How I’m Using AI Without Replacing Myself
"Do more with less" is code for “cut headcount.” Let’s make sure yours isn’t on the chopping block. Leverage AI for speed/scale not training your replacement.
This week’s #SEOForLunch sponsored is RankabilityAI and LLMs like ChatGPT are cranking out 2.5 billion prompts per day. With tools this powerful, it’s no wonder leadership is drooling over the idea of replacing you with a machine.
But here’s the thing: AI is only dangerous if you’re using it wrong.
The folks getting cut? They’re the ones who outsource their thinking and blindly copy/paste whatever the machine spits out.
The ones who are safe (and even thriving) are using AI as an amplifier, not an autopilot.
This issue is about exactly how I do that.
This Week’s #SEOForLunch Sponsor is Rankability.
New: Free 97-Point Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) Checklist
The complete 97-point audit checklist to optimize your brand for AI-powered search engines like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity.
AI as a Tool, Not the Decision-Maker
Trust me, I want to make money as fast and as easily as AI humanly possible, too. The world is rooting for ChatGPT and every shiny LLM to be the shortcut to all of us owning islands next to each other.
But here’s what we forget:
These tools aren’t generating new ideas but remixing what's already out there. Lightning fast? Yes. Original? Not even close.
Until machines can think critically and see around corners, I’m keeping AI in the passenger seat and never letting them drive, EVER.
So yes, adopt the tech. Just don’t hand over the steering wheel.
AI Worthy Use #1:
Data/Word Processing
I feel for content writers. They were undervalued before AI showed up, and now the race to commoditize “SEO content” has become even more ruthless. We've seen the slider: from “$0.02 per word” to “still not enough for a human to survive.”
But let’s talk about how AI is saving time, not replacing jobs.
Regex + Spreadsheet Time-Savers
Anyone else lose a few years of their life writing (and rewriting) regex?
ChatGPT (I call mine Gary) now handles 99% of my regex work, whether it’s filtering data in Search Console, setting up analytics filters, or just cleaning up a Google Sheet.
Need a spreadsheet formula? I can concatenate and pivot my way to victory but if it goes beyond that, i’m in trouble. Sure, I’ll give it a shot, but if that fails, I'll turn it over to Gary.
The prompt: (Yes, I named my ChatGPT, Gary)
Solution Provided.
Real Life Value
Not bad for a robot!
AI Worthy Use #2:
Client Recaps That Don’t Suck (Thanks Fireflies)
I used to dread the post-meeting follow-up. I tell people to this day that I can either be present and engaged on a call, OR I can take great notes.
Me trying to multitask? Nearly a 100% rate of failure!
Now I have a system that makes it stupid simple, and borderline enjoyable.
The combination of Fireflies.ai + ChatGPT.
Note: the link above is a referral link. I get a whopping $5 per referral, but I’m only using it because it provides YOU 10% off any plan. Visit https://fireflies.ai/ directly if you don’t like discounts.
Fireflies records and transcribes the entire meeting. Within minutes, I get a summary that reads like a note my mom would leave on the counter:
"Here’s what you said. Here’s what you promised. Don’t forget to do the thing."
Below is an example email I received from a call I had with a client the other week.
From there, I plug the key details into ChatGPT, add context (or even the complete transcription of the call), and get a tight, professional recap that I can email or Slack with clear next steps and task ownership.
This setup helps me:
Work faster without relistening to the entire call (but the audio is available if you want/need to!)
Keep emails short and direct (This is always my problem)
Avoid misquoting or forgetting important details (or missing self-imposed deadlines!)
Assign action items clearly so no one plays dumb later (get to work, team!)
It’s efficient, accurate, and makes me look more on top of things than I probably am.
AI Worthy Use #3:
Advanced Categorization at Scale (NLP-Style)
I had a client with an extensive recipe library, at least one thousand URLs. They wanted to better organize it by meal type, dish type, and primary ingredient.
Doing this manually? Literal days of work.
So I tag-teamed it with Gary.
Step 1: Get the Data
I crawled the XML sitemap and extracted all recipe URLs and titles.
Step 2: Guide the AI
I fed Gary the list and clearly explained my goal. I didn’t just say “categorize these.” I walked through the context of this project, asked about its approach to the problem using NLP, and conducted some research to ensure the strategy was sound.
Step 3: Catch the Trap
First pass came back with a lot of blanks. Turns out, the sitemap had two recipe templates:
One with actual recipes (ingredients, steps, etc.)
One “how-to” version that looked like a recipe but wasn’t
Both were using the same template. 🤦♂️
Step 4: Spot the Pattern
I found a unique element on the real recipe pages, a header button that jumps to the ingredient list. I used Chrome Dev Tools to inspect the element, grabbed the class, and handed it off to Gary.
Step 5: Clean, Reprocess, and Win
Gary filtered the real recipes, re-ran the categorization, and spit back a cleaned-up list, now with structured values for meal type, dish type, and primary ingredient.
From there, I asked for a frequency analysis to see which values were most common. This helped shape a category/subcategory structure that was backed by their existing content.
All in? Maybe 90 minutes of work. It would’ve taken me and the client hours without AI. I’ve always been a big proponent of working smarter, not harder!
Why This Matters
The way you use AI might be exactly what gets you replaced.
If you’re using it to skip thinking, leadership will notice, and they’ll find someone cheaper who can do the same (possibly even a robot).
But if you’re using AI to amplify your judgment, scale your impact, and solve real problems faster, you’re making yourself more challenging to cut.
This isn’t hype. It’s leverage.
What You Can Do
Someone’s probably thinking, “Well, geeze, Nick, I don’t have anything in my workflow that couldn’t be done by a robot.”
Honestly? I Call B.S.
There’s almost always some part of your job that can be supported, accelerated, or made less painful with AI, and that isn’t a bad thing!
Here’s where I’d start:
Audit where you spend time doing repetitive tasks.
The boring stuff. The copy/paste stuff. The "why am I still doing this manually?" stuff. Those are prime candidates for AI support.Test ChatGPT as a partner, not a replacement.
Treat it like a co-pilot, not THE pilot. You’re still flying the damn plane (right!?).Guide it. Validate it. Double-check everything.
If you’re blindly copy/pasting outputs into decks or deliverables, you’ve already lost. Honestly, you deserve to be laughed out of the room.Show your team or boss the outcome, not the tool.
You don’t need to sell them on ChatGPT. You need to show how much faster or better you’re delivering results because of it.
Let me be clear: I think this technology is phenomenal.
But it’s not a silver bullet. It’s a powerful tool. One that still requires a human brain to direct, refine, and apply in the right contexts.
Please forward that part to every leader who prioritized “profit now” over maintaining standards, quality, or long-term trust.
Yes, I say “please” and “thank you” to AI. My goal is that the robots might spare me when they take over the world.
~ Nick
TL;DR For The Busy (and Lazy)
Didn’t read the whole thing? No judgment. I can ramble.
Here’s the recap, under 50 words, courtesy of my ChatGPT sidekick, Gary:
AI won’t replace you—unless you let it. This post breaks down how I use ChatGPT as a strategic partner, not a shortcut, to streamline regex, recap meetings, and scale categorization. The real threat isn’t the tech—it’s outsourcing your thinking. Use AI to amplify, not autopilot. That’s your edge.
Do me a favor? Share this post with a friend/colleague or site owner you wish an old school “penguin” penalty upon?