Alastair McDermott - The AI Powered Thought Leader
Author, speaker, and human-first AI strategist, Alastair McDermott, joined me on Ditching Hourly to talk about his new book and how experts can use AI to enhance productivity, decision-making, and learning.
AI Summary
In this episode of Ditching Hourly, Jonathan Stark interviews Alastair McDermott about his new book, 'Use AI Stay Human: A Survival Guide for Experts in the Age of AI.' They discuss Alastair's transition from a techie background to running his consulting business, Recognized Authority, and eventually rebranding to Human Spark.AI. The conversation dives into how AI can be used to enhance productivity, decision-making, and learning for subject matter experts. Alastair shares practical tips on setting up effective AI workflows, structuring prompts, and the importance of human judgment in leveraging AI for business purposes.
Alastair's Links
- (00:00) - Introduction and Guest Welcome
- (00:46) - Alistair's Background and Journey
- (03:02) - The New Book: Use AI, Stay Human
- (04:15) - AI as a Tool for Experts
- (06:55) - Practical Applications of AI
- (10:00) - Technical Deep Dive: AI in Writing
- (16:58) - Organizing and Managing AI Outputs
- (23:40) - Ideal Reader and Learning AI
- (24:51) - Choosing Your AI Setup: DIY vs. Subscription
- (25:20) - The Importance of AI Expertise
- (27:16) - AI's Role in Business and Personal Productivity
- (28:25) - Challenges and Limitations of AI
- (30:59) - Effective Prompting Techniques
- (32:20) - Using AI for Coaching and Workshops
- (35:35) - Advanced AI Usage Tips
- (40:46) - Practical AI Tools and Resources
- (45:28) - Final Thoughts and Resources
AI Summary
In this episode of Ditching Hourly, Jonathan Stark interviews Alastair McDermott about his new book, 'Use AI Stay Human: A Survival Guide for Experts in the Age of AI.' They discuss Alastair's transition from a techie background to running his consulting business, Recognized Authority, and eventually rebranding to Human Spark.AI. The conversation dives into how AI can be used to enhance productivity, decision-making, and learning for subject matter experts. Alastair shares practical tips on setting up effective AI workflows, structuring prompts, and the importance of human judgment in leveraging AI for business purposes.
Alastair's Links
- Book: https://www.amazon.com/Use-I-Stay-Human-Indispensable-ebook/dp/B0FDQSKZRF
- Website: https://humanspark.ai/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alastairmcdermott/
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Before you go!
The next time someone asks you for your hourly rate, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to valuepricingbootcamp.com to sign up for my free value pricing email course.
Hope to see you there!
Before you go!
The next time someone asks you for your hourly rate, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to valuepricingbootcamp.com to sign up for my free value pricing email course.
Hope to see you there!
Creators and Guests

Host
Jonathan Stark
The Ditching Hourly Guy • For freelancers, consultants, and other experts who want to make more and work less w/o hiring

Guest
Alastair McDermott
Human-First AI Strategist | Author & Speaker | Helping Teams Achieve 5X Productivity Without Job Losses
