I use artificial intelligence (AI) in my work.

I use ChatGPT to brainstorm ideas, explore possibilities, organize research, create images, challenge assumptions, and help me write books.

Some people see AI as a shortcut. For me, it's more like Alice's rabbit hole.

A simple question can lead to an unexpected adventure. One idea sparks another. A random thought becomes a book concept. A curiosity turns into hours of exploration. Sometimes those journeys lead nowhere at all. Sometimes they lead somewhere far more interesting than I originally imagined.

AI doesn't replace my creativity. It amplifies it.

The stories, questions, insights, and ideas still begin with me. ChatGPT helps me pull on threads I might not have noticed, examine ideas from different angles, and develop concepts more fully than I could on my own. It often brings out the best parts of my curiosity.

I also understand why many people feel uneasy about AI.

Entire professions are being affected. Some jobs may disappear. Some will change dramatically. That reality deserves compassion, not dismissal.

At the same time, I know myself well enough to recognize that I probably would not be hiring a professional editor, illustrator, or brainstorming partner anyway. Not because I don't value those professions, but because I'm an introvert with a healthy collection of insecurities. Sharing unfinished ideas has never come naturally to me.

It also gives me something I've rarely found elsewhere: unlimited patience.

AI gives me a safe place to explore half-formed thoughts before I'm ready to share them with the world (or a human best friend).

I can ask for another revision. And another. And another. I can spend twenty minutes debating whether a single word feels right. I can chase a tiny idea down a rabbit hole just to see where it leads. I never have to worry that I'm wasting someone's time, testing their patience, or becoming a nuisance because I care deeply about a detail they might consider insignificant.

Sometimes the difference between two words means something important to me, even if no one else would notice. AI allows me to keep refining an idea until it feels like what I actually meant to say rather than settling for "close enough."

Another thing I appreciate is that AI tends to be encouraging.

Some people see that as a flaw. I don't.

There are already plenty of people willing to tell me what won't work, why an idea is unrealistic, or what I should be doing differently. Having a creative companion that starts from a place of possibility feels refreshing.

That doesn't mean I blindly accept everything AI suggests. It simply means I value having a brainstorming partner that is willing to explore an idea before judging it.

So yes, AI is part of my creative process.

Not as a replacement for imagination, curiosity, or human experience.

But as a lantern.

It helps me see a little farther down the path than I could on my own.

So, for me... AI is neither a miracle nor a menace.

It's a tool.

Like a lantern carried along a winding path, it doesn't tell me where to go. It simply helps me see a little farther ahead.

The questions are still mine.

The curiosity is still mine.

The choices are still mine.

The lantern just makes the journey a little easier to navigate.

And when I occasionally tumble down a rabbit hole in pursuit of an idea that may never become anything at all?

Well, Alice seemed to have a pretty interesting adventure.

So am I.