Finding new intelligence is an artificial ingredient for Lakewood Ranch club

For Lakewood Ranch’s Amanda Rigby, life can get pretty hectic.

Between being a business owner and a mom, she takes whatever help she can get from utilizing artificial intelligence. 

She said she uses AI for both personal and professional reasons that include recipes, grocery lists, planning trips, creating presentations, and more. She works as a registered dietitian and owns a private practice called HealThy Self Nutrition.

When Rigby first heard about AI Creator’s Collective, she moved her schedule around to make sure she could attend every week. 

“I am well versed in AI, but find myself getting that hamster wheel feeling of trying to keep up with it as it is still new and evolving,” Rigby said. “Being able to brainstorm and work alongside those who are wanting to learn, stay up-to-date and share how they are utilizing AI has cracked open so many new parts of my brain.”

AI Creator’s Collective began as a Facebook page created by Lakewood Ranch’s David Perkowski, who works as a realtor, in late June. 

By Aug. 5, Keith Pandeloglou, the president and CEO of Lakewood Ranch Community Activities, reached out to see if Perkowski wanted to create a club around the topic. Tony Fitzgerald encouraged Perkowski, a good friend, to pursue the opportunity. 

Photo by Madison Bierl

Perkowski said there is something special about members participating in person rather than by watching a screen.

“That's what we're here for — to kind of embolden and empower more in-person connection,” Pandeloglou said. 

The first meeting was Aug. 12. They began with monthly meetings and stepped it up to weekly meetings in November. The group averages five to 12 attendees per session. Each meeting members are given an opportunity to pitch ideas for what they want to go over in future meetings. 

“It's great when we have new members and new people show up, because we get into different conversations,” Perkowski said. “All of a sudden, light bulbs start erupting around the room.” 

Each meeting is recorded and emails are sent out prior to each meeting utilizing AI on what was covered and what will be covered in the next meeting. 

Fitzgerald uses AI with purpose and asks the chat to “rate on a scale from zero to 10 on how certain you are that this is right.” 

“I didn't ask it to research anything so if I do ask it a deeper question, it will throw up that whole zero to 10, and it'll tell you why it's only an eight,” Fitzgerald. “I think this is a good idea, but it's an eight because you didn't think about XYZ, so that's really helped.”

Fitzgerald said AI gets a bad reputation because people tend to have AI do work for them — whether it be for school or work — instead of using it to enhance work they complete themselves. It’s important to fact check what AI gives you, especially if you ask “ambiguous questions” as it will fill in the blanks. 

Fitzgerald said it is important to embrace AI for what it is. 

“It's very important to get over your apprehensions, learn how it can enhance everything that you already know, so that you are not behind,” Fitzgerald said. “Eventually there will be businesses that are left in the dust.”

Perkowski said it is important for potential members to realize that there is no cost to attend and they are not trying to sell anything. It is simply a space for people interested in learning and using AI to collaborate.

Rigby said she highly recommends the club. 

“As overwhelming and maybe even scary as the idea of AI might feel, it is intertwined in so much of our day to day and will continue to be,” Rigby said. “I'm choosing to stay learning and understanding it. I’m utilizing it to expand upon my thinking — not replace my thinking — which has saved me endless hours and also yielded results I couldn't have invented on my own.”