There’s no shortage of serious commentary about AI — its potential, its risks, its implications for business. I’ve written plenty of that myself. But sometimes the best way to capture an experience is to just be honest about it. So here, in verse, is a rather candid account of my journey with AI development tools over the past year. If you’ve been on a similar path, I suspect you’ll recognise a few of these stages.
It started with wonder, with stars in my eyes, “These AI tools are magic!” I said with surprise. They built things! They coded! They did something neat! Just never exactly the thing I would need.
So I tried a new tool, then another, then ten, Each one promised perfection, failed, repeat again. My browser tabs multiplied, passwords galore, A graveyard of logins I’d never use more.
To YouTube I fled, seeking wisdom and light, Watched videos on prompting from morning to night. My algorithm ruined, my dignity shed, “Structured workflows for beginners” the last thing I’d said.
But then — something shifted. The pieces aligned. I described what I wanted. It read my damn mind. My UI! My standards! My code, clean and right! I was building like lightning. I felt like a knight.
“The developers are finished!” I thought with such pride, “Who needs all those humans when AI’s by your side?”
Three months and one system later, I’ll say: I was humbled. Completely. In every which way.
The coding, it turns out, was never the art — It’s the thinking, the planning, the structural part. The workflows, the futures you can’t even see, The problems you’ll have in 2025 or 2033.
Now AI sits beside me, a partner, a friend, Helping me ask the right questions, not just reach the end.
The tools? They got better. But me? I got wise.
What did I learn? After all of this strife? AI’s not the replacement. It’s the sharpest of knives. But a knife doesn’t cook — it just does what you say.
The chef? That’s still you. And it’s going to stay that way.
Behind the humour, there’s a point I think every business leader needs to hear. AI is genuinely powerful — it accelerates work, surfaces ideas, and handles tasks that used to take days in a matter of minutes. But it doesn’t think strategically, it doesn’t understand your business context, and it doesn’t plan for the problems you haven’t encountered yet. The human judgment, the planning, the experience you bring to the table — that’s the irreplaceable part. AI is the sharpest knife in the kitchen. But you’re still the chef.
Colin Rees is the founder of Xpera, a franchise technology and marketing consultancy. He helps franchise leaders navigate the practical realities of AI and emerging technology. Get in touch to discuss how AI fits into your franchise strategy.