AI and smart tools make you efficient. Only making the time and pressing Send makes you effective with your relationships.
The idea
A board member once pulled me aside after a meeting and told me it's worth knowing whether something will make you more effective or more efficient. That mental model has stuck with me ever since. Efficient is getting more done with less wasted effort. Effective is producing the result you want. AI tools, ChatGPT included, will make you more efficient, but they do nothing for your relationships if you never make time to reach out, or if you hesitate to press Send.
How to do it
For any new tool, ask whether it will make you more effective, or just more efficient.
Ask what's stopping you from being more engaged with your sphere. List it out.
Sort the answers. They'll almost all come down to time and fear, and those are what to fix.
Example
In a decade of building relationship software, I was part of many "AI" launches, and most saw little adoption. One feature sorted your database by importance, which helped people use their time well, and was useless if they never made that time or didn't know what to say.
Time and Fear, the Two Universal Blockers: Almost every reason people don't stay in touch comes down to two things: not having time, or fear of how the outreach will land.
Tools vs. Systems: Strategy first, then tactics, then tools. A tool is only as good as the system around it, so stop shopping for apps and build the system.
What Never to Outsource to AI: Let AI draft, summarize and suggest who to contact, but never let it handle your inner circle, emotional messages, introductions, or who deserves your attention.