Here’s the hack that separates the winners from the wannabes:

Nick’s AI Playbook

🧑‍🏫 Latest AI thoughts, tools, and news from Nick Machol Skip to the end if you want to see a pic of sweat equity 💪

Main Idea

No preaching this week (or maybe a little less). Just a hack. Here’s the hack that separates the winners from the wannabes: make a four-column list and start filling it out. The Grind – Name the mind-numbing, rinse-and-repeat task. Perfect World – Imagine what life looks like when a bot handles it. Wild Guess – Jot any AI solution—doesn’t have to be perfect. Return on Time – Estimate the hours (and dollars) you’d claw back. I see inside multiple companies every week, and the ones crushing it all do this exercise. No fancy models, no “secret” prompts—just ruthless clarity. If writing down two or three tasks feels like work, ask yourself: do you really expect to win this race?

Here’s the play:

Block 30 minutes today. No phones, no excuses. Fill the columns—done beats perfect. Prioritize by ROI and tackle the top item this week.

PS!

July 9th is almost here—I'm taking a massive professional shot and I can hardly wait to share it. Stay tuned!

📰 AI News Worth Knowing

🔋 Ever wondered how much energy your AI prompts eat up? Your fancy AI-generated video could use as much energy as cooking dinner. Time to budget energy like money. Read Here ☠️ ChatGPT Gave a Lethal “Recipe” – A redditor got instructions to mix household chemicals into poison. Remember: the model is brilliantly confident, not brilliantly correct. Guardrails and human review are non‑negotiable. Read Here ⚖️ Court Says “Learning” ≠ Stealing – A judge ruled Anthropic can train on copyrighted books under fair‑use conditions—treating an AI like a human reader. Expect IP boundaries to keep shifting. Read Here 💔 Robot Romance Is Here – People are falling in love with chatbots. Experts warn of warped expectations and blurred reality. Consider the HR implications before “relationship‑as‑a‑service” shows up at work. Read Here 📈 State‑of‑AI Mega Report – Frontier models now cost $500M to train and get leapfrogged within three weeks. VC data shows 1 in 8 workers already touch AI monthly. Strap in. Read Here

🛠️ AI Tools You Need to Try

🎙️ ChatGPT Record – One‑click voice recording that auto‑transcribes meetings and turns them into project plans or code. Perfect for capturing that brainstorm before it disappears. Try It 🔗 ChatGPT Connectors – Plug ChatGPT into Google Drive, calendars, and more (warning: might need Pro/Team/Enterprise). Ask, “Summarize last quarter’s board decks,” and get an answer in seconds. Try It 💻 Replit – Going to keep recommending until you try it! Spin up code in a browser and vibe-code your way to an MVP before the coffee cools. Try It 🧰 Tool Vault – Frequently updated archive of every AI tool I’ve recommended, tested, or currently use: 👉 Here

📢 Take Action

Stop guessing which tasks to automate. My hands-on AI training walks your team through the list, the tools, and the rollout. Next openings: August (Denver only): Aug 6, 18, 22, 25 September: Week of Sept 1 and then Sept 15–16, 22–24, 29–30 October is already ~50%—please send requests ASAP 💡 Book me for executive training, team workshops, or 1:1 coaching. 📩 Book a session with me → nick@nocinoc.com 📅 See my services and pricing → Click here[Subscribe

💪 From the Field – Sweat Equity Wins

Mid‑workout selfie, drenched in a 90° NYC hotel gym (last week was a sauna++). I travel almost non‑stop, but fitness never gets bumped. The lesson? Discomfort compounds into resilience. Same with AI—do the hard reps (that list) now, and smile while everyone else sweats later. Thanks for reading. View email in browser[update your preferences or unsubscribe