Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on what we’re thankful for. This year, I’m thankful for my family, great colleagues, challenging problems to solve — and my partner in crime: artificial intelligence (AI).
Since generative AI went mainstream, it’s reshaped how we work, turning tasks that once took hours into minutes. This Thanksgiving, I’m reflecting on a few things I’m especially thankful AI has taken off my plate:
The Pressure to be Perfect
AI has made imperfection a form of authentic professionalism. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve heard someone say, “If a résumé has a typo, I throw it out,” or “If there’s a mistake on a slide, it’s hard to trust the rest.”
Perfection used to be the gold standard. Every sentence, slide and email was scrutinized for even the smallest flaw. But AI has changed that. Today, it’s easy to create something flawless — polished, precise and completely impersonal.
When perfection is automatic, what stands out is you. I’m thankful AI has lifted the pressure to get everything right, and made small imperfections a mark of authenticity. That shift frees up time and energy for what truly matters — creating, connecting and contributing in our own uniquely human ways.
The Fear of Asking “Stupid Questions”
We’ve all been there — leaving a meeting confident until you sit down and realize you have no idea what you’re actually supposed to do. I’d stare at my notes, hoping the missing context might appear, but too embarrassed to ask for clarification.
We all say there’s no such thing as a “stupid question,” but that’s easier to believe when you’re not the one asking. No one wants to look like they’ve missed something obvious or can’t handle a simple task.
With AI, those moments have become less frequent. As long as I have a few keywords or a rough idea, I can lean on tools like ChatGPT to help me get started. I’m thankful for that shift. Instead of worrying about looking unprepared, I can focus on learning, contributing and moving work forward — exactly where our energy belongs.
The Wait for Feedback
You’ve been staring at a document all morning and just need a second set of eyes. You walk over to a colleague’s desk and ask, “Hey, can you take a look?” They say, “I’m about to head into a meeting — maybe later this afternoon.” So you wait. Hours later, feedback arrives, edits are made, and half a day slips by before your email goes out.
With AI, that cycle has completely changed. You don’t need to wait for someone to catch an error, reword a tricky paragraph, or sanity-check your tone. You can get instant feedback on clarity, phrasing and even whether your technical explanation makes sense to a non-technical audience.
I’m thankful to have a second set of eyes available anytime. It’s not about replacing human feedback — it’s about getting to the good version faster, so real feedback can focus on substance, not surface.
The Illusion of Expertise
A pet peeve of mine has always been sitting in a meeting where someone throws around jargon and acronyms to sound impressive — while casting self-doubt on the less experienced or less confident people in the room, including myself at times. It used to be hard to tell who was truly a subject-matter expert and who just knew how to talk like one.
AI has changed that. With a few quick prompts, I can bring myself up to a proficient level on almost any subject — enough to ask sharper questions, and notice when something doesn’t quite add up. The playing field feels more level now.
I’m thankful AI has made it easier to separate confidence from competence. It’s not about calling people out — it’s about breaking down barriers to genuine understanding, and keeping conversations focused on substance, not showmanship.
Thanksgiving is about gratitude, and this year, mine extends beyond people to the technology that’s made work a little easier — and life a little lighter. AI has made imperfection feel authentic, removed the fear of asking a “stupid” question, shortened the feedback loop, and leveled the jargon barrier.
How about you? What are you thankful AI took off your plate?
