share your data (like the venture from the founder of Signal (https://time.com/7346534/signal-confer-ai-moxie-marlinspike/)). * Build your own firewalls: Sensitive about data privacy? You can use an LLM to code your own period tracker or financial planner app where 100% of the data lives locally on your device, entirely offline. * Use it as a sparring partner: You don’t have to use AI for output. Use it to stress-test your arguments. Ask it: “Where would a university professor poke holes in my logic here?” Let’s debate I’m not here to convince you to love AI. I’m here because I want us to know our facts, have robust debates, and shape the culture rolling out around us. If you hate AI, don’t just leave a angry comment here (though you are always welcome to!). Take that literacy to your local political representative. Ask them what their stance is on algorithmic regulation. Become dangerous with your knowledge. What do you think? Is AI-generated culture fundamentally a bad copy, or is it forcing humans to finally level up our own creativity? Let’s talk in the comments. Human+AI is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Human+AI at nicolleweeks.substack.com/subscribe (https://nicolleweeks.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

6. 

   25 Jun 2026

   Office Hours: Will AI steal all of our jobs?

   Is AI coming for your job, or is something else going on behind the scenes? In this episode of Office Hours, I’m taking a nature walk to break down the single biggest question I get asked every day: "How will AI impact my career?" Instead of the usual hype or extreme doomsday scenarios, we’re looking at the messy reality of what’s actually happening in the workforce right now. From corporate budget reallocations pretending to be "AI efficiencies" to the sneaky rebranding of traditionally feminine roles, we debunk the myths and look at how you can ethically upskill without losing your mind or your values. If you enjoy a practical, skeptical, middle-voice perspective on artificial intelligence, make sure to subscribe! 👉 Read the full newsletter and get more insights at Human+AI on Substack: https://nicolleweeks.substack.com 👉 Check out free guides and resources at AILiteracyGuide.com (http://AILiteracyGuide.com) CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Introduction: Mailbag from a nature walk 00:43 - The big question: Will AI take my job? 01:22 - Narrative 1: Debunking the "AI is a total scam" myth 02:54 - How AI is already quietly embedded in our daily lives 03:22 - Narrative 2: The "Robot Revolution" doomsday theory 04:05 - The real reason people are losing jobs to "AI" 04:46 - The truth about AI Agents and corporate readiness 06:46 - Structural shifts: The history of jobs and skill evolution 08:03 - How to upskill ethically (and for free) 09:35 - A worrying trend: Technical job titles and workplace equity 10:38 - The 15% reality: Are companies actually seeing ROI? 11:46 - Wrap up & where to find more #AILiteracy #ArtificialIntelligence #FutureOfWork #CareerAdvice #TechSkeptic #HumanPlusAI Get full access to Human+AI at nicolleweeks.substack.com/subscribe (https://nicolleweeks.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

7. 

   21 May 2026

   Office Hours | Why I don't post videos of my kids online anymore

   In this episode of Office Hours, I’m talking about an AI safety issue that’s affecting a lot of people. Scams. Specifically, AI voice cloning. Just two years ago, if a bad actor wanted to clone your voice, they needed hours of pristine, recorded audio and deep technical expertise to train a model. That barrier is officially gone. Today, the tools are cheap, free, and widely available to anyone with an internet connection. An AI tool needs almost nothing from you to work. In just a few seconds, it can master your pitch, your rhythm, your accent, and even the way you laugh. It can then generate entirely new sentences in your voice—things you have never said, sounding exactly like you. “But I’m too smart to get scammed...” We’ve all heard the horror stories: a parent gets a call from their kid who sounds distressed, or a grandparent gets a frantic call from a grandchild. Honestly, if I got a phone call right now, heard my kid’s voice on the line saying, “Mommy, I need you right now, I’m in trouble,” I’d freak out. It doesn’t matter how tech-savvy or smart you are, when adrenaline and love kick in, logic goes out the window. The scammers aren’t trying to impersonate you to get to you. They impersonate the people you love most. Your teenager on TikTok, your partner, or your friends. Older adults are being disproportionately targeted, but this applies to everyone. The good news: there are 5 free things you can do today. Most of them take less than 5 minutes to implement. 1. Establish a family code word This is one of the best defences available, and it is entirely non-technical. Sit down with your family and agree on a secret code word or phrase. * The rule: It shouldn’t be something easily guessable, like a pet’s name or a birthday. * The execution: If anyone in your family ever receives a frantic distress call or a bizarre financial request from a loved one, the immediate response is: “Okay, honey, what’s the code word?” If they don’t know it, you know it’s an AI. (Make sure to repeat and practice it so younger kids or older relatives don’t forget it!) 2. Survive the callback If a loved one calls you from an unknown number asking for help or money, tell them: “I’m going to call you right back.” * The crucial step: Don’t call back the number they called from, and do not call a number they give you over the phone. Hang up and call them back on the contact number you already have saved for them in your phone. A real emergency can wait 30 seconds for a callback. A scammer’s spoofed line won’t survive it. 3. Treat urgency as a red flag The entire scam business model relies on urgency. Scammers need you to act before you think. They’ll say things like, “Don’t tell Mom,” “Send the money right now,” or “I need you to go to the ATM immediately.” If a caller is putting immense pressure on you to bypass your normal logic, take a deep breath, pause, and assess the situation. 4. Remember the universal rule of payments If there is a real emergency happening in your life, you cannot fix it with gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency. Full stop, universal rule: The police will not ask you for an e-transfer. Lawyers do not accept payment in Apple gift cards. Hospitals do not take Bitcoin. If the proposed solution involves prepaid cards, wire transfers, or crypto, it is a scam. 5. Run a “voice audit” on your family Go to Google and search your name and your kids’ names. Look at what audio and video is publicly accessible out there. Is it a public voicemail greeting? Social media videos? A podcast appearance? A YouTube video (like the one I just made)? Every piece of public audio is potential cloning material. Personally, I don’t put videos or pictures of my kids online at all anymore. I’m an adult and can make that choice for myself, but I’d rather keep my kids off the internet and untracked as long as possible. Data isn’t abstract We need to stop thinking of data as a vague, future privacy concern. Your name, your voice, your face, your relationships, and your daily routines are harvestable right now. I often hear people say, “Who cares? I’m not important enough to be targeted. What do they want with my data?” We are way past that. In the age of automated AI, everyone is a target because the cost to target you has dropped to zero. Caller IDs can be spoofed, photos can be scraped, and voices can be cloned. I don’t say any of this to make you afraid of AI. AI is already woven into the fabric of our lives. It’s in our Netflix recommendations, predictive texting, and our navigation apps. The goal isn’t fear, it’s AI literacy. Literacy means understanding the risks and knowing what’s possible so that you can spot when something is off. Set up a code word, do a voice audit, and have this conversation with your family before you need to, not after. What are your thoughts? Have you or a family member encountered a suspicious call recently? What strategies do you use to keep your data secure? Let’s talk in the comments. If you want to start teaching your kids or students how to navigate this world safely, head over to AILiteracyGuide.com (http://ailiteracyguide.com/) for free activities, resources, and guides. See you next week on Office Hours! Get full access to Human+AI at nicolleweeks.substack.com/subscribe (https://nicolleweeks.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

8. 

   14 May 2026

   Office Hours: Do people with ADHD "get" AI better?

   I’ve always felt like my brain worked in eight different directions at once. For years, I viewed that as something to manage—or hide. But since diving deep into the world of AI, I realized that the world is finally starting to think the way we do. In this week’s Office Hours, I’m sharing why I believe neurodivergent professionals have a “fast-track” to understanding AI. We’re pattern-seekers, we’re non-linear thinkers, and AI tends to reward those traits. However, being a late-diagnosed ADHD woman in a corporate environment comes with its own set of hurdles, specifically around executive functioning. In the video above, I break down the four specific ways I use AI to bridge the gap between my brain and the modern workplace: * Breaking the task initiation freeze: How to get past the “where do I even start?” phase. * The boring-task buffer: Using AI to handle the data-cleaning and note-organizing that feels like a “time suck.” * The tone translator: Navigating the “blunt vs. warm” spectrum in emails. * Solving time blindness: Building a schedule that actually accounts for how long things take. I also want to talk about the “trade-off.” There’s a fine line between using AI for efficiency and using it to “mask” so hard that you lose your own voice. We talk about how to stay yourself while still getting the job done. I’d love to hear from you: Does your AI use feel connected to how your brain is wired? What are your “hacks” for staying organized? Read the article that this video is based on (including a bunch of research): Get full access to Human+AI at nicolleweeks.substack.com/subscribe (https://nicolleweeks.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

9. 

   7 May 2026

   Office Hours: Celebrities, safety, and Mel Robbins' bad AI advice

   We’re officially in AI’s influencer era. From Reese Witherspoon (https://nicolleweeks.substack.com/p/reese-witherspoon-ai-backlash-gender-gap-2026) telling us to use AI to Mel Robbins partnering with Microsoft, AI is being marketed specifically to women. But while AI is becoming more accessible, it’s also becoming easier to make a mistake. In this week’s episode of Office Hours, we’re breaking down a recent (and dangerous) viral prompt and how you can use AI for your finances without handing over your private details. The Mel Robbins controversy: What went wrong Recently, Mel Robbins shared a sponsored post for Microsoft Copilot that suggested users upload their personal financial documents directly into a chatbot to help with budgeting. Here is why I would never, ever recommend doing that: * Public vs. private: When you use a free chatbot, you are essentially speaking in a public square. Unless you are a paying customer with specific privacy settings turned on, your data can be used for training. * Irresponsible messaging: Promoting the upload of sensitive health or financial data to first-time users is a major safety risk. * Outsourced judgement: Just because a celebrity—or an AI—tells you it’s a “best practice” doesn’t mean it is. A better way to “AI” your finances You can absolutely use AI to help with your money, but you have to be smart about it. Last week, I used Claude to map out several financial scenarios for myself, and I didn’t give it a single “real” number. Try these safe alternatives instead: * Use sample data: Instead of your real statement, give the AI a “fictional” version of your budget to see how it handles the math. * Ask for general principles: Ask for budgeting strategies or general investment definitions rather than specific advice on your own accounts. * Scenario mapping: Ask the AI to build a report or graph based on “what-if” scenarios (like “If I save $500 a month at 5% interest, what does that look like in 10 years?”). AI isn’t difficult to use, and you are not “behind”. You just need to remember the two golden rules we talk about in this episode: Don’t outsource your judgement, and don’t share sensitive data. For more info on staying safe, check out AILiteracyGuide.com (https://ailiteracyguide.com/), a free resource. Have a question for a future episode? Leave a comment or reach out! Until next week, happy AI-ing! Get full access to Human+AI at nicolleweeks.substack.com/subscribe (https://nicolleweeks.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

10. 

    23 Apr 2026

    Office Hours: What if I don't have time to learn AI?

    In this video, Nicolle answers this question from a fellow mom: "I get it, I need to learn this. But I have two kids, a full-time job, and about 20 minutes of free brain space a day. Every course I've looked at is like 40 hours. Is there something I can do in my life that would make a real difference, or do I just accept that I'm going to be behind?"Transcript: Hi, I’m Nicolle, and this is Office Hours. I write a newsletter called Human+AI, and I get a lot of questions from people in my life about AI. They’re usually simple, practical questions and I want to share the answers here, because I know a lot of people are wondering the same things. This week, I got a question from a fellow mom that really reflects what a lot of people are feeling right now: “I have two kids, a full-time job, and about 20 minutes of free brain space a day. Do I just accept that I’m going to be behind on AI?” The first thing I want to say is: You’re not behind. You’re just in time. The best time to start is now. And honestly, it’s easier than you think. The biggest barrier is how you think about it The way you think about AI is going to be your biggest enabler or your biggest barrier. A lot of people assume: it’s technical, it’s complicated, it’s going to take a huge time investment. And then there are courses, certifications, and 40-hour programs. But that’s not the only way in. I haven’t taken a full AI course myself. I’ve done shorter workshops, listened to podcasts, experimented as I go. If you have the time for a course, great. But if you don’t, don’t let that stop you. Learn in the margins, but differently You can: * Listen to a podcast (I like Hard Fork (https://www.nytimes.com/column/hard-fork)) * Watch YouTube videos * Read on Substack * Even ask AI to teach you You can literally go into ChatGPT and say: “I have five minutes, what’s something useful I can learn?” That’s one of the best things about AI - it can teach you. Don’t use your limited time to “learn AI.”Use it inside things you’re already doing. Start with your real work At work, I use Copilot (it’s the only tool I’m allowed to use). One of the first things I do in the morning is say: “Look at my emails, my messages, my projects, what should I prioritize today?” That alone saves me time and mental energy. You can start small: draft an email, summarize a document, organize your thinking You don’t need a course to do that. AI gives you time back (if you use it) Someone once told me: “I don’t have time to use AI.” And I said: “If you use it, you’ll get time.” A few weeks later, they came back and said: “I saved a full workday.” I’m not hyping this (there are real limitations to AI). But for repetitive, low-value tasks, it can be incredibly effective. One caution:Don’t offload all your thinking to it.You still need to engage your brain. You don’t need to be an “AI expert” There are people selling courses promising to make you an AI master. You don’t need that. The tools are changing constantly. One month it’s ChatGPT, then Gemini, now I’m using Claude. Next month it’ll be something else What matters isn’t mastering tools.It’s figuring out what works for you. The real goal The goal isn’t: “Be good at AI.” The goal is: Make your day slightly easier over time. Think about it like the 1% rule: small improvements, compounded. Final thought So no, you don’t have to accept being behind. But you do have to stop thinking: “I’ll catch up on this later.” Start now. Use it in your real work. Because the reality is people who know how to use AI are more employable, they tend to earn more, and more opportunities are opening up for them. If you spend 20 minutes a day applying AI to what you already do,it will take you further than a 40-hour course. I really enjoyed this, and I love answering real questions. If you have a question, send it my way. I read all my messages and all the comments on my work. There’s a good chance I’ll answer it in a future Office Hours. Get full access to Human+AI at nicolleweeks.substack.com/subscribe (https://nicolleweeks.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

11. 

    16 Apr 2026

    Office Hours: How do I use AI at work?

    On this episode of Office Hours, I talk about this question: "My boss just told our whole team we need to 'start integrating AI into our workflows' but gave us zero guidance on what that means. I manage a team of eight in HR. Am I supposed to just... figure this out and train them? Where do I even begin when I barely understand it myself?"You’re not alone. This is one of the most common questions I get. Someone told me their boss told the entire team to integrate AI into their workflows, but didn’t explain how, didn’t offer training, and didn’t define what success looks like. This is happening everywhere. Companies are spending money on AI, claiming they’re using it, but pushing the actual figuring-it-out onto managers and employees who were never set up to succeed. So let me say this clearly: if you don’t fully understand AI yet, if you’re not sure where to start, if you’re worried about getting it wrong, that’s not a personal failure. That’s where almost everyone is. Here’s what I’d do: Don’t start with AI tools. Start with your workflow. Have an honest conversation with your team: what are 2–3 tasks you do every single week that are repeatable? A report you write the same way every time. Meetings you schedule with the same format. Templates you copy-paste over and over. Pick one. Try using AI to make it faster. That weekly report that takes an hour? See if you can get it down to 10 minutes. That’s not training, that’s experimentation. And it’s exactly the right phase to be in. Then share what you learned. Bring it to your next team meeting. Show people what worked and what didn’t. If your company has a champion program, join it. Ask to present at an all-hands or a town hall. Please don’t do this work invisibly. If you’re figuring this out for your whole team, make sure you’re getting recognized for it. That’s real labour. Be strategic about it. One more thing: I learned all of this on my own. YouTube, free courses on Maven and Section, free resources from the AI companies themselves. You do not need to pay $3,000 to learn how to use AI. I promise. I don’t sell anything. This newsletter is free. My resources on Gumroad (https://nweeks.gumroad.com/) are pay-what-you-want, and free is always an option. Because I believe in not gatekeeping. Start small, experiment, then implement. Share what you learn. Take it one step at a time. You’re going to do great. Get full access to Human+AI at nicolleweeks.substack.com/subscribe (https://nicolleweeks.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

12. 

    3 Apr 2026

    Office Hours Live with Human+AI

    Get full access to Human+AI at nicolleweeks.substack.com/subscribe (https://nicolleweeks.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

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