Superworkers Wanted: AI as a Thought Partner
- Heather Lyon
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
Hello,
Ironically, the first time I heard about ChatGPT was in December 2022, during a full-day planning meeting with high school ELA teachers. They were doing collaborative curriculum work, but something bigger was about to reshape the conversation.
Teacher A: On my car ride in, I was listening to NPR, and they talked about this new thing where it’s like software that’s AI and it will write an entire essay for you. [click here to listen to the report]
The Other Teachers: What?!
Teacher A: Yes. The students can just enter the prompt and the computer writes the essay.
Teacher B: Is the response any good?
Teacher A: I don’t know. I think so.
Teacher C: This is really scary.
Teacher D: Well, won’t we be able to tell when a student who’s an awful writer turns in something great?
You get the point. The general tone? Curiosity with a heavy dose of fear. AI was viewed as a threat.
Around that same time, I attended a meeting with regional curriculum leaders. Many hadn’t heard of ChatGPT yet, and those who had hadn’t tinkered with it. Like the teachers, their reactions ranged from skepticism to dread—and maybe even awe. One colleague shared how he and his middle-school-aged daughters had tried it out at home, entering increasingly absurd prompts just to see what kind of stories ChatGPT would generate. While the endings were suspiciously similar, they had a lot of fun.
But even in the fun, there was an undercurrent of concern: What is this thing, and what does it mean for us?
From Fear to Opportunity
I recently read a story about a company that transitioned to using AI and ultimately fired everyone—except the one employee who was best at generating AI prompts. You can read that story one of two ways:
Through the lens of fear: AI will replace humans.
Through the lens of opportunity: AI will replace humans who cannot adapt to change.
I prefer the second lens. Why? Because survival is about adaptation. Do I want people to lose their jobs? Of course not. Do I want to live in a robotic apocalypse where AI turns against us? Definitely not—cue the eerie voice: "I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that." But I can say this: technology has undeniably made my life easier than it was for prior generations. I love my microwave, dishwasher, washing machine, car, and flushing toilets. I honestly don’t know what I’d do without indoor plumbing and instant hot water from the tap. These everyday conveniences—things we now take for granted—haven’t always been around. And while we no longer have Ice Truck Drivers delivering ice blocks to keep our fridges cold (that was really a thing, right?), I’m grateful for the innovations that have replaced them and certain that other jobs were created to replace those that were lost.
In his February 2025 article, “AI Doesn’t Mean Getting Fired. It’s Time to Be a Superworker,” Josh Bersin makes a compelling case that AI is not a replacement—it’s an enhancement. Just as spreadsheets didn’t eliminate accountants, AI is a superpower for authors, journalists, analysts, and even educators.
"Think about how you use your smartphone: It maps your travel, connects you to your family and gives you music or news on demand. Do you miss paper maps, dirty and broken payphones, or the newsprint all over your hands?" —Josh Bersin
Exactly. We don’t fear our smartphones—we embrace them. AI is becoming the same: a tool that “superpowers” our lives and work. Bersin’s examples span industries from nursing to marketing, highlighting how AI frees up time for the tasks that matter most—human ones.
According to him, success in the modern workplace depends on three things:
Embracing AI (including generative tools and intelligent agents) “Play with these tools, experiment, push them to their limits, and you'll see how powerful you suddenly become.”
Breaking down rigid hierarchies. “AI accelerates learning and upskilling, allowing employees to advance based on capability rather than time served.”
Fostering a culture of continuous learning. “Companies that only use AI to reduce headcount will be overtaken and disrupted by those who reimagine their organizations, focus on skills and empower their people.”
AI Is Already All Around Us
I use AI all the time. So do you.
At a session I attended this March—“Redefining Assessment in the Age of AI”—Dr. Katie Sabourin asked the audience a powerful question:
“Is artificial intelligence already ubiquitous?”
While people debated the universality of generative AI, she reminded us that AI is already deeply embedded in our lives. Her examples?
Siri
Face ID
Google search completion
Smart home devices
Real-time driving assistance
Amazon/Netflix recommendations
These aren’t science fiction—they’re Tuesday.
Generative AI tools like Perplexity, DALL·E, and CoPilot are newer, but their adoption is outpacing technologies like PCs and the internet. A September 2024 report on “The Rapid Adoption of Generative AI” showed that generative AI hit a 39.4% workplace adoption rate in under three years. By comparison, PCs took much longer to reach that same point. The trajectory is clear: this is not a passing fad.
How I Actually Use AI
Yes, I use AI professionally—for editing, brainstorming, organizing my thinking, etc. But I also use it personally.
When my younger sister got married recently, I was her Matron of Honor. I knew I wanted to give a memorable and moving toast—but I didn’t know how to start. So I turned to my favorite generative AI tool and typed:
My sister is getting married and I'm the matron of honor and need to write a toast. I want it to be funny and heartfelt and tug at heartstrings. Please interview me by asking me 1 question at a time for up to 10 questions, and then prepare 3 options of the toast.
That prompt was inspired by Geoff Woods' book The AI-Driven Leader, where he frames AI not as a replacement but as a “thought partner.” That language stuck with me. I now regularly use that interview-style prompt—it slows me down and helps me clarify what I want to say and why before I start writing.
Did AI write the toast for me? Nope. Even after asking me 10 questions and generating drafts, none of them were quite right. So I stitched together what I liked from each and said:
“I pasted this together which I like better. Please clean it up but keep my voice.”
Still not perfect—but getting closer. The process wasn’t about letting AI do the work; it was about letting AI support the work. It was iterative, empowering, and creative. It wasn’t magic. It was me.
Honestly, it reminded me of working with a human editor—something I’m very familiar with. I’ve written and published three books (two of which were finished before ChatGPT existed), and all of them benefited from real people giving me feedback, pushing my thinking, and fixing my grammar.
This time, the feedback was instant. And still mine to accept or reject.
Full Circle
So, I can’t help but think about what would happen if we returned to that same group of ELA teachers in 2025?
Teacher A: Remember when we thought AI was going to destroy writing?
Teacher B: Now I have my students use it to brainstorm character arcs.
Teacher C: I’ve got them comparing AI-written responses to human ones—it’s made them better critical thinkers.
Teacher D: I still worry sometimes. But honestly? It’s helped me write better feedback—faster.
What changed? We stopped worrying about AI being the writer. We started seeing it as a writing partner. AI didn’t take away our voices. It helped us hear them more clearly.
~Heather
P.S. Ever wanted to read something—a report, an article, a long post—but didn’t have the time or the mental bandwidth to dive in? My Catch of the Week might just change your life: Notebook LM. It’s Google’s new AI-powered research and note-taking assistant, built on the Gemini language model.
Notebook LM lets you upload documents, videos, or other resources—and then interact with them using AI. It can summarize content, answer your questions, generate study guides, or even create podcast-style audio overviews that sound remarkably human. It’s designed to help you learn faster and get meaningful insights from your curated sources.
Want proof? Check out one or both of the podcasts Notebook LM created for me after I uploaded Josh Bersin’s post, “AI Doesn’t Mean Getting Fired. It’s Time to Be a Superworker” and this week's Lyon's Letter. It will. Blow. Your. Mind.
P.P.S. Please remember to...
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