My Personal AI Trifecta: A Middle-Aged Man's Adventure into the World of Artificial Intelligence

In the ever-evolving landscape of technology, artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a game-changer for many. But for this middle-aged man, it's become a source of weekend excitement and a new lease on life. Join me as I share my journey into the world of AI, focusing on my personal trifecta: ChatGPT, Perplexity, and YouTube.

The AI Awakening

While debates rage about the impact of GPT namely whether GPT5 will constitute AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) and be like the moment SKYNET becomes self aware and takes over the world (from the Terminator films) not to mention the impact of other AI models, I find myself captivated by the possibilities. Sure, having a week-long chat with Sam Altman himself, narrated by ChatGPT3 uprated voice functionality (see what I did there) , might give you a definitive opinion. But for now, I'm content with my own AI adventures.

ChatGPT has become my digital companion I plug in my apple airpods into my ears cavities and let rip, if I don't want to type or I just hammer away. ChatGPT faithfully answers questions and helps me navigate this new terrain. It's not just a tool; it's a conversation partner that's always ready to explain and clarify - and explain it does. (did I mention the time when I tired it out ?! Oh yes I've pushed it to the limti where it stopped ! but thats another blog post) When my Replit fails, I go and rescue it with a ChatGPT4 prompt... Replit reminds me of my old Roomba that got lost in our last big move back in the day when I was married... it would go off and vacuum a room and then I'd wonder where it got to... I'd find it tangled up under the bed or chewing on a shoe lace. I'd free it and send it on its merry way. This was before we got Mochi our puppy...Roomba would have turned into a poop spreader it wasn't smart enough to avoid the steaming dustpile !

Weekend Warriors: My AI Projects

Weekends have taken on a new meaning. Instead of the usual routine, I find myself eager to dive into AI projects. My current mission? Building AI agents. Now, I'll be the first to admit – I'm no coder. Python packages might as well be written in ancient Greek. But does that stop me? Nope ! Not a chance!

My approach to learning isn't exactly conventional. I'm the guy who brings home IKEA furniture, attempts to build it, fails spectacularly, and only then consults the instructions. It's not waterfall development; it's more like "fall over development." My Replit calendar-todo-list-email application is a testament to this approach – sometimes times it will spring into life and show me a teaser of my UI, then it languishes like my Roomba of old stuck on LocalHost 8080

The Midjourney Magic

One AI tool that's captured my heart is Midjourney. The instant gratification of creating beautiful imagery within minutes is addictive. It's a perfect example of how AI can release latent creativity, even for those of us who might not consider ourselves artists - take my 75 year old mother for instance... she'll draw me an image on a pad, i'll upload it into Midjourney with some narrative and then show her the result. If her eyes light up then we know we've converted her scribbles into magic. The other weekend we raided the arts and craft aisle at Walmart to buy art supplies, not for a kid at home to do their art project, but for 75 year old mum. Oh and lets talk about art supplies ! Have they change or have they changed since i was a kid - they have these wax sticks that look like markers... they draw with the texture of crayon but impart a more solid waxy stripe ! Bold waxy beautiful stripes Sadly drawing/ painting are not my forte. I'm red/green colorblind so color is often lost on me. But with my pal MJ I'm still creating very colorful designs, I just don't appreciate my work as much as you would !

The AI Trifecta: ChatGPT, Perplexity, and YouTube

While I've dabbled in writing JSON-based agents (with ChatGPT's help, of course), what truly excites me is my AI learning trifecta:

1. ChatGPT: My go-to for explanations,4 for quickies and 01 when i want to go deep with strategy. 4 is usually used for code snippets, and general AI wisdom, I haven't even used it yet with the Canvas functionality, I'll just straight up ask it
2. Perplexity: Helping me dive deeper into complex topics and find relevant information, perplexity is my little researcher... I once asked it to recommend the best Walmart in Tampa Bay and it did a stellar job
3. YouTube: Video tutorials that fool me into thinking I can create an AI agent in 20 mins and the endless source of my shiny object syndrome. Current shiny objects are Greg Isenberg and Cole Medin (love you guys) as well as my less shiny because I listen to them so much "Leveraging Ai" and my OG podcast "Everyday AI" ... When it's not the weekend and I'm tinkering under the hood of Replit or Python Packages... I'm listening to an Isar/ Jordan podcast. Actually I've always joked that I went to Youtube University. I've learned more from YouTube than I did from my University back in England! And here I am middle aged and still feeling like a geeky kid learning from Youtube, my bedroom is a lot bigger and I have man-loft but its the same thing!

Nonetheless, I know with this powerful combination, I'm confident that by Christmas, I'll be building agents that are not just functional, but genuinely useful.

Embracing the AI Advantage

What sets this learning experience apart is the interactive nature of AI. Unlike traditional learning  where I'm often left to your my own devices, AI tools talk to me. They explain, clarify, and adapt to my level of understanding.

The best part? These AI models are smarter than me, which, for once, gives us a real shot at success. It's not about replacing human intelligence; it's about augmenting our capabilities and opening doors that might have otherwise remained closed.

Looking Ahead

As I continue this AI journey, I'm filled with optimism. For the first time, I feel like I have a genuine chance at success in a field that once seemed impenetrable. AI has democratized learning and creation in ways we're only beginning to understand but are definitely experiencing - yes me and my 75 year old mum.

So, to all my fellow middle-aged tech enthusiasts out there: it's never too late to dive into the world of AI. Don your AI overalls, tieback your man-bun or lady-bun, and who knows? You might just surprise yourself with what you can achieve.

Remember, in the world of AI, every error is just another step towards success. Happy coding (or in my case, happy AI-assisted tinkering)!

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ps.... I keep calling MidJourney the beautiful AI tool and it truly is... I needed an image for this post... and I asked it ...image number 2 to me is so beautiful... Darn you're good MJ !!

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