Smooth Media’s Guide to AI

When we want to know more about how UX designers utilize a new Figma tool, how the state-by-state legal framework for salary transparency has shifted over the years, or how Lost ended…we Google it.

But there was a time not so long ago when we would have been forced to pull out the Encyclopedia Britannica CD-ROMs, try our hand at the Dewey Decimal System during a trip to the library, or (gosh forbid) watch all six seasons of Lost to get the answers we needed.

Now, we just Google it—because the search engine has empowered us with more information at our literal fingertips than our forebears would ever have dreamt of. That’s a win, if you ask me.

And the positive outcomes from that onward march of technological progress is why we here at Smooth are excited (read: not terrified) about how artificial intelligence could change the way we do our jobs. We’re embracing it. Why?

Sweeping declaration: We think we’re not all that far off from using AI the way we currently use Google. Within the next few years, it will seem bananas to take the time to search something on Google, sift through all of the results, and read tons of pages for answers…when you could just ask a chatbot to do it for you (…and Google’s AI-generated answers currently ain’t it).

AI will change the way we work, not replace us entirely. So we’re embracing it as a tool, especially for our content team—here’s how. Take it away, Jenna →

First, some basic rules we observe:

1. Review everything with human eyes.

2. Avoid copy-paste. We want to use AI as a resource, not a mouthpiece.

3. If you’re unsure about an appropriate use case, just ask an editor, coworker, stranger on the street, etc. There’s no shame in asking in this house.

With those guidelines in mind, here are a couple of use cases for AI x creators.

Content research:

• Quickly gather relevant information, statistics, expert opinions, and insights (e.g., “Provide an overview of the latest advancements in generative AI models and their potential applications”)

• Ask AI to summarize key points or simplify complex subjects from research papers, industry reports, or recent news articles 

• Avoid writers’ block by asking AI to help you get started on a newsletter, script, or any other kind of draft

Content repurposing: 

• Provide AI with existing content and ask it to rewrite or repurpose the information into different formats—social media posts, video scripts or outlines, infographics or visual content briefs, etc.

• Use AI to identify key talking points, statistics, or quotes from the original content that can be highlighted in repurposed formats

And the tools we like to use for all that streamlining, repurposing, and summarizing?

Claude. As of publication of this here Smoothletter, Claude is our favorite chatbot. Hard to say why, but it sounds more human and natural than others. Sample prompts we love: 

• Explain [insert complex AI development] to me in the simplest terms.

• Rewrite this newsletter article as a Twitter/LinkedIn thread, highlighting the key points and statistics in a more conversational tone.

• Based on this email newsletter content, create an outline for a potential video script or blog post on [subtopic].

ChatGPT. Useful for general research, content ideation, and repurposing across various formats. Sample prompts we love:

• Suggest 5 potential subject lines for an email newsletter on [insert subject here].

• Rephrase the key points from this newsletter into more concise, shareable social media posts.

And there you have it. Making work more efficient using AI isn’t cheating…even if you are a creative with a fragile ego (we’ve all been there).

I (Kinsey again) am eager to start using these tips from Jenna to consume more spoilers for mid-aughts network dramas up my content game. How are you using AI in your work or life? Smash that reply button and let us know.

• Relevant to today’s edition: Dan Shipper’s great AI-focused podcast has a new name and new vibe—check it out.

• Interesting niche alert: They’re not just food influencers, they’re fast food influencers.

• Semafor launched a podcast about modern media hosted by journalists Ben Smith and Nayeema Raza.

• The new generation of online culture curators (sorry, AI…it’s humans).

• Our friends at beehiiv debuted a creator accelerator program.