I can’t seem to stop saying “please” and “thank you” to my AI assistant … And honestly? I don’t think I want to.

When I was at NBCUniversal, I had a standing Monday ritual. I’d pop into a colleague’s office, we’d catch up on our weekends—and within minutes, we were off.
Spinning ideas.
Challenging each other.
Asking better questions.
Her favorite phrase? “Riddle me this …”
And just like that, we were building something new.

Lately, I’ve found myself bringing that same energy into how I use AI.
Not as a tool.
But as a thought partner.
A sounding board.
A place to explore the “what ifs.”

I’ve even started calling mine … Mary. (IYKYK)

Here’s what I’m seeing—and where this is going:
AI in the workplace isn’t one thing. It’s everything.
• For some, it’s an assistant → drafting, editing, summarizing
• For others, it’s a strategist → brainstorming, refining ideas, pressure-testing thinking
• For others, it’s a builder → coding, automating, creating systems
• For leaders, it’s a culture accelerator → helping teams move faster, think bigger, communicate better

But here’s the real shift:
It’s not just what you ask.
It’s how you ask.
The best outputs I’ve seen don’t come from commands.
They come from conversations.
From context.
From curiosity.
From treating it—just a little bit—like the colleague you’d walk down the hall to brainstorm with.

So … riddle me this:
What if the way we show up to AI is actually shaping the way it shows up for us?
I’m still figuring it out in real time.

Still saying please. Still saying thank you.
And still a little in awe of what’s possible.

Curious—how are you using AI right now?
Assistant? Strategist? Builder? Something else?
👇 Let’s compare notes.

Photo Credit: My AI Assistant