The AI Iceberg

I’m old enough to remember the promises of AI from years ago. I owned a program called ELIZA that I used to play on my TRS-80. Designed to behave like a virtual therapist, ELIZA would reply to your input with answers which would further the conversation.

You might type “I need help with something.” ELIZA would reply with “What do you need help with?”

“I’m upset with my parents.” would lead to “Why are you upset with your parents?”

It was simple pattern recognition, but somehow you felt like you were engaging with an empathetic ear.

Fast-forward to present day and ELIZA feels like nothing more than a parrot, echoing back what you say as a question.

But ChatGPT, Claude, Grok, Gemini and Perplexity have introduced us to tools that engage and converse with us in ways that feel far more substantive and real.

The promise of artificial intelligence has arrived, and it’s only going to get better from here.

Everyone is at a different stage with how they are using AI, but I believe we can identify a number of levels that would indicate where each of us is on the journey. And we can section it off using the iceberg meme.

Examining the AI Iceberg

The notion is that the tip of the iceberg is visible above the water and that as you drill down below the waterline and into the murky depths, more of the potential is revealed.

Before we get to the tip, it’s important to note that the masses aren’t yet using AI in any intentional way. They may not have access to the web or any of the tools we take for granted. They could be completely uninterested in technology. And there are a minority of people who aren’t capable of using AI in its current form. If only there were a book that made AI simple? (shameless plug casually inserted).

The tip is poking up from the surface, but this first group is in no danger of colliding with it. If anyone still has their VCRs blinking 12:00, this would be that group.

As for the tip itself, for those paying attention it’s impossible to miss.

It’s the section that is the most visible, but accounts for the smallest portion of the iceberg. In this case it also accounts for the majority of the world’s population who are using AI.

These are the people using AI as a replacement for search.

“Where’s a good place to stay in Huntington Beach?”

“How many red peppers should I add to my salsa recipe?”

“Which shirt pattern goes best with blue denim jeans?”

AI started picking up these users when ChatGPT hit the market. Many people have not moved beyond treating AI like a sophisticated search engine. Google has modified their results by placing Gemini answers at the top (after sponsored, naturally).

The masses will likely continue to use AI as a search tool for quite some time. And many will never go beyond here.

Creation Happens Below the Surface

Beyond providing information, real intentional use of AI starts when the user decides to create with the provided tools.

Rather than just seeking answers, the second level of the iceberg opens the door to creativity.

Creativity can take many forms. The disciplines of art, music, writing and designing become inviting when the tools can facilitate a skillful output that the user previously only dreamed of.

I should know. I can barely draw a stick figure. My painting skills are limited to copying Bob Ross in paint-by-numbers style. As a musician, I’m a hack at best.

But with AI I can bring art to life and create music using my imagination. And anyone else who has tried this feels equally empowered.

Whether it’s using Gemini Storybook to write and illustrate a children’s book in minutes or humming a melody into Suno and having it compose an original score based on your tune, generative AI has opened the door to explore creativity for those of us without the natural or trained ability.

But the iceberg goes deeper. And those who go beyond exploring creativity will discover an exciting layer of productivity.

The Key to Getting Things Done

It’s one thing to get instant answers or remove an unwanted person from a photo using AI. It’s another to leverage AI tools to produce something truly useful.

The next level of the iceberg is where practical productivity lives.

People who have entered this realm are using AI to compile thoughts, ideas and plans into travel itineraries, publishable books and professional presentations.

Those who create projects in Claude and ChatGPT are discovering an entirely new dimension of possibilities.

Like most, I started with ChatGPT. I created projects for constructing travel itineraries, mapping my health and building my business.

But along the way I discovered that OpenAI was more resistant to doing things I asked of it. Its guardrails are fairly strict, so I moved my projects to Claude.

Today I’ve got projects containing valuable conversations for my keynote business, app creation, book authoring, cruise enrichment presentations, investing, podcasting and my websites. Frankly, I’m not sure I recall a time where I have ever been so organized. Nor can I recall a time where I have been more productive.

I probably live in a bubble on X because I see a lot of people who are doing likewise. But I suspect this is a level that the masses will not reach for many years.

And this bubble is filled with people who push beyond productivity. They have boldly gone to the next level of the iceberg. For me, it’s the most exciting level.

Learn to Code is Back in Vogue

When people in unskilled positions began losing jobs to automation, the mantra became “learn to code.” It was a sarcastic, yet wise, nod to encourage training that might open up new career prospects.

When AI starting writing computer code by human direction that mantra quickly shifted to “learn to prompt.” It’s the people directing AI properly who are going to receive the best output.

For those who have reached the next level of the iceberg, coding has once again become king. To be fair, it’s the machines doing the coding. Humans are still responsible for the prompting.

But coding with AI has completely changed the paradigm for getting things done.

With Claude Code, I have been able to create applications and games. I’ve been able to evaluate websites and build out automated plans for improving SEO and uploading content. I’ve been able to do things that would have previously required a lot of time and money. Most of that money would have gone to someone capable of doing the tasks I was not capable of doing myself.

Game. Changer.

Just when I think I should be impressed with what I’ve built, I see what others in my bubble have created. It’s humbling as I realize I still have a long way to go. And there is yet another level to the iceberg that I haven’t yet reached.

Secret Agent Man

The last level of the iceberg (at least currently… we may excavate another level below the bedrock in the future) is fully automated agents running complete processes and learning as they go.

We’re talking about AI so sophisticated that it researches, experiments, learns and implements whatever it works on… by design.

I’ll be honest. It can be a little intimidating. And where we are right now probably feels more complicated than it really is. But there is definitely a learning curve to all of this.

The good news is that each level of the iceberg that currently feels scary will get easier to approach as time passes. Things are accelerating faster and faster as the AI gets better and better.

Five years from now you will be doing things with AI that will make what is possible now look like child’s play.

In the end, the iceberg is more likely to melt than to capsize your ship.

For now, I encourage you to jump into the icy depths and explore what’s possible today.

Want to see some of the things I have built with AI? You can check them out at artificialintelligence.studio.