Reading Over AI Summaries

๐—ช๐—ต๐˜† ๐—œโ€™๐—บ ๐—–๐—ต๐—ผ๐—ผ๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐——๐—ฒ๐—ฒ๐—ฝ ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ข๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ “๐—”๐—œ ๐—ฆ๐˜‚๐—บ๐—บ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜€”

We are all drowning in tasks, and time for actual reading is shrinking by the second. With the rise of AI, itโ€™s tempting to just skim an AI-generated summary and call it a day.

But Iโ€™ve realized the real value of a book isn’t just the “data” – itโ€™s the ๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜๐—ฎ๐—น ๐˜€๐—ฝ๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ it creates. Itโ€™s about understanding the context, the nuance, and the “why” behind the “what.”

Over the Easter break, I finally finished “๐—–๐—ผ-๐—œ๐—ป๐˜๐—ฒ๐—น๐—น๐—ถ๐—ด๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฒ: ๐—Ÿ๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ช๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ธ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐˜„๐—ถ๐˜๐—ต ๐—”๐—œ” by ๐—˜๐˜๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ป ๐— ๐—ผ๐—น๐—น๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ธ.

What makes this book stand out? Mollick isnโ€™t a pure “tech guy.” He approaches AI from a userโ€™s perspective, making his insights incredibly practical and grounded.

๐—ง๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐Ÿฐ ๐—š๐—ผ๐—น๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ป ๐—ฅ๐˜‚๐—น๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐—”๐—œ

If you want to master AI, Mollick suggests these four principles:

โ€ข Always Invite AI to the Table: Use it for everything to see where it shines (and where it fails).
โ€ข Be the “Human in the Loop”: AI is a co-pilot; you are still the captain responsible for the final output.
โ€ข Treat AI Like a Person: (A very smart, slightly weird intern). Give it context, feedback, and clear instructions.
โ€ข Assume This Is the Worst AI You Will Ever Use: The technology is the “weakest” it will ever be right now. Imagine what’s coming next.

๐—ข๐—ป๐—ฒ ๐—ง๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—น, ๐— ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐˜† ๐—ฃ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜€๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ฎ๐˜€

The book dives deep into how AI shifts roles depending on your needs. It can be your:

โ€ข Creative Partner for brainstorming.
โ€ข Coworker for heavy lifting.
โ€ข Tutor for learning new skills.
โ€ข Coach for personal growth.

๐—ง๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—•๐—ผ๐˜๐˜๐—ผ๐—บ ๐—Ÿ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฒ: AI shouldn’t just replace our thinking; it should augment it. If you have the chance, put down the summary and pick up the book. Your brain will thank you for the “empty space.”

Link to the book: https://amzn.to/4tvk1j7

#AI #CoIntelligence #EthanMollick #ContinuousLearning #FutureOfWork #DeepWork

One Book At A Time โ€“ 2025

2025 has been a year of AI explosion, and honestly, it is a lot to keep up with. Every week brings a wave of new research papers, industry newsletters, blog posts, benchmark reports, and endless social media feeds.

With so much noise, finding time for long-form reading, both AI and non-AI books, has become a challenge. To stay ahead, Iโ€™ve developed a new routine: every Saturday, I upload my “must-read” papers and newsletters to Google NotebookLM. I generate an Audio Overview and consume it as a podcast during my Sunday morning jog. Itโ€™s the perfect way to complete my “reading” while staying active!

Despite the busy year, I managed to finish 7 books. While many are talking about Nexus by Yuval Noah Harari as the standout, my personal favorite was The Mysterious Mr. Nakamoto by Benjamin Wallace – a fascinating 15-year quest to unmask the genius behind crypto.

Here is my full 2025 reading list:

  • The Mysterious Mr. Nakamoto by Benjamin Wallace – It is now clear to me who Mr. Nakamoto isโ€ฆ
  • Nexus by Yuval Noah Harari – A compelling read that serves as excellent evidence that long-form reading remains vital.
  • The Singularity Is Nearer by Ray Kurzweil – For those working in the IT / AI industry, this is a must-read.
  • The Sweaty Startup by Nick Huber – This serves as a great companion to the book The E-Myth, which I first read nearly 30 years ago.
  • Make Meaningful Culture by Daniel Szuc & Josephine Wong – In the era of AI, fostering a meaningful team culture has become more vital than ever.
  • The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown – I have read all of Dan Brown’s books, and this one is quite good as well.
  • Storyboarding Essentials by David Harland Rousseau & Benjamin Reid Phillips – I chose to read this not for filmmaking, but to improve my skills in crafting more effective video prompts.

How are you tackling your reading list this year? Any AI tools helping you stay productive? 

#AI #ReadingList #NotebookLM #Books2025

How To Find Your Next Book To Read?

Christmas is around the corner and itโ€™s about time to create my 2026 reading list.

I used to rely on the “Customers who bought this also bought that” feature. While efficient, it has a significant downside: homogenization.

Algorithms tend to feed us more of what we already know. If we all rely on the same suggestion engine, we end up reading the same books and thinking the same thoughts.

Thatโ€™s not discovery; thatโ€™s reinforcement.

To find truly fresh ideas, I go offline. Before I download anything to my Kindle, I tour physical bookstores – specifically the Translated Books section.

The Logic:

If a local publisher is willing to acquire rights, pay for translation, and print physical copies, that book has passed a rigorous vetting process. It implies the content is valuable enough to justify significant financial risk outside its home market.

I browse the shelves to find these gems, then head home and buy the original English versions for my eReader.

Itโ€™s a powerful strategy that hasn’t failed me yet. How do you prepare your reading list?

ReadingList #BookLovers #Kindle #ContinuousLearning

AI vs Human Creation

We often describe AI as cold or synthetic. But thatโ€™s a misconception.

AI isnโ€™t “creating” in a vacuum; it is remixing everything we have ever written, drawn, or coded. Its training data is, in fact, a mirror of us.

Because of this, I believe authentic human creation is more valuable now than ever before.

To celebrate that human touch, I am proud to share my sixth photo book. Iโ€™ve been embracing on-demand printing since 2008 to bring my digital work to life, but this volume feels special. It marks the finale of my three-part photo story:

๐Ÿ‘๏ธ Eyes like a shutter
๐Ÿง  Mind like a lens
โค๏ธ Heart like a film

To me, there is something irreplaceable about the smell of ink and the weight of paper. While I use digital tools every day, seeing these three books side-by-side reminds me that some stories just need to be held in your hands.

Iโ€™d love to hear what you are working on. What is your latest creation?

HumanCreativity #AI #GenerativeAI #Creativity #Storytelling

The “Two-Minute Rule” just got a massive upgrade

Iโ€™ve been a loyal fan of David Allenโ€™s Getting Things Done (GTD) for years. In fact, I make it a ritual to re-read the book every few years to reset my productivity baseline.

The most sticky habit I picked up? The Two-Minute Rule. The concept is simple: If a task takes less than two minutes to complete, do it immediately. Donโ€™t file it. Donโ€™t schedule it. Just do it.

Itโ€™s the secret behind my responsiveness. I clear the small stuff instantly to keep my mental deck clear.

But GenAI has redefined what is possible in “Two Minutes.” Weโ€™ve moved from simple maintenance to strategic output:

  • Then: Sending a quick “Yes/No” reply or forwarding a file.
  • Now: Drafting a comprehensive email, summarizing a 20-page report, or brainstorming strategic angles for a deck.

The rule remains, but the ROI has skyrocketed. We aren’t just clearing administrative clutter anymore; we are clearing strategic hurdles in the time it takes to brew a coffee.

How are you using AI to expand your two-minute window?

#Productivity #GTD #GenerativeAI #FutureOfWork #Efficiency