How has AI actually made your life better?

We spend a lot of time discussing new AI tools, comparing models, building things, and exploring what’s possible. I do this too.

But I want to hear more about what happens after the experimentation. What problem has AI helped you solve, and what difference did that make in your life?

I’ll start with some examples from my own experience.

Meals and Cooking

I use AI to plan meals around the ingredients I have, track what’s been used, and work out preparation instructions. It also orders groceries for the following week. It helps me organize batch cooking sessions that can cover multiple meals across several days.

Having the meal plan, grocery order, and preparation instructions fit together means I can focus on making the food, with much less figuring out what to eat, what to buy, and how to prepare it.

I also display the recipes on an e-reader that I can refer to while cooking.

The e-reader I use to follow recipes while cooking. Image edited with AI.

Keeping Up with the News

AI collects news from sources I’m interested in and filters out content I consider toxic, polarizing, or irrelevant. It can also turn that selection into a short morning audio briefing.

I used to finish reading the news pissed off. Being able to stay informed without carrying that frustration into the rest of my day has made a real difference.

Shopping

I use AI to find products, check prices and availability, look for discounts at checkout, place orders, and track deliveries.

Buying something takes much less of my attention. I can explain what I’m looking for, review the options, and have AI help handle the purchase and follow-up. I spend less time searching across stores, trying discount codes, and checking shipping updates myself.

Communications

I use AI to help manage conversations across email and messaging apps: contacting service providers, arranging appointments, understanding replies, drafting and sending messages, and following up. It brings together previous exchanges and relevant documents so we can continue a conversation with the right context.

I can ask where things stand and review a proposed response without having to reread old messages to reconstruct the situation. Much less of the correspondence and follow-through depends on me remembering who I was waiting for and keeping track of everything myself.

Work Management

I work with agents to organize and prioritize tasks, work out the next steps, and carry them out.

With agents helping plan and execute the work, more of my attention can go toward setting the direction, making decisions, and reviewing progress. The organizing, prioritizing, and follow-through no longer depend so much on me personally managing each step.

Monthly Finances and Paperwork

AI helps me work through my monthly financial routine: checking records, preparing transfers, distributing money across expense accounts and savings, and organizing invoices and documents. It also handles my tax reporting. I still review and approve the financial actions.

This used to take a few hours of my time every month. My part is now down to minutes—reviewing the results and approving the financial actions.

What About You?

Tell me about one problem AI has helped you solve. What was it like before, what do you do now, and what difference has it made?

It could be a recurring chore, a one-time problem, or something you couldn’t do before. Small improvements count too.

If you built something, I’d love to hear what it actually does for you now that you’re using it.

This post was written with AI assistance. The cover illustration was generated with AI.