Are you using AI like a tool - or working with it like a teammate?

That's the question Jeremy Utley from Stanford University wants you to sit with. Utley, a creativity and innovation lecturer at Stanford University, makes a compelling case: the biggest leap forward in AI isn't technical - it's mental. It's not about which tool you use, but how you choose to relate to AI itself.

That shift in mindset unlocks a different kind of interaction. When we treat AI like a teammate, we naturally give it feedback, share context, and refine together - just as we would with a real colleague. And that's when creativity starts to compound.

Why This Video Is Worth Your Time

Utley's talk [below] is full of short, real-world examples - from how national park staff use AI to save time, to how school students are unlocking new kinds of creative thinking. What's striking is that none of the stories are about advanced coding or enterprise-level AI systems. They're about people treating AI as a thought partner - and getting surprisingly good results.

Whether you're a business owner, a team leader, or just experimenting with AI tools in your daily work, this video is a powerful reminder: you don't need to be technical to get value from AI. You just need to learn how to work with it.

The Takeaway for Small Business

At Northern Beaches AI, we help local businesses get started with real, useful automation - no jargon, no hype. And we've seen exactly what this video describes: the clients who get the most out of AI aren't always the most tech-savvy. They're the ones who engage curiously, ask better questions, and treat AI as something worth collaborating with.

If you're open to thinking differently, this 13-minute video could change the way you work - starting today.

This article was originally published on our LinkedIn company page on 2 May 2025.

Let us know what stood out to you - or better yet, try the prompt he shares and see where it takes you.