‘Everyone knows how to make an omelette. The master knows the timing.’ — Simple Truth
Before we talk about ethics, intentions, or policies, consider three questions:
How many AI apps do you actually have installed on your phone?
How many do you regularly use?
And most importantly, do you interact with AI as an ongoing thinking partner, or do you open ChatGPT occasionally, ask a question, and close it?
If it’s the latter, then you don’t really use AI—you simply know about AI.
There’s a significant difference.
The Perception Gap
While many people debate whether AI is dangerous, ethical, or capable of replacing jobs, businesses are already creating enormous value with it.
OpenAI generates billions in annual revenue. Anthropic has reached a multibillion-dollar valuation. New companies are being built with AI at their core, growing faster than traditional businesses ever could.
These successes were not created by replacing people. They were created by expanding what people can accomplish.
The real threat isn’t AI. The real threat is refusing to learn how work is changing.
The people actively using AI aren’t spending their time arguing about it. They’re building with it.
Some are using “vibe coding,” where they describe ideas in plain language and AI generates working code. Others use AI-assisted development, allowing software engineers to focus on higher-value work while AI handles repetitive tasks. More advanced teams employ autonomous AI agents that can plan, code, test, and improve systems with minimal supervision.
Different methods. Same outcome.
People are multiplying their capabilities rather than replacing themselves.
Teachers reduce administrative workload. Clerks automate repetitive processes. Developers build faster. Entrepreneurs move from idea to execution in days instead of months.
AI amplifies strengths. It doesn’t create them.
How I Actually Use AI
Let me be honest about my own approach.
I know several AI systems and have invested serious time learning them. But I don’t use them every day, and I don’t depend on them.
I use AI when it serves a purpose.
When I’m creating music and want to explore ideas more quickly, I use it. When I’m writing and need to test clarity or structure, I use it. When I’m organizing research or analyzing information, I use it.
Most days, however, I don’t touch these tools.
Why?
Because not every task requires AI.
Knowing when to use a tool—and when not to—is where mastery begins.
Someone who uses AI for everything has not mastered it. They’ve become dependent on it.
The Omelette Lesson
Anyone can learn how to make an omelette.
Heat the pan. Add butter. Crack the eggs. Fold and serve.
The recipe is simple.
But the difference between a home cook and a professional chef isn’t knowing the recipe. It’s understanding timing, heat, texture, and judgment. It’s knowing exactly when to act.
The same principle applies to AI.
The important question isn’t, “Should I use AI?”
The important question is, “Do I know when to use it?”
A person who relies on ChatGPT for every task is following a recipe.
A person who understands multiple AI tools, knows their strengths and weaknesses, and uses them strategically is acting like a chef.
The tool is the same.
The skill is not.
The Real Divide
Today there are two groups of people.
The first group debates AI. They worry about job losses, discuss ethics, read headlines, and form opinions from articles and social media.
The second group uses AI. They experiment, make mistakes, learn, improve, and create results.
One group is having a conversation.
The other is experiencing a transformation.
And the reality is that the second group isn’t waiting for permission. They’re already moving ahead.
Taking the First Step
If you’re a teacher, AI can help reduce administrative work and free more time for students.
If you’re an office worker, it can automate repetitive processes and allow you to focus on more meaningful responsibilities.
If you use a computer, AI can help you work faster, think more clearly, and solve problems more efficiently.
But first, stop believing that AI is the same thing as ChatGPT.
ChatGPT is one tool.
Thinking ChatGPT equals AI is like thinking a knife equals cooking.
The knife is useful, but the mastery lies in knowing how and when to use it.
Why Integrity Matters
As AI becomes more common, the question is no longer whether we should use it. The question is how we should use it.
Platforms such as YouTube increasingly focus on integrity rather than simply whether content contains AI.
AI-generated content is generally acceptable when humans remain responsible for the vision, decisions, and final outcome. Transparency matters. Quality matters. Intent matters.
What gets rejected is content designed to deceive, manipulate, or flood platforms with low-quality material.
The distinction is simple:
AI sloth means using AI to avoid thinking.
Generate. Post. Repeat.
No judgment. No refinement.
AI mastery means using AI to enhance thinking.
Generate. Evaluate. Improve. Publish.
The tool supports human judgment rather than replacing it.
A teacher who uses AI to reduce paperwork and spend more time teaching demonstrates mastery with integrity.
A content farm that produces endless low-value material while hiding its methods demonstrates dependence disguised as productivity.
The technology is identical.
The character behind it is not.
AI doesn’t create character. It reveals it.
A useful question to ask yourself is:
Are you using this tool to become more disciplined, or to avoid discipline?
Ancient traditions have asked similar questions for centuries.
The Stoic asks whether a tool strengthens discipline.
The Daoist asks whether it integrates naturally into life.
The Sufi asks whether the intention behind its use is service or concealment.
All arrive at the same conclusion:
The answer depends less on the tool and more on the person using it.
The Practice
This week, take inventory.
Open your phone and review the apps you have installed.
Ask yourself:
Do I actually use this?
Does it help me accomplish meaningful work?
Am I using it intentionally or simply out of habit?
Then choose one AI tool you’ve never explored before.
Don’t learn it so you can use it every day.
Learn it so you understand what it’s good at, where it struggles, and when it might genuinely help.
Then use it once on a task that matters.
That single practical experience will teach you more than weeks of reading opinions online.
Because the most important conversations about AI are not happening in think tanks, comment sections, or social media debates.
They’re happening in the work of people who are experimenting, learning, and building.
Your Invitation
The first step with AI isn’t a philosophical discussion.
It’s action.
Explore a tool. Test an idea. Build something small.
Don’t aim to become dependent on AI.
Aim to understand it.
Because the future belongs not to those who argue most loudly about technology, but to those who learn how to use it with skill, discipline, and integrity.
The invitation is simple:
Stop debating.
Start building.
The views expressed here are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of Sarawak Tribune. The writer can be reached at sufiansarawak@gmail.com.
