I have been testing how different products show up in AI answers and noticed that getting mentioned doesn't always mean much.
A product might be listed alongside several competitors, get recommended without its own website being cited, or disappear entirely when the prompt is worded differently.
I initially thought of AI as a way to save time on the work I already had. Lately, I am spending some of that saved time doing things I would previously have left alone because I didn't have the skills, budget, or time for them.
For me, that has meant:
Building automation scripts, including one to generate release notes
Creating workflows using tools like Zapier
Putting together working prototypes before building the final version
When I first started using AI, I treated it like any other online tool. I was cautious about what I shared and assumed everything needed to be anonymized.
Today, my first instinct is often to open ChatGPT or Claude before I even search the web. I use them to brainstorm ideas, review code, rewrite emails, summarize documents, or think through problems. They've become part of my workflow rather than just another website.
