Writer Uses AI Daily for 17-Pound Weight Loss, Faster Transcription and Idea Capture
Updated
Updated · Slate · May 24
Writer Uses AI Daily for 17-Pound Weight Loss, Faster Transcription and Idea Capture
6 articles · Updated · Slate · May 24
Daily use now centers on low-friction tasks rather than drafting: the writer says AI has become a regular part of work through transcription, dictation and organizing ideas.
Transcript tools are the biggest gain. AI services can sift hour-plus interviews for relevant passages to verify, cutting time spent scrubbing recordings, though the writer says hallucinations still require checking.
Dictation apps and a Notion-based “Idea Dump” have also improved capture and sorting of story ideas, leaving hundreds of saved notes instead of forgotten or garbled fragments.
A 10-minute Codex setup also linked meal plans to grocery lists during a 17-pound weight-loss effort, but an AI meeting notetaker backfired by making the writer less attentive.
The writer says these gains changed a skeptical view of AI as a toy, while still arguing it is better at reducing grunt work than replacing human writing.
With AI handling routine tasks, what are the next essential human skills for professional success?
How do we embrace AI's convenience without sacrificing the critical thinking skills that 'friction' helps build?