Episode #5 Using AI To Enhance Creativity and Productivity

In this The Divine Spark podcast episode, Tom Kamnikar, Digital Project Manager at Paulsen, and Isaac Druin, Front End Developer, sit down with host Sara Steever. Their conversation begins with a deep dive into "Productivity Is a Drag. Work Is Divine", an article published by The Atlantic in which author Sara Tillinger Wolkenfeld reinforces the value of work and makes a case for AI enhancing rather than replacing meaningful tasks. Next, they focus on the impact of AI on coding and other tasks within the web development world before turning to a generative AI product Paulsen developed to assist clients with content creation.

Show Notes:

• [02:00] Discussion of "Productivity Is a Drag. Work Is Divine"

  • Sara, Tom and Isaac reflect on Sara Tillinger Wolkenfeld's article, "Productivity is a Drag, Work is Divine." They explore the concept of using AI for less enjoyable tasks — described by the author and reiterated by the group as "soul-sucking work" — while preserving the meaningful aspects of work.

• [06:00] AI in Web Development

  • Tom and Isaac share their experiences using various AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity for coding assistance, error debugging and learning new technologies.

• [12:30] AI-Powered Coding Tools

  • The three discuss various AI-powered coding tools, including Microsoft's Copilot and Cursor AI, and their impact on development workflows.

• [14:38] Paulsen AI: Expanding Content Creation Capabilities for Clients

  • Tom and Isaac describe Paulsen AI, a tool built in-house using GPT-4 and vector databases to assist clients in content creation, particularly for industry-specific topics. The team also unpacks the process of using their AI tool for creating blog posts, including outline generation, customization and maintaining a client's brand voice.