Progress Is Happening Quietly While Everyone Yells
Weekly AI Reboot: straight talk, smart ideas, stuff worth knowing—#18
I write about leadership from both sides of the desk. But, I also explore AI and why teaching critical thinking about it is more important than ever.
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When everyone is an expert, but no one agrees… Spend five minutes online and you’ll meet two kinds of people. The first insists AI will revolutionize everything, starting next Thursday.
The second thinks it’s an elaborate scam that will collapse the minute you ask it to count fingers on a hand. Both will post about it 14 times a day.
The middle ground? Mostly silent. Not because we don’t have opinions, but because we don’t enjoy wading into digital quicksand.
The nitpick economy
The anti-AI crowd loves the “gotcha” example. Ask it to compare two identical lines? It’s wrong. Upload a blurry hand photo? It counts six fingers. These moments become proof that the entire technology is a sham.
Never mind that no one in real life is using it to measure stick figures or run finger audits.
The hype side isn’t any better. Every limitation is “just a temporary glitch,” every new feature is “game-changing,” and every business pitch is wrapped in vague promises about saving time, making money, and freeing you to focus on your “zone of genius.”
Middle lane survival tactics
If you’re tired of both extremes, here’s the quiet strategy. Use it where it works. Skip it where it doesn’t. If you need accuracy, test it before you trust it. If you’re running a business, don’t outsource everything to a tool you barely understand.
And for the love of all that’s rational, don’t pretend the technology can’t improve just because it’s flawed today.
I’m going to drop a major truth bomb here, so get ready: AI has limitations. So do people. Even people online. Myself included.
The real takeaway
Here’s my suggestion. Ignore the loudest voices. Most of them are speaking to their own audience, anyway, and not to you. The hype merchants need believers. The doomsayers need skeptics.
And the rest of us? We can just keep using what works, laughing at what doesn’t, and staying out of the comment wars.
Somewhere between the finger counters and the futurists, there’s actual progress happening. It’s just harder to see when the loudest voices crowd the lanes, and you’re stuck in the middle trying to make sense of it all.
TL;DR: Between the loud doomsayers and the overhyped evangelists, progress is still happening. It’s just easy to miss.
In the end, you can’t rely on either extreme to give you the full picture. You still have to pay attention, think for yourself, and filter out what doesn’t make sense. The middle lane might be less exciting, but it’s where the real information seems to hang out.
Curious about Custom GPTs?
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Welcome to The Spotlight Corner 📢
Here is a shoutout to my favorite piece of the week by
: The Scared Witless Educator's Guide to Surviving ChatGPT GPT-5What Andrew does is take using study mode in ChatGPT and totally flips the script. He provides prompts, not for students but for professors. Ones designed to help them learn and understand how to use the tool.
I like this approach because it emphasizes how important it is to know how to use ChatGPT effectively, especially with GPT-5. Even though many critics are calling it an epic release flop, the truth is the writing is better. I have been using it and I’m impressed with the content portion of it thus far.
This is a smart way for faculty to start learning and understanding the same way their students will be. We are all literally in the same metaphorical boat.
📌 Still thinking about AI and how we are going to come together on this 🤔
Tech Toolbox: Tools I’m Loving Right Now 🛠
My favorite tech tool this month: DeclutterGPT
I came across this little gold nugget a while back when my chats were completely out of control because I had never cleaned them out. I downloaded the free Declutter GPT tool from the Chrome store and cleared my entire random chats list in an incredibly short time.
You can bulk select, archive, or delete. It shows up with a simple checkbox to select all the ones you want. I did mine in sections, but it was absolutely fantastic. It saved me a ton of time.
And did I mention it’s FREE?
The best dictation tool I’ve used ⤵
Wispr Flow Referral Link: wisprflow.ai/r/WISPR6911.
(You get a $15 credit once you hit 2,000 words! Trust me when I tell you that will happen quickly once you get hooked on this thing).
In Case You Missed It! 🔙
👉 My posts 📝from last week:
➠ Some People Don’t Want Things to Work Better (A look at nostalgia and how it intersects with AI).
➠ Last Week’s Weekly Reboot: (Where AI Actually Works — and Where It Fails Spectacularly).
➠ This Little ChatGPT Trick Just Replaced My Keyboard (This little trick will save you lots of time if you like taking hand written notes but aren’t a fan of typing them up).
➠ check out my Instagram 😊
And until next week, “Don’t forget to lead with purpose in everything you do.”
© 2025 Bette A. Ludwig: All rights reserved
👉 Don’t Forget to Evaluate Your Leadership Approach with This FREE Assessment
If you're getting value from AI Can Do That? 🔍, I'd truly appreciate it if you could tap the like ❤️ button and share or restack 🔁. Thanks for reading and for your support! 🙌
Thanks Bette. Love reading your words and wisdom. I think this advice holds true for a few aspects of life where the extremes are not where you want to be but they seem to have the loudest voices. I just read a post from Rich Roll on discernment. Simpatico. Thanks for all you do in this space. Anita xx
If only everyone could fall somewhere between luddite and miracle technology when it comes to AI. You nailed it, Bette - many of the folks using AI in practice, but understand its current limitations don't often post about it. They have their heads down because they're building or creating.
The folks that want to sell courses or sleazy AI products, or protect their competitive moat from anything AI, are often the loudest voices. Fear sells online and it's great for engagement.
Love what you're doing to promote a reasonable middle ground that's realistic, honest, and optimistic about our AI future.