An idea can sit in your notebook for years because of one unanswered question: “How am I going to pull this off?”
You can see the course you want to teach, the business you want to build, or the service your community needs. You may have thought about it in considerable detail. But between that vision and a finished project are things you cannot easily do alone.
Perhaps you need a designer. Perhaps you need help organising what you know. Perhaps you need a first version before you can tell whether the idea is worth investing in.
That is where AI has made a difference in my life.
I have ideas for courses, websites, businesses, and creative projects. Having assistance to develop them has changed how far I am willing to explore them. Something that once felt out of reach can become a draft, a plan, or a working preview I can examine.
And once I can see it taking shape, I start seeing what else it could become.
That is the creative benefit I have experienced: more of my ideas get the chance to develop.
When you can try something, you discover more
Consider a music teacher who wants to help adults who are nervous about singing in public.
She knows the subject and understands the hesitation. She has an idea for a short programme, but preparing the structure and materials takes time.
She could use AI to help organise an outline and suggest activities. As she reviews the draft, her experience comes into play.
This exercise is too advanced. That explanation needs to be simpler. The first session should help people feel comfortable enough to participate.
Working through those decisions might lead her to a better idea: a small introductory session where people can experience the teaching before committing to the full programme.
AI can help her prepare a description, explore a lesson structure, and draft a feedback form. She can then try the session and learn from the people attending.
The creative work happens throughout that process. Each version gives her something to question and improve.
You discover things about an idea by working on it that you cannot discover by leaving it in a notebook.
What the evidence tells us
Research supports the practical value of assistance with some of this work.
In a 2023 experiment involving 453 college-educated professionals, researchers Shakked Noy and Whitney Zhang found that access to ChatGPT reduced completion time on selected professional writing tasks by 40%, while assessed quality improved by 18%. The tasks did not capture all the factual accuracy and organisational context required in real work. Read MIT’s account of the study.
Those results concern writing performance, rather than proving a general increase in human creativity.
My experience adds a personal observation: when I can make progress on the practical work, I become more willing to experiment. I can explore another approach, compare versions, or develop an idea I might otherwise have postponed.
I find myself spending hours designing and directing because there is now a realistic path from an idea to something I can use.
The possibility of following through gives me a reason to keep exploring.
Your experience gives the work direction
The music teacher’s knowledge matters at every stage. She can recognise an unsuitable activity because she understands her students. She can improve a lesson because she knows what learning to sing involves.
The same principle applies when you are developing an offer, designing a website, or preparing a customer guide.
You bring knowledge of the people you serve: their circumstances, the questions they ask, and the promises you can keep.
For a business in Trinidad and Tobago, that might include how customers prefer to enquire, what makes them hesitant to buy, or which examples feel familiar to them. Those details deserve a place in your instructions and in your review of the result.
This is why I think of the role as directing.
AI can contribute suggestions and help develop an approach. Your job includes deciding which suggestions fit the purpose.
Does this sound like us? Will the customer understand it? Is it accurate? Can we deliver it?
Your judgment is part of what makes the finished work useful.
A convincing answer still needs a careful reader
A 2025 study published at the CHI conference surveyed 319 knowledge workers. It found that critical thinking in AI-assisted work shifted toward checking information, integrating responses, and overseeing tasks. Greater confidence in AI was also associated with less reported critical thinking. As a survey, it did not establish that AI caused a lasting change in thinking ability. Read the research summary.
For me, using AI well means remaining involved enough to notice when an answer is weak, generic, or wrong for the situation.
A draft may need a better example. A claim may need checking. A suggested plan may depend on money or time you do not have.
Making those corrections is part of developing the idea. It also helps ensure that the result reflects your intentions.
Choose one idea and give it a fair test
Start with something you have already wanted to do.
Write a short description in your own words. Explain who it is for, what would make it useful, and what has prevented you from moving forward.
Then ask AI to help you plan a small first version. Include your constraints: the time available, your budget, the skills you have, and any details it must respect. Ask it to identify missing information before making assumptions.
Review the result, make it your own, and put something concrete in front of a person you hope to help. Their response will give you a reason to improve it, change direction, or continue.
Come and have these conversations with us
This is the kind of conversation we have in the School of AI at Curtis Jordan Coaching Academy. What could we create? How could AI help? What do we need to learn, question, or improve along the way?
There is value in being around people who are asking those questions too. Someone else's experience can give you a different way to approach your idea. A question you bring might start a conversation that helps someone else move forward.
If you have an idea waiting for the right moment, this could be it. Bring what you are imagining, the questions you are carrying, and the curiosity to explore what is possible. You do not need to have everything figured out—just a willingness to begin.
Bring your idea. Find your people. Start building with AI in the School of AI.