What can AI tools really do?

With my newfound free time I have been learning more about AI tools and experimenting with what is possible.

As part of my past working life, we used ChatGPT to help with a number of small tasks such as writing and document creation. From there I tested it further by using it for data analysis and organizing the outputs of brainstorming sessions.

The ability to take pictures of Post-it notes on a whiteboard and have a tool to transcribe the notes and then categorize them is impressive – just for the time savings.

From there I moved into data analysis. I would upload data sets and ask ChatGPT to summarize and provide me with useful data points and summaries.

At first, this seemed to be ok. But I found the results were not always consistent. I learned that if you're going to use an AI tool to analyze data, you better have a really good understanding of the data so you know if your AI tool is giving you the right answers.

That's when I discovered Claude. The ability to use Cowork and Code opened up a lot of possibilities.

Claude Code built this website.

Claude Code is also responsible for the series of Substack posts I am writing on NHL referees and power plays.

After going through just a few test projects, the power of the tool isn't that it can take over the simple work from humans. AI tools and LLMs now allow us to use real language to build something that we may not have been able to do previously. It also allows us to do it faster.

That's where I see the real power of a tool like Claude.