I Used AI for My Own Tasks for 7 Days—Here’s What Surprised Me the Most
Tinkering with artificial intelligence over seven days felt like stepping into a sci-fi novel—I couldn’t resist exploring its promises of efficiency and creativity. Imagine me, perched in a cozy chair, surrounded by glowing holographic screens straight out of a futuristic movie, tapping away at tasks with a blend of curiosity and skepticism. Every major tech giant is racing to sprinkle generative AI into our lives, claiming it’ll turbocharge productivity and unearth hidden potential we didn’t know we had. Yet, I wondered if those shiny promises held up beyond the buzzwords. As someone who writes about tech for a living, I’ve poked at AI tools before, but only in fleeting bursts—testing new models, marveling at their tricks, then drifting back to my analog ways. This time, I decided to dive in headfirst, committing a full week to see if AI could truly slot into my chaotic routine. What unfolded was a mix of triumphs, hiccups, and a few jaw-dropping moments that left me rethinking how I work—and live.
The allure of AI isn’t new, but its practical role in my day-to-day life felt uncharted. I’m no stranger to the hype—billions poured into algorithms that churn out text, images, and ideas at lightning speed. Still, I’ve always approached it with a raised eyebrow. Accuracy matters in my world, and the thought of an AI spinning half-truths into my work gave me pause. Could it really enhance my efforts without derailing them? That question gnawed at me, so I crafted an experiment: seven days of leaning on AI tools to tackle my tasks, from organizing my schedule to brainstorming headlines. I wasn’t chasing a complete overhaul—just a glimpse of what’s useful, and what might actually stick.
We strongly recommend that you check out our guide on how to take advantage of AI in today’s passive income economy.
Table of Contents
The Experiment
Picture me at my cluttered desk, coffee steaming beside a notepad scribbled with my weekly routine—work deadlines, dog walks, laundry piles. I spent just over a week weaving AI tools into this mess, aiming to see where they’d shine. First, I mapped out my typical days: mornings for news stories, afternoons for deep research, evenings for life’s odds and ends. Then, I cherry-picked free or accessible tools—no fancy subscriptions or coding skills required. That ruled out premium gems like Slack’s AI add-on or Zoom’s paid companion. My goal wasn’t to drown in every AI app out there, but to test the heavy hitters that promised real value for someone like me.
Here’s the lineup I settled on: ChatGPT Plus, Google Gemini, Google Docs and Gmail’s “Help me Write” feature, the standalone Copilot site, Otter’s AI transcription tricks, and Tasty’s Botatouille app. I’ve got a paid ChatGPT subscription, and my workplace hooked me up with Otter, but the rest I used gratis. Simple, right? I imagined myself as a conductor, orchestrating this digital symphony to see if it could harmonize with my life. The tools were ready; now it was time to play.
First, a Disclaimer
Being a reporter means ethics loom large—I wasn’t about to let AI pen my stories. Instead, I vowed to use it for brainstorming and drafting support, never publishing its words raw. Think of me hunched over my laptop, feeding prompts into ChatGPT, then dissecting its replies like a scientist with a specimen. I wanted to gauge its utility and accuracy, not lean on it as a crutch. For sensitive stuff, I flipped off ChatGPT’s chat history—no training fodder for the model there. Gemini and Copilot? No privacy toggles unless you’re a paid enterprise user, so I steered clear for anything confidential.
Expectations locked in, I felt a mix of excitement and caution. This wasn’t about handing over my job—it was about teasing out whether AI could nudge me toward better. I took a deep breath, cracked my knuckles, and dove into day one.
Spinning My Tangled To-Do List into Efficiency Gold
Organization’s never been my forte—I’m the type to fixate on trivial details while deadlines loom. Mornings usually start with a frantic brain dump: story pitches, dog walks, yoga sessions, all jumbled together. I’d hoped AI could untangle this knot, so each day, I dumped my list into ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot, adding details like my 9-to-6 work hours and urgent tasks. Picture me sipping coffee, squinting at their responses, eager for a winner. ChatGPT stole the show right out of the gate.
Gemini flopped—ignoring my schedule, it slated work before dawn and stretched it past dinner, with vague tips like “swap yoga and writing if you feel like it.” I need boundaries, not Silicon Valley’s 24/7 grind. Copilot tried harder, carving out time blocks, but it peppered me with links—yoga studios, AI articles—turning a schedule into a rabbit hole. ChatGPT, though? It nailed it. It slotted a news story first, then a 1-to-3 p.m. chunk for my big project, noting it’s prime time for focus before fatigue kicks in. It even suggested starting laundry beforehand—multitasking I’d have done anyway, but seeing it in print felt validating.
By day’s end, it queued lighter tasks like emailing sources. I followed its plan, feeling oddly calm—sure, some tasks overspilled their slots, but having a roadmap beat my usual scribbled chaos. AI didn’t solve my time woes entirely, but it gave me a scaffold to climb.
Good with Recaps, Bad with Headlines
Workdays hum with words—I’m drafting, tweaking, polishing. Since AI couldn’t write for me, I got crafty. Imagine me pasting a story draft into ChatGPT, asking, “What’s this about?” It spat back a summary, helping me spot if my intent matched the text. Keywords popped out, nudging my headline ideas. I also tossed in old stories for fun, testing its headline chops. The recaps were spot-on, but the headlines? Stiff as a board.
For a piece on OpenAI’s murky Sora training data, ChatGPT offered “OpenAI’s Sora: Breakthrough Video AI Sparks Copyright Controversy.” Dramatic colons aside, it felt like a robot mimicking a newsstand. Gemini churned out bland (“The Legal and Ethical Issues of Training AI Models”) or clickbait (“Is OpenAI Stealing Data?”). Copilot hit a word limit and bailed. I sighed—AI’s great for distilling, but it lacks the spark I need to hook readers.
Encountering the Trust Issue
Next up: transcripts. I’m knee-deep in a long-term story, sifting through interview recordings. Otter’s my hero, transcribing audio in minutes. This year, it added an AI chatbot—summaries, takeaways, the works. Imagine me uploading a hefty interview, asking, “What’s the gist?” It coughed up a tidy bullet list of key points. Handy, right? But I couldn’t shake the need to double-check—AI’s known to fib. Everything held up, yet that extra step dulled its time-saving glow.
Still, having those takeaways as a cheat sheet while I scrolled the full transcript? A small win. I pictured myself nodding at the screen—cautious, but grateful for the assist.
Wrangling Customer Service Is an AI Solution I Can Get Behind
Lunch breaks are sacred, and one day, I turned to Gmail’s “Help me Write” via Google Labs. Picture me, sandwich in hand, fuming over missing Soda Stream CO2 canisters—tracking said delivered, but my doorstep was bare. I hate these chores; they nag at me, slipping through cracks. I typed, “Draft an email to Soda Stream about my undelivered canisters from January 9.” Seconds later, a polite, clear email appeared. I tossed in my order number, hit send, and boom—new canisters arrived, hassle-free.
I grinned, imagining a future where AI handles all my petty gripes. This was a keeper.
Half-Baked Recipe Ideas
Evenings mean dinner, and my fridge is a puzzle I’m too tired to solve. Tasty’s Botatouille app promised help. I pictured myself rattling off ingredients—kale, sausage, beans—and it suggested a soup. Another night, it pitched a stir-fry with chicken and veggies. Solid starts, but the recipes? Sparse. I’d prod for details, then tweak them anyway—I’m an improviser, not a baker. Plus, no chat history meant ideas vanished, and once, it ignored my ground beef for pork suggestions.
It’s a brainstorm buddy, not a chef. I shrugged—helpful, but not a game-changer.
In Conclusion…
Seven days with AI left me intrigued but not converted. ChatGPT’s scheduling and summarization earned a permanent spot—imagine me plotting my days with its no-nonsense vibe. Gmail’s email drafts? A lifesaver for mundane outreach. Otter’s summaries and Botatouille’s ideas? Meh—too much babysitting or too little depth. I see AI shining for logistics-heavy giggers—project managers juggling meetings, crafting recaps. For me, a word-wrestler, it’s a sidekick, not a star.
What surprised me most? How AI’s promise of ease often came with a catch—trust, tweaking, or just not fitting my creative groove. It’s a tool, not a takeover, and I’m fine with that.
We strongly recommend that you check out our guide on how to take advantage of AI in today’s passive income economy.
