AI First: The New Way to Build Smarter
- Alan Williams
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
By Alan W
Ten years ago, Luke Wroblewski said we should design for mobile first. Not because mobile was better. But because it forced us to unlearn old habits. To strip away the fluff. To start from constraints. And in doing so, we built better things — for everyone.
Today, I believe we need a new kind of unlearning.This time, it’s not about screen size. It’s about mindset.We need to go AI First.
Most people are still using AI like a glorified tool.A smarter search engine. A faster notepad. A better Excel.But that’s like using a Ferrari to drive down the driveway.
AI isn’t just a tool. It’s a thinking partner.A team member. An executive assistant. A strategist. A sparring partner.It’s someone I can work with, not just something I work on.
But here’s the trick: to work this way, you have to forget everything you think you know.Forget how you’re used to working. Forget your polished process. Forget the idea that you must come to the table with answers.
Instead: show up with the problem.
That’s been my biggest shift. I used to give AI a wall of content and ask for a cleaned-up email or an improved paragraph. Now? I bring it the question. I tell it the situation. I share the tension I’m feeling, the gap I’ve spotted, the challenge my client has. And then I say:“Let’s figure this out.”
When you work AI First, you start with possibility, not process.You start with curiosity, not control.And most of all, you open the door to a kind of collaboration that multiplies you — not just assists you.
That’s how I work now. Everything I do, I involve AI.Not because I need to, but because I’d be foolish not to.
The people who win with AI won't be the ones who master every tool.They’ll be the ones who master how to think with it.
Work with Alan W
“Solving niche challenges founders face”.
illustrator: Lisa Williams (Instagram: @artist_llw)
