I last wrote on generative AI and its use a hair under a year ago, decrying its sloppish output, its climate and water impact, and its foundational thefts of intellectual property and creative labor.

Much has changed since. A year ago Zello had a scattering of internally influential early adopters. This worried me, but I wasn’t sure where they’d take us. In my limited and pedestrian product thinking, I couldn’t imagine what use walkie-talkie users would have for AI-labelled, headlining, highly-marketed features.

In January the company made major strategic bets on AI as a productivity multiplier for frontline workers, at the same time using the increasingly popular rhetoric: “this is the future” and its implication, “don’t be left behind.” Like many others,1 (#fn1) we also had a push from leadership to increase internal AI use within the company, from development to Sales, Engineering, Design, and Product. As (then) Director of Design, I was directed both to find ways to use generative AI in my own work and my team’s.

On the receiving end of coercive, fear-mongering language like the above, I dig my heels in. Then on a push to eek further productivity from a hard-working team,2 (#fn2) I dig my heels in further. Finally, following an employee engagement survey where I certainly wrote more than I should’ve, I found myself treading water East of Madagascar (https://www.geodatos.net/en/antipodes/united-states/austin#google_vignette) after plummeting through the Earth’s core and out the other side.

Later that month I went out for drinks with our COO, who shared necessary market perspective, and allowed me some insight on our team’s planning talks. This helped me to see the value they envisioned, and while it matters less to the frontline workers I’ve invested in, I see the business opportunity.

Over the following months, generative AI use spread further through the company, its tendrils snaking in both where prominent and remote. Walking from my desk on one end of the office to the kitchen on the other, it’s common to see ChatGPT used for code references, content summarization, and copywriting. Some use it for research and brainstorming, and many of the early adopters use it in lieu of Google’s search engine.

My early objections aside,3 (#fn3) I worry about ChatGPT use for the basic tasks expected of our professions. A seasoned engineer can use Cursor to scaffold and even write extensive code — they know how, so they can proof the work — but when a junior follows that example, I worry they’ve lost a learning opportunity.4 (#fn4) I then worry about the seasoned engineer’s skills atrophying. These examples extend beyond the quantifiable in code output — I hope in a few years, folks will still write their own emails.5 (#fn5)

In my own use, I’ve had to weigh principle against my security and my team. Insisting on Luddism paints a target on my back, and may on my team’s as well. A principled refusal — even one built on both a concrete fear of climate impact and a respect for the tools’ stolen labor — would’ve not only hurt my options, but hurt my team by association, and risked unchecked and unguided use of generative AI tools overlapping with our work. Early in the year we clamped down on the use of image generators for unauthorized brand assets and illustrations, and so revealed the need to preempt further adoption.

Encouraged to find uses for myself and my team, I found tools like Kami (https://kami.alexwidua.com) to expedite our prototyping, and team members started using Cursor for work on our marketing website. I’ve used it to scaffold and even draft javascript that I didn’t want to take the time to write, and to refactor my own rough code. I built out Origami systems for use with Whisper and ChatGPT, allowing us to prototype with text to speech, translations, and a conversational partner. Working with a live voice communications tool, it’s just cool to prototype a conversation, as opposed to using prerecorded audio responses. When GPT-4o‘s image generation was released, I created a GPT to build off our illustration style to see if we could use it to further our visual design output.6 (#fn6) I’ve since then used the agent to generate large illustrated slides when pressed for time on our monthly product updates, and it does so impressively. I later started using it in my UX and documentation work. Were I to have five obvious solutions to a problem, I had tried using ChatGPT as a discussion partner to see if there were a sixth. This rarely yielded meaningful output. Lastly, I’ve started using ChatGPT to format longer bodies of content in ways my colleagues find palatable. Where I previously would have sent a Wikipedia article, or pull quotes from a research paper’s abstract, I’ve used ChatGPT to format content so that it’s more quickly consumed by colleagues. As folks grow accustomed to ChatGPT’s predictably str https://wilnichols.com/ai-use-a-year-later/

June’s passed with delightful calm. Where May was constant motion and a different focus weekly, this last month has been a relaxing motion by inertia. The month divides nearly in half: we both worked through July 13, flew to Paris the next day, and have since honeymooned. This trip is as well a constant motion, but that of vacation and travel — not obligation.

Darien started the month studying for the WSET Level Three while I prepared for Andrew to start the following week. Andrew started (https://wilnichols.com/staff-desiger/) and Darien had her exam both on Tuesday June 10. The two weeks felt packed, but less with activity and more densely with work. I took Milo to boarding Thursday morning, and my colleagues threw a send-off happy hour on the thirteenth following our Friday Demo Day. My shoulders lightened.1 (#fn1)

Travel was easy. We flew from Austin-Bergstrom to Cincinnati2 (#fn2) and from there to Charles de Gaulle. Flights were easy and timely, though we sat in the midst of at least four screaming toddlers on the overseas flight. They harmonized well despite their relative inexperience, and by the end of the flight would’ve put your local barbershop quarter to shame. Customs at CDG was ridiculous, but after two hours we briefly emerged into the airport to then take the metro to Hôtel Taylor (https://paris-hotel-taylor.com/).

Luckily our room was ready early. We crashed for a good four hours, and emerged to walk down to the Seine. We stopped at a couple of brasseries along the way, failed to get a table at Chez Janou (https://www.chezjanou.com), ate a passable dinner a random place along the Seine,3 (#fn3) walked by Les Nautes (https://lesnautes-paris.com) to realize they were closed for a private event, and eventually retired to Stolly’s (https://www.instagram.com/stollys/) where we sat next to a newly-retired Houstonian4 (#fn4) and were regaled with tales of his recent misdeeds. He was formerly an oil-and-gas engineer, wearing IC Berlin (https://www.ic-berlin.com) glasses with no idea what he was appreciating. A dude grabbed my butt in that tight space, winked at me, and then congratulated me on my honeymoon. We got the metro back, and slept a full night.

This was my first time staying in the Tenth. It’s lovely. That next day we walked a good sixteen miles from our hotel to the Louvre, through the Tuileries, up the Champs Élysées to the Arc du Triomphe, to Place de la Concorde, then the Eiffel Tower, then Rue Cler,5 (#fn5) and then along the Seine. We angled towards Notre Dame, but decided to cut our walk short realizing the sixteen miles was pretty damn good and we could be tired if we wanted — it’s our honeymoon, and we reserve the right to do what we want. I don’t remember dinner.

Tuesday was a day trip to Champagne country. We rose early to catch the train to Épernay, arrived to a cancelled bus, and trekked the forty-five minutes up a hill and through gorgeous vineyards to Joannès Lioté et Fils (https://www.champagne-joannes-liote.com/en/), where Darien had arranged a lovely private tour and tasting with Jeremie. We walked back, got lunch, and then the bus back to a tasting at Beaumont des Crayères (https://www.champagne-beaumont.com). We then caught the bus back, found a necessary brasserie to rest in until the return train, and returned to Paris some time in the mid to late evening.

We spent one more day exploring Paris — walking more in the Latin Quarter than I had before — and then on Thursday caught a train to Clermont-Ferrand (https://wilnichols.com/albums/clermont-2/) where we rented a car, met Simon and Ariana for lunch, briefly shopped, and then drove to Auzon (https://wilnichols.com/albums/auvergne-6/) to spend four days with my family.

Disclaimer: spending time with family while on a honeymoon is weird. Had we not wanted to see my folks’ house in Auzon, Darien not been looking forward to this for years, and spend time with them in the countryside, we wouldn’t’ve. We did, and it was a great time.

Simon had discussed with us months prior, and asked if we could be around when he proposed to Ariana. This became a few days in Auzon where we had an incredibly time. Darien saw the beautiful village and region for the first time, and I saw what my folks had done and we hope to continue on the house. Darien met — and I reconnected with — friends I hadn’t seen in a decade. We both got a small preview of what life could be like if we chose to rest there for a couple of months, between leases, enjoying the green countryside and birdsong.

In no particular order, we visited the Auberge at Chassignolles (https://www.aubergedechassignolles.com), a friend’s garden in Riol,6 (#fn6) my childhood neighbor’s restaurant La Table du Charbon (https://www.facebook.com/p/La-Table-du-Charbon-100057467176267/), the relatively new Café des Simples (https://www.instagram.com/cafe_des_simples/), and Orfenor (https://www.hostelorfenor.com/) https://wilnichols.com/monthly-notes-no-2/

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