In my last How I use AI post, I wrote about replacing spreadsheets with vibe-coded internal apps. Wherever there is a use for a spreadsheet, perhaps we can build something better with AI.

Often we talk about AI in big terms, jumping straight to all the amazing things it could do. How it can take everything off our plate. Make our lives easier. Automate jobs, roles, and everything with agents. The reality is often different, as Simon Tomes captured in Yay AI. Meh AI. Part 2. Part of me writing this is to identify the many little signals that should nudge us to use AI. This one is about copy and paste.

Many of these will start with a simple prompt, a way to seek efficiency. As Rahul Parwal points out, your best prompts show how you think, so it pays to keep them. As we explore them further, they can become dashboards, skills and agentic support.

I found myself copying and pasting, what it was doesn't matter. I'm sure we've all found us in a similar situation. I was quite happy to do it, because AI had produced the output for me to copy and paste much faster than I ever could. I was feeling smug, until I realised that I shouldn't be doing that copy and paste task. I could set up Claude Cowork to do it for me.

So, the signal is 'copy and paste'. Wherever you find yourself copying and pasting, ask yourself if AI can do it for you. It doesn't matter if you don't use it in the future. The point is to do it, to learn how to put something in place. That learning process will stick with you for next time. It will give you understanding to build upon.

The approach and tools will vary. You may have to orchestrate a few skills, gather data, run a few test runs, and apply quality in the loop thinking, which goes beyond keeping a human in the loop. Human in the loop feels more like checking, quality in the loop feels more aligned with intentional testing and improving the quality. The efficiencies are everywhere. There will be flaws and mistakes. And maybe it won't work. But to me, this is a sensible AI practice. Start small. Learn. Iterate.

Spot the 'copy and paste'. It's an indicator not only of where to use AI, but also of how to improve our daily lives and bring joy. This is not rocket science, but it helps to be reminded of it.