Preface
Why this book was written, who it is for, and how to use it most effectively.
Why I Wrote This Book
I made most of the mistakes in this book before I wrote about them. I shared AI-assisted content that contained confident errors I had not checked. I used AI tools without reading their data policies. I built a practice that was enthusiastic and inconsistent — good results some days, poor results often, with no clear understanding of why.
The turning point was not a better tool or a more sophisticated technique. It was a shift in how I thought about what AI use required of me — a set of principles that held across changing tools and changing capabilities.
This book is the handbook I wished I had when I started. It is built from the experience of practitioners across dozens of domains and countries who have built AI practices worth learning from.
Who This Book Is For
AI Maxims is written for the practitioner — the professional who uses AI in their actual work and wants to do so with skill, consistency, and integrity. Not for data scientists or AI engineers. For lawyers, marketers, consultants, educators, designers, writers, managers — anyone whose primary job is professional knowledge work.
How to Use This Book
Do not read this book passively. Every chapter ends with a worksheet. Complete them. The Chapter 18 self-assessment is designed to be retaken every 90 days. The 90-day action plan is designed to be executed, not admired.
The book is structured in six Parts that build on each other. Read in order the first time. After that, use it as a reference — return to the chapter that addresses your current challenge.
A Note on Currency
AI tools change rapidly. Specific tool recommendations will evolve. The maxims will not. The principles in this book are designed to hold regardless of which specific tools are dominant in any given year.