Do you use AI?

fortwilliam · 02-02-2026 09:17PM #1

I do, I find it an incredibly useful tool that allows me to do my work better and deliver more comprehensive write-ups etc.

I am a self employed business consultant, I use my paid subscription as my personal PA.

I will feed in my thoughts/conclusions/observations/findings. Tell the platform exactly what I want it to create from my input, then tweak, by the 4th or 5th version, I have a piece of work that would have taken me 3 days to write up but made it happen in one morning (And can bill accordingly).. the skill is in working with the platform, learning how to guide/prompt it to deliver what you want, have a paid account so it learns your history and (Very important) in your account settings, give it strict parameters in how it delivers it's answers.

So.. do you use AI as a real tool or play with it for fun/use like Google?

scouserstation · 02-02-2026 09:22PM

As I wrote about in another thread, going to be a gamechanger over next 10 years, right now its handy for doing a lot of menial chores and repetitive workloads bit we should expect these AI tools to advance a lot more over the coming years

Tacitus Kilgore DCLXVI · 02-02-2026 09:30PM

Yes but applying critical thinking is an absolute necessity when using it. But that's just a general consideration for life.

fortwilliam · 02-02-2026 09:33PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124200895#Comment_124200895

Completely agree, throwing in a question and copy paste the answer will never produce quality work, as I said, you need to work With the tool

Tell me how · 02-02-2026 09:35PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058431997/do-you-use-ai

For me, neither.

Am very sceptical of it. Primarily because of it being almost entirely unregulated and a lot of the people at the head of the technology are dubious characters at best.

I've also seen a lot of people start to use it more and more professionally and I think they are mostly undermining their own worth and prospects, in the long run. If you as a consultant, or anyone else for that matter, demonstrates how AI can deliver part of their service then the customer is 100% going to be looking at ways to cut out or reduce the middleman where possible.

I've seen people use it to prepare emails to client teams and all that tells me is that this individual cannot perform their own duties appropriately.

This past weekend, I had an ad presented to me on social media, it was an AI generated "real life" animation of women wearing regular business atire. But as the animation progressed, each woman's breasts increase massively. The ad itself was for an AI generator and the text catchline was "we won't stop you" probably alluding to the pushback against Grok recently. That ad was presented on TikTok, a platform easily accessible by children.

Maybe I'm an old fogie, railing against progress, but I have zero faith that the people at the top of AI development have the best interest of the human race in mind as they develop their products and it has the potential to harm a lot of people, in a lot of ways.

fortwilliam · 02-02-2026 09:42PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124200914#Comment_124200914

For transparency (and for fun) I asked my Sub to rebuttal your argument, what are your thoughts on the reply?

The concern around regulation is valid. AI governance is still uneven and, in some areas, underdeveloped. That said, the absence of perfect regulation is not unique to AI and has historically accompanied most transformative technologies. The practical question for professionals is not whether the technology is flawless, but whether it can be used responsibly within existing legal, ethical, and organisational constraints. In many cases, it already can.

The argument that AI use undermines professional value assumes that value lies primarily in output rather than judgement. In practice, clients rarely pay consultants or professionals for the mechanical production of content. They pay for context, interpretation, accountability, decision-making, and the ability to navigate ambiguity. Using AI to support preparation, analysis, or drafting does not remove that value unless the professional allows it to. A spreadsheet did not eliminate finance roles, and presentation software did not eliminate consultants. Tools tend to commoditise low-value tasks while increasing the premium on higher-order thinking.

There is also an important distinction between delegating responsibility and using assistance. When AI is used to accelerate first drafts, summarise information, or explore alternatives, the professional remains fully accountable for the final output. That accountability cannot be automated away. Clients still expect a human to stand over decisions, recommendations, and consequences. AI does not change that expectation.

The criticism of AI-assisted email drafting conflates capability with intent. Someone using AI to refine tone, structure, or clarity is not necessarily incapable of communicating. They may be optimising time, managing cognitive load, or working in a non-native language. Judging competence solely on the presence of a tool risks mistaking efficiency for inadequacy.

The example of harmful or inappropriate AI-generated content highlights real issues around moderation, platform incentives, and distribution, rather than workplace use itself. That content existed in other forms long before generative AI and remains a governance and enforcement problem. It is a reason to push for stricter controls, not necessarily to reject all professional use outright.

Finally, scepticism about the motivations of AI leaders is understandable, but intent at the top does not fully determine impact at the edges. Professionals make daily decisions about how tools are applied, constrained, or rejected. Choosing to engage critically with AI allows individuals and organisations to shape its use rather than passively absorb outcomes defined elsewhere.

In short, using AI for work does not require blind trust or ideological commitment. It requires judgement, limits, and accountability. When treated as a tool rather than a substitute for expertise, it can enhance professional effectiveness without eroding professional worth.

kirving · 02-02-2026 09:44PM

I use it for very basic coding/scripting, for stuff which I could muddle though myself, or waste a developers time doing basics. eg: write a script which will search through these 1000 invoices, and copy all rows that contain X supplier name, into a single Excel sheet.

I always scan the code myself, and ensure that for example, it's searching for "Supplier Ltd.", "supplier ltd", "supplier", etc., and it shouldn't ever be used for actually official financial reporting

I'll get it to do summaries of documents for my own reading too, but never ever use it for conclusions as even the "Pro" tools we pay for in work are littered with mistakes and generalities that don't stand up to scrutiny.

"Moreover", I've found people who swear by AI to be the same people who are completely oblivious to it's typical, trademark, telltale giveaways when writing English, Engineering documents, and Emphatic pieces.

Mister Vain · 02-02-2026 10:47PM

I use it for creating images of… stuff.

Flinty997 · 02-02-2026 10:51PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124200932#Comment_124200932

Personally I think using AI to entirely answer questions in a forum should be banned.

Tell me how · 02-02-2026 11:04PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124200932#Comment_124200932

I'm not going to go through it, piece by piece, but to comment on a couple of things.

That said, the absence of perfect regulation is not unique to AI

That doesn't mean it is acceptable. Throughout most of human existence, when we determine that something has the potential to cause harm, regulation is introduced to mitigate against that harm.

The argument that AI use undermines professional value assumes that value lies primarily in output rather than judgement.

Clients pay for effort as well as output/judgement. That's why people bill in hours and AI undermines much justification in that respect. Everyone is looking to optimize their gain, each link in the supply chain will look right and left to see if it can become more profitable in some manner.

The rest of the content of the post mostly reads like someone arguing against cost cutting within their departments, sure some of it could be argued is true, but it is all subjective and it is this point that raises a lot of concern for me. We've seen Elon Musk put his finger on the scale of AI so as to be favourable towards him and I have zero faith that the owners of massive platforms will not do similar under the guise of "optimizing the end-user experience" or however they'll try to sell it.

When faced with upholding moral values, or optimizing profits, must companies choose the latter, unless they are regulated against doing so. We saw Facebook do it, we've seen X do it, we're seeing Tik Tok do it and so on and when this can be done more and more insidiously, that I am very nervous about. More so when you see that orange fcuker in the White House signing an executive order banning US states from legislating AI.

There are ways in which AI can be beneficial for the Human Race, these are vastly outweighed, in my view, by the ways in which it can be harmful. As Sam Altman said, “I think AI will probably most likely lead to the end of the world, but in the meantime, there'll be great companies.” and if he proves to be right, then this quote is what should be put on the gravestone of the Human Race. It encapsulates everything from the concept of capitalism to the forcing companies to first optimize profits in the world we live in. Cést la vie. Apparemment.

Flinty997 · 02-02-2026 11:09PM

I use AI at work to get stuff done that simply would never get done. I use it as an assistant doing stuff like documentation, summaries, some coding, indexing videos etc.

But it's never the end product. I always change the end result to improve it. Or fix the code it writes. Because it writes in a sterile tone and often gets the nuance or details wrong. Great when you don't know where to start, it gives you a quick foundation to build from.

It's useful as training aid or mentor. So often lacking in the work place. Unlike a colleague who gets annoyed with a lot of questions AI never does.

It's also useful in arguing an issue. Difficult people are often convinced by the answers from AI where they won't listen to the people around them. Which is kinda strange but does seem to work. Only issue is where the AI makes mistakes or hallucinations, the same people can't see it. Which can cause issues.

Flinty997 · 02-02-2026 11:15PM

AI like social media needs to regulated. Commercial interests don't want this. They shouldn't be allowed the level of autonomy govt have given them.

People over profits.

FortuneChip · 02-02-2026 11:17PM

Use CoPilot in work a lot - and it's becoming more useful the more I engage with it - I wouldn't have it doing my creative work, but using is as a PA helps save me time.

It's handy for scouring my inbox and highlighting outstanding tasks/priorities or providing a recap of recent mails in bullets.

For Teams Meets it's great for recapping minutes and actions discussed, and plugging into calendar/shared docs etc to provide additional useful reference points.

Also used it to help my get my current job - had it cross reference my CV and cover letter against the Job Spec to highlight my strengths/gaps to work on - and prep for interview questions etc.

ancapailldorcha · 02-02-2026 11:17PM

Very rarely. I think it has amazing potential to be very useful but as it stands right now, I think the harms far outweigh the benefits. We've a coterie of unaccountable techbros gnawing away at the social contract and this is just their latest toy. Generative AI is just theft and plagiarism and governments seem to have no interest in protecting people's property rights.

I can easily see this ending very badly.

Vic_08 · 03-02-2026 01:58AM

If I hired a business consultant and they produced AI spam and expected to be paid they would be sorely disappointed.

Then again the consultant sector is such a joke there probably is little difference between a human and chat gpt report that it matters little either, executives that need consultants to tell them how to run their business are useless wasters that aren't fit to run a bath in the first place.

Strumms · 03-02-2026 02:27AM

no, my only forays into anything internet is simply boards, social media, using the internet as an information resource for news, entertainment and very occasionally online shopping.

babyducklings1 · 03-02-2026 02:53AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124201196#Comment_124201196

Yeah a worry people have is AI will start taking jobs. We seem to be only at the start of this phase I don’t know. Even in the shops ( different example I know but self service check outs) You could argue that we should get the products cheaper because we are not getting the assistance of a shop assistant!

In some supermarkets you just get staff who man the self service check outs as if every person is a common thief. Another one has little cameras where you can admire your reflection as you scan your shopping ffs!
But this is where we are at.

BP_RS3813 · 03-02-2026 08:56AM

Actively avoid using it. Have turned off AI mode/features in everything and refuse to use it.

Its a cancer and should have been cut off at the source. Predictive text is fine - anything more then that (LLM's) should be viewed as some sort of social taboo.

In work the system won't even allow me to turn off the feckin Co-Pilot/AI Mode on google/Teams.

I will die on this hill.

magicbastarder · 03-02-2026 09:00AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058431997/do-you-use-ai

a piece of work that would have taken me 3 days to write up but made it happen in one morning (And can bill accordingly)

Can bill accordingly, for now

fortwilliam · 03-02-2026 10:14AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124201424#Comment_124201424

I genuinely do not say this to be insulting, your post does nothing except show your lack of understanding of this resource.

Let me clarify that with a counter to your first sentence:

If I hired a business consultant and I discovered that they charged me for 3 days typing up a report that could have been done in a morning and expected to be paid they would be sorely disappointed.

retalivity · 03-02-2026 10:57AM

Work in backend data tech, don't use it at all, its useless and a waste of time, more time spent unpicking the holes from whatever it has generated, redoing vibe coding that is not fit for purpose. Starting to impact on hiring now, any new recruits who lean heavily on AI for solutions are a massive red flag, been burned a few times already on people who patently haven't a clue

Tell me how · 03-02-2026 01:06PM

Have been thinking a bit about this thread throughout the morning.

For me, there's 4 distinct ways in which AI could be become dangerous

That it will be used as a resource to replace workers across various industries
That it will be used by workers to generate content they are passing off as their own
That it can be used to produce hateful/harmful/malicious or downright illegal content
That it will be used to influence society in an Orwellian fashion with the tech controllers pulling the levers

Each of these have the capacity to be influential society to varying degrees, both at the individual level and all the way up to the macro level. And you could say the same thing about a lot of technologies, though I would argue AI has greater potential to influence things. And this is why I feel it should be HEAVILY regulated.

One thing about it that makes me uncomfortable is that it has the potential to influence the lives of many people even if they personally want to avoid it. Your life could be significantly impacted via points 1, 3 or 4 above even if you swear to stay away from it. Again, maybe that is the same for other technologies but when I look at the characters of Sam Altman, Peter Thiel, Elon Musk or Alex Karp, I feel very uncomfortable at the thought of what they would be ok with their technology doing.

John_Rambo · 03-02-2026 01:08PM

Get on the train or get run over by it.

gormdubhgorm · 03-02-2026 01:17PM

I noticed most are thinking AI at work, but music is one that unnerves me a bit. But on the other hand AI could greatly advance medicine. So I am very mixed on it.
So far AI is good on formulaic structured stuff. But beyond that it is very obvious. When it starts to learn nuance what happens? Or is used to draw out information for advertisers like the way Google did years ago when it was “listening” .

Tell me how · 03-02-2026 01:19PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124202162#Comment_124202162

Trains are heavily regulated.

magicbastarder · 03-02-2026 01:20PM

i've had to deal with problems caused 'by' AI, twice, in the last few weeks. both times caused by lazy people who decided to let AI do work for them, and it getting it wrong and them not being cynical enough to fact check it.

in one instance, the company came close to spending a five figure sum on software that could not do what the guy who asked copilot about it said it could do. that's not to say that he wouldn't have made that mistake anyway, but for many people language produced by LLMs is more convincing than that used by lazy colleagues.

BP_RS3813 · 03-02-2026 01:35PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124202162#Comment_124202162

How about don't let the train leave the station in the first place.

Cluedo Monopoly · 03-02-2026 01:39PM

I find AI extremely powerful and it will be transformative. I am using agents now to simplify my job. It's brilliant at scanning huge repositories of specified documents and summarising and/or creating process maps. Prompt engineering knowledge is important.

And I would be a technophobe in most aspects of my life - Boards and Linkedin are the only social media I use.

SuperBowserWorld · 03-02-2026 01:39PM

I can see people dumbing down and almost become robot like to accommodate task completion with AIs.

Communication and soft skills will continue to degrade. Empathy will go out the window entirely.

You can see it already in the people selling the tech. It's like humans, regulations, society and the planet are just annoying inconveniences when you want to make loads of money.

Cluedo Monopoly · 03-02-2026 01:44PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124202273#Comment_124202273

I think the big consultancy companies will make a fortune from helping firms roll it out initially but it will eventually impact their own contract pipeline and resource needs. I had an EY guy recently promising the world and telling me how our firm could reduce staff numbers by rolling out AI agents. He didn't even blush.

Tony EH · 03-02-2026 01:46PM

Do you use AI?

No.

Do you use AI?

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