AI & I · Wednesday, September 2, 2026
Katie Parrott, a staff writer at Every, shares her journey from AI skepticism to leveraging AI tools like ChatGPT and Codex to enhance her writing process and career. Initially turning to ChatGPT as a career coach after being laid off, she discovered its potential as a 'tool for thought' to externalize her thinking and gain perspective.
“I had some exposure to chatgbt at that time. I had actually used it to produce briefs at a previous job as a content marketing manager. We had an agency and I realized, I was like hitting a wall of depression at that job and like could not bring myself to put words on a page. But I found that if I used chatgbt to generate some of the repetitive stuff And it became this assistive tool that I used as a tool for thought”
“Clarity, it turns out, doesn't arrive gift wrapped from a digital assistant or even a human coach. It's something I had to dig out for myself, question by question and prompt by prompt. True clarity, direction, and answers come from the process of engaging with the prompts and doing the hard work yourself. AI can help guide the way, but the journey is yours to take.”
“The first thing it taught me is that I can use AI to make change in my life, which is something that I've continued to carry through over the last couple of years. I really judge the technology by the impact it's had practically for me, And the fact that I used the career coach, for example, I remember talking when I got the invitation from Kate to write what ultimately became working overtime, my column, I was talking to ChatGPT about whether it was the right step for me to take because I was kind of on the fence.”