The Six Phases of AI Mastery

Breaking News: McDonald’s announces its new AI Burger. Although no one knows what it is or why it even exists, it is selling out everywhere …

OK, that’s not true. But it feels like it could happen, doesn’t it? The world is artificial intelligence (AI) crazy and applications are everywhere. Some have embraced it with gusto, while others are either afraid of it, indifferent, actively ignorant, counting on others to fill them in, or waiting until they absolutely MUST jump in to the pool before making the commitment to learn more.

If you’re like most of us, your first exposure to AI likely resulted in a grunt. Perhaps someone excitedly gushed about an application they’d seen or heard about, and it hit you with all the enthusiasm of an elderly relative describing their latest medical procedure. But when you did finally engage with AI, it wasn’t long until it was an important part of your sales day.

Fast forward a few months and you have reached Jedi status. In fact, you spend a significant amount of time thinking about the possibilities for how AI can make your sales life better. You look for applications on a daily — hourly even — basis and check in with yourself at the end of the day by asking, “What tasks could I have outsourced to AI today?” to make sure you are fully embracing the benefits. You’ve come a long way from that first engagement. Now, all the boxes are checked, and you find yourself excitedly gushing to someone else about an AI application … who, in turn, responds with a grunt. Let’s back up and chronicle your journey.

Phase One: ‘Huh … ’

Sure, you’ve heard about AI, but it’s not for you. Your disinterested, one-word response to the person who first mentioned it was meant only as a way to acknowledge they were heard and — with any luck — will now leave you alone. Although you wouldn’t necessarily describe yourself as being firmly set in your ways and unwilling to change, you take an “It ain’t broke so why fix it?” approach, confident this wave of technology will not reach your shores. After all, denial is not just a river in Egypt. But then it comes up a second time. Perhaps a random Printing Impressions columnist tells you about an AI app that can predict the personality type of a prospect even before you meet them (Crystal Knows). This allows you to shape-shift your sales pitch to deliver information to someone better than ever before. That got your attention and suddenly it’s …

Phase Two: ‘Wait, what?’

You think, AI can do that? Seeing is believing and you are shocked when you witness the magic of AI firsthand. Your first “wow” moment has you intrigued but not yet engaged. It is still scary and new and confusing and different, and requires a commitment of time you are not willing to or able to make. Learning AI is not done by reading a manual. There are webinars to attend, replays to watch, tutorials to take in, and/or demos to sit through. So, this initial head-turning response dies on the vine and you slip back into your cave of ignorant bliss.

Phase Three: ‘Interesting … ’

Here’s the problem with progress: It doesn’t stop just because your eyes are closed. Every newspaper, every television, every magazine, every conversation … they all feature AI in one way, shape, or form. It is unavoidable. Sooner or later (probably sooner), you'll find yourself once again exposed to an interesting AI application. It might be the first time you see ChatGPT perform a simple task at work or come up with an entire meal plan after being given a list of food items in the fridge. What makes this phase important is that you have a hard stop and let the implications sink in. Here, for the first time, you lean into AI. It becomes real. Either intentionally or subliminally, you decide to make space in your brain and see this once-in-a-generation technology for what it is: a breakthrough. Your first one-word response was an acknowledgment of someone talking to you. This one-word response signifies you are in the game. And so, in a move you once thought impossible, you openly demonstrate your interest with …

Phase Four: ‘Show Me Again … ’

Take it from a sales trainer, nothing changes without buy-in. A willingness to learn must be present in order for a sales rep to consider the points being made from the tall guy at the front of the room. Otherwise, it’s a waste of time and energy. But, I digress. With this phase, you are literally doubling down your interest level, and while this seems minor, it’s the first time you are making the choice to spend time on AI as opposed to others intruding on your world of ignorance with their “OMG, wait ‘til you see this … ” enthusiasm. And while this is an important phase, the next one is massive …

Phase Five: ‘Let Me Try … ’

Finally, at long last, you pick up a bat and step to the plate. With a few key strokes, you create a free account on ChatGPT, enter a prompt, and hit the “Return” button. It doesn’t matter if you’ve asked for a vacation itinerary in Tuscany or a detailed script for selling print, the mere fact that you actively participated in AI information-generation is significant. The little bird has left the nest and <<sniff, sniff>> is all grown up. As I pointed out in my December column (The Tsunami of AI), this step is remarkably similar to the early days of digital printing when clients took the crucial step of placing that first order. Once that happened, they never went back. But there is one more phase in the process, and it completes the cycle …

Phase Six: ‘What if … ?’

So, now you have been introduced to the benefits of AI. Someone sent you an article and you actually read it. A case study was done and you clicked on the video. There was a webinar and you attended (staying all the way to the end). Still, AI remains “out there” and while you might personalize it to your life, achieving this last phase occurs when you internalize and embrace the possibilities. The brain continues working on problems long after you have stopped thinking about them. You’ll know you’ve made it to this highest level of AI acceptance when you shoot up in the middle of the night and an AI-based solution comes to you seemingly out of nowhere. Congratulations! You’ve graduated.

Of course, your AI journey could be completely different. Or maybe the steps were there but you went through them more rapidly. But the hope for my fellow OG’s is that you get to a point where you can listen to someone gushing about an AI app they found and reply with, “Amazing. Have you heard about … ?”

Welcome to the future.