Wisdom in the Age of AI

How thoughtful AI integration can enhance rather than replace human creativity, wisdom, and vocational purpose
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My Philosophy

As a learning experience designer, I believe AI's greatest power isn't in replacing human creativity—it's in amplifying our ability to connect with learners and express complex ideas with clarity. I use generative AI as a creative partner, not a shortcut, treating its outputs as raw materials that become meaningful only when shaped by human insight and design thinking.

The magic happens when we move beyond AI's initial output and transform it into something uniquely suited for learning. Whether that's refining generated visuals in Photoshop, crafting interactive scenarios from AI-brainstormed concepts, or using synthetic voices to tell compelling stories, the goal is always the same: help learners grasp difficult concepts through engaging, memorable experiences.
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How I Leverage AI in Learning Design

Visual Storytelling & Concept Illustration

Tools: Midjourney, Visual Electric, VEO 3

I use AI image generation to rapidly prototype visual concepts and create custom illustrations that would typically require extensive stock photo searches or expensive custom artwork. The key is post-production refinement—AI gives me the foundation, but design expertise makes it purposeful for learning.

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Audio & Voice for Immersive Learning

Tools: ElevenLabs, Suno,

Teaching History Through Song: For my homeschooled kids' "Renaissance to Revolution" course, I created memory-hook songs using Suno. It's not just about the novelty—it's about multiple learning modalities and making historical concepts stick through music and rhythm.

Narrative-Driven Content: Using ElevenLabs voice synthesis, I can create consistent character voices for scenarios and simulations, bringing learning stories to life without expensive voice talent. [Link to your Iona story example]

Total production time that used to take days now happens in hours, letting me focus more energy on pedagogical design and learner experience.

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Content Strategy & Rapid Prototyping

Tools: ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity

These AI assistants excel at transforming dense subject matter expert content into learner-friendly frameworks. I use them to:

• Parse complex technical concepts into digestible learning chunks
• Brainstorm gamified interactions that align with learning objectives
• Generate multiple content variations for A/B testing different approaches
• Create initial content scaffolding that SMEs can review and refine

The AI handles the heavy lifting of organization and initial ideation, freeing me to focus on what humans do best: understanding learner needs, crafting meaningful connections, and designing experiences that drive real behavior change.
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Interactive Learning & Game Design

Custom Development Enhanced by AI

AI-assisted development tools like Cursor and GitHub Copilot have transformed my ability to create custom interactions and prototypes. What used to require extensive collaboration with developers, I can now conceptualize and build directly, maintaining creative control while leveraging AI for technical implementation.
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Why This Approach Works for Enterprise Learning

Speed Without Sacrifice: AI dramatically reduces production time while maintaining quality through thoughtful human curation and refinement.

Scalability: Once you establish AI-enhanced workflows, creating variations and iterations becomes exponentially faster.

Accessibility: Complex concepts become more approachable when you can quickly test multiple explanation methods and choose what resonates.

Innovation: AI tools free up creative energy to focus on learning design challenges rather than production bottlenecks.
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Guiding Others Through the AI Learning Curve

I recognize that not everyone is ready to dive headfirst into AI tools—and that's perfectly reasonable. As someone who's spent years gradually integrating these technologies into my workflow, I understand the hesitation, the learning curve, and the very real concerns about quality and authenticity.

My approach to mentoring others in AI adoption is pragmatic, not evangelical. I meet people where they are: some are curious but cautious, others are overwhelmed by the options, and many are simply too busy to experiment. Rather than pushing the latest AI trend, I focus on identifying the one or two tools that could genuinely solve a specific problem they're facing right now.

Wisdom over knowledge. Integration over accumulation.

The goal isn't to become an AI power user overnight—it's to thoughtfully incorporate tools that enhance your existing expertise and make your work more effective. Sometimes that means starting with something as simple as using ChatGPT to brainstorm headlines, or Grammarly to polish prose. The sophistication comes naturally as comfort builds.
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The Deeper Vision

We're at a pivotal moment in organizational history. The question isn't whether AI will transform how we work—it's whether we'll harness this transformation to help people flourish in their vocations or simply optimize productivity metrics.

I see myself as a philosopher-builder for organizations navigating this inflection point. Yes, I create learning experiences and leverage AI tools, but that's all in service of a larger vision: helping people discover deeper meaning and capability in their work.

The most exciting potential of AI isn't efficiency gains or cost reduction—it's the possibility of freeing people from repetitive cognitive labor so they can focus on uniquely human contributions: wisdom, discernment, creativity, and authentic connection. My role is helping organizations think holistically about this transition, crafting learning experiences that don't just teach tool usage but cultivate the mindset shifts necessary for human flourishing.

The goal isn't just better training. It's organizational cultures where people thrive alongside technology, finding renewed purpose in their vocational calling.

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