What if you stopped thinking of ChatGPT as a tool you occasionally open and started thinking of it as a partner you can talk to every day?
That shift is at the heart of how I use AI.
A lot of people open ChatGPT when they need an answer. They ask a question, get a response, and close the app.
But I believe we're leaving a lot on the table when we use AI that way.
ChatGPT becomes much more useful when you give it context about who you are, what you want, what's holding you back, and where you're trying to go. Then you can use it to help you think, plan, create, organize, and move forward.
That's what I mean when I talk about having an AI co-pilot.
And no, I don't mean replacing your judgment with AI.
I mean giving yourself another place to think out loud.
What Is an AI Co-Pilot?
When I say “AI co-pilot,” I mean an AI tool that works alongside you as you think through your goals, problems, ideas, and decisions.
It's not simply a search engine.
It's a conversation.
That's why one of the first things I encourage people to do is start a conversation with their ChatGPT and give it a little personality.
I even named mine.
Her name is RAE.
I'm a big Star Wars family, and I chose RAE because I wanted my AI to represent a force for good. It's a small thing, but for me it changes the way I interact with the tool.
Instead of feeling like I'm submitting commands to a computer, I'm having a conversation with my co-pilot.
And that changes what I'm willing to ask.
Why Should You Name Your ChatGPT?
I know. It sounds a little strange.
When I suggested this during my presentation, there was some hesitation. And I get it.
But naming your chat isn't really about pretending AI is a person.
It's about creating a more natural relationship with the tool.
When my client told me she didn't trust AI and didn't want to use it, I didn't try to convince her with a bunch of technical information.
I sat with her and showed her how she could use AI to help her reconnect with her business.
By the end of our conversation, she asked, “Can I hire you?”
That experience reinforced something I already believed:
Sometimes people don't need another explanation of what AI is. They need someone to show them what AI could do for their particular life.
And that's a much more interesting conversation.
Where Can ChatGPT Actually Help You?
Here's where this gets fun.
You don't have to use AI only for work.
You can use it to help with everyday problems, too.
Imagine opening your refrigerator, taking a picture of what's inside, and asking:
“What can I make for dinner tonight? I don't have time to go to the store.”
Or maybe you have a child who needs help with their grades and you want to create a plan to support them.
You can bring the situation to your AI co-pilot and start working through it.
The point isn't that ChatGPT magically knows the answer to everything.
The point is that you can bring the problem to the conversation and use AI to help you think through your options.
That's a very different way of using technology.
The Four Steps I Use to Build an AI Co-Pilot
I've created a simple process I call Meet Your AI Co-Pilot.
The idea is to move from simply asking questions to building a deeper working relationship with your AI.
Step 1: Tell Your AI Who You Are and What You Want
The first step is surprisingly simple:
Start talking.
Tell your AI who you are.
Tell it what you want.
Tell it about the dream that's been on your heart.
And don't just tell it the goal.
Tell it why you want it.
Tell it what your life could look like if you accomplish it.
I also like to tell my AI when I don't want an immediate answer.
For example:
“I don't want you to say anything right now. I want you to listen to me. Then I'll give you the opportunity to ask questions and help me go deeper.”
That little instruction can change the entire conversation.
You're not asking AI to immediately solve your life.
You're giving yourself space to think.
Step 2: Tell It What's Holding You Back
Once your AI understands what you want, go deeper.
Tell it:
What's been holding you back.
What you've already tried.
What didn't work.
What you think went wrong.
What's at stake if you don't accomplish your goal.
This is where the conversation becomes much more useful.
For me, some of my dreams once felt almost impossible.
Speaking in public felt impossible.
Starting a podcast felt impossible.
But I realized something:
I was more afraid of reaching the end of my life without doing those things than I was afraid of actually doing them and dealing with the judgment that might come with them.
That's the kind of context I want my AI co-pilot to understand.
Because a goal without context is just a task.
A dream with context has meaning.
Step 3: Ask AI to Help You Build the Plan
Now it's time to move from dreaming to doing.
Ask your AI:
“What opportunities do you see for me that I may have overlooked?”
Then ask:
Where can I save time?
Where can I become more efficient?
Where can I move faster?
Where can I create more impact?
What am I missing?
What should I do next?
Then ask for a roadmap.
For example:
“Give me a 90-day roadmap with specific step-by-step instructions to help me make this dream happen. Include the steps, resources, and people who could help me succeed.”
That's a much better starting point than:
“Give me some ideas.”
You are giving the AI a destination, a timeline, and a definition of what useful help looks like.
And don't forget to ask what could go wrong.
Ask:
“What beginner mistakes do you see?”
Ask what the road ahead might look like.
Ask what mistakes you can avoid.
Ask what you should do next to move forward with more clarity and confidence.
And here's one of my favorite parts:
Give your AI permission to call you out.
Ask it to point out when you're playing small.
Ask it to challenge limiting beliefs.
Ask it to identify patterns that may be getting in your way.
That doesn't mean you blindly follow whatever it says.
It means you're willing to hear another perspective.
Step 4: Let AI Touch More Areas of Your Life and Business
Once your AI understands you better, you can expand how you use it.
This is where I think the real opportunity begins.
You can use AI to help you think through:
Your website
Your LinkedIn profile
Your social media
Your branding
Your offers
Your calls to action
Your business vision
Your goals
Your content
Your plans
Instead of using AI for one isolated task, you can use it across the different pieces of your work.
The more useful context you give your AI, the more relevant its assistance can become.
That's why I encourage people to keep talking to their co-pilot.
Don't just show up when you need a caption.
Bring it the bigger picture.
How Do You Use Voice Chat and Transcription?
One of the easiest ways to make this practical is to stop worrying about typing everything.
I use voice conversations with my AI, too.
The voice feature is especially useful for short back-and-forth conversations — almost like you're sitting across the table from a friend.
But when I have a lot to say, I prefer using the transcription feature.
Instead of trying to organize everything in my head before I type, I can simply talk.
And sometimes that's exactly what we need.
We don't need another blank document staring back at us.
We need somewhere to dump the thoughts swirling around in our heads.
Then AI can help us organize them.
Why I Want You to Use AI Across Your Whole Business
As a marketer, this is where I get especially excited.
Your AI shouldn't just help you write a social post.
It can help you look at the bigger picture.
For example, you could give it your website and ask it to look for areas that aren't clear.
You could ask it to review your LinkedIn profile.
You could have it help you think through your branding.
You could ask it to look at your offers and calls to action.
You could use it as a brainstorming partner when you're stuck.
You could ask it to help you find connections between different parts of your business.
The goal isn't to let AI become your business.
The goal is to give yourself another thinking partner while you remain the person making the decisions.
That's a distinction I want you to keep.
What About Privacy and Sensitive Information?
This is one area where I want to be especially careful.
During my presentation, someone asked me how confidential the information we put into ChatGPT is.
My advice was simple:
If there is information you absolutely do not want exposed, don't put it into an AI chat.
That includes highly sensitive personal information such as Social Security numbers, bank statements, or other information you would never want shared.
AI tools, their settings, and their policies change over time, so don't assume yesterday's settings or expectations will always be today's.
Take the time to understand the privacy and data controls available in whatever AI tool you're using.
And use common sense.
You don't need to give an AI system every private detail of your life in order to get value from it.
Should You Pay for ChatGPT?
In my presentation, I shared why I personally use a paid version.
For me, one of the biggest benefits is organization.
I like having different projects separated.
I can have a project for a specific area of my life or work rather than throwing everything into one giant conversation.
That organization is valuable when you're using AI regularly.
But I wouldn't make the decision based on someone else's recommendation alone.
AI products, features, pricing, and privacy options change.
Look at the current plan details for the tool you're considering and decide what actually fits the way you work.
The bigger question isn't:
“Should I pay for AI?”
It's:
“Am I using AI enough to make the features valuable to me?”
What Happens When AI Knows More About You?
This is where I think the conversation gets really interesting.
If your AI understands your goals, your challenges, your preferences, your business, your audience, and the projects you're working on, you don't have to start from zero every time.
You can have a much richer conversation.
Instead of:
“Write me a LinkedIn post.”
You might say:
“Help me explain this idea in a way that sounds like me and connects with the kind of business owners I want to serve.”
That's a completely different request.
And the difference is context.
AI is only as useful as the context, direction, and judgment you bring to the relationship.
What I Want You to Do Next
If you're still using ChatGPT only when you need to look something up, I want you to try something different.
1. Name your AI
Pick a name that makes the experience feel natural and meaningful to you.
2. Tell it who you are
Share your role, your goals, what you're working on, and what matters to you.
3. Share your biggest dream
Don't just give it the polished business goal.
Tell it why you care.
4. Tell it what's getting in the way
Talk about what you've tried, what didn't work, and what you're worried about.
5. Ask for a 90-day roadmap
Give your AI a specific goal and ask it to help you turn that goal into steps.
6. Ask it to challenge you
Give it permission to point out blind spots, limiting beliefs, missed opportunities, and places where you might be playing small.
7. Start using it everywhere
Look at your website, social media, branding, LinkedIn, offers, content, and plans.
Ask where AI can help you become more efficient and more effective.
Key Takeaways
Don't use AI only as a question-and-answer machine. Use it as a conversation and thinking partner.
Context changes the quality of the conversation. Tell your AI who you are, what you want, and why it matters.
Start with the dream, then talk about what's holding you back.
Ask AI for a roadmap, not just ideas. Give it a goal, timeline, steps, resources, and potential mistakes.
Let AI challenge your thinking, but keep your own judgment.
Use AI across your business, not just for content creation.
Protect sensitive information. Don't put information into an AI tool that you would not want exposed.
The goal isn't to replace yourself with AI. The goal is to become better at using AI as a partner.
Your AI Co-Pilot Should Help You Move Forward
I don't want AI to make your life feel more complicated.
I want it to make things feel more possible.
Maybe there's a business idea you've been carrying around for years.
Maybe you've wanted to start a podcast.
Maybe you want to write a book.
Maybe there's a project you've been putting off because you don't know where to begin.
Maybe you simply need help figuring out dinner with whatever happens to be sitting in your refrigerator!
Start the conversation.
Tell your AI what you want.
Tell it why you want it.
Tell it what's getting in the way.
Then ask:
“What do you see that I might be missing?”
That's where things can get interesting.
I've seen firsthand how powerful it can be when someone goes from saying, “I don't trust AI and I'm not going to use it,” to seeing how it could actually help them move toward something they care about.
That's the future I want to help people create.
Not a future where technology replaces the human.
A future where the human becomes more capable because they know how to work with the technology.
The future belongs to people who learn how to partner with AI.
So here's my question for you:
What dream will you start pursuing now?
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