How to create your own AI assistant 🤓

Hi there, {{first_name | friend}},

This weekend, my house is a beautiful mess of celebrations: 

Valentine's Day. Presidents Day. Mardi Gras. Lunar New Year. 

And for many families, the start of Lent and Ramadan is just around the corner, too. That’s a lot of family gatherings (in not a lot of time).

But if anything can help us navigate a holiday mash-up weekend, it's AI. 

Whether you're planning romantic gestures, presidential field trips, king cake recipes, or red envelopes and dumplings, AI can help you pull it all together without losing your mind. And while you can prompt any AI tool to do this for you, after listening to this week’s podcast, you might want to create your own AI assistant to help with tasks like these. More on that below.

This week, I'm excited to share a conversation with Wall Street Journal and Harvard Business Review journalist Alexandra Samuel, who created her own AI coach named Viv. In this Galentine's Day episode, Alex shares what "extra large parenting" looks like (she has a 19-year-old autistic son who is homeschooled) and how AI transformed her family's school curriculum workflow from 2-3 hours to 3 minutes.

Alexandra's work exploring AI as a personal thought partner is brilliant, practical, and deeply human. Her insights inspired this edition's prompts, and I think you'll find them as game-changing as I did. Listen now on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Want more of Alexandra and Viv? Subscribe to Alexandra's newsletter and check out her podcast Me + Viv to hear their compelling journey together.

How to make AI work for you (and arguably even better: work with you).

Act as my family connection coach. Help me plan a simple, meaningful Valentine's Day activity with my kids aged [AGES] that focuses on connection rather than candy. I have [AMOUNT OF TIME: 30 minutes, 1 hour, etc.] available and prefer [TYPE: crafts, cooking together, outdoor activities, reading, etc.]. Create a step-by-step plan that includes what we'll do, what materials I need, and conversation prompts to make it feel special without being over-the-top.

Mom tip: This prompt builds the instructions for you to use in an AI Project (think “smart folder”). Copy and paste the results into the AI tool of your choice to actually create the assistant. I created the prompt in ChatGPT then built the Project in Claude.

Act as my family entertainment curator. Help me find my next show or movie. I want to watch with [OTHERS/NO ONE]. I like [GENRES/THEMES: comedy, adventure, nature documentaries, cooking shows, etc.] and I want something that's [VIBE: heartwarming, educational, funny, low-stakes, exciting, etc.]. I have access to [STREAMING SERVICES: Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, etc.] and my favorite shows and movies are [MOVIES, SHOWS]. Give me 5-7 recommendations with a brief description of why each one works, the platform where it's available now, and any content notes I should know about.

Mom request: I tried this in Claude and it recommended The Buccaneers and Call the Midwife - anyone seen those? Hit reply and let me know your thoughts!

Write a 45 to 60 second family sitcom theme song about [INSERT NAME]. Style: inspired by [INSERT ARTIST OR BAND] with [INSERT 4–6 DESCRIPTORS such as 2000s indie pop, bright female vocals, acoustic guitar + light synth, anthemic chorus, upbeat and nostalgic tone]. Target audience: kids ages [INSERT AGES]. Tone: [INSERT TONE such as playful, sweet, energetic, or heartwarming]. Include a strong, repeatable chorus that features the name, simple family friendly lyrics, a clear verse and chorus structure, and make it feel like joyful opening credits music.

Mom tip: Suno can turn your lyrics into real songs in minutes. Fair warning: the song will likely get stuck in your head.

I'm writing The AI-Empowered Family (coming in 2027 from Jossey-Bass), and I want to hear from you. What do you hope AI could bring to your life? Conversely, what do you fear the outcomes of AI on society might be?

Your responses will help shape my book and might be used anonymously to show the real hopes and fears parents are navigating right now.

If you've already shared your thoughts, thank you. If not, this takes less than 2 minutes and your voice really matters. 🙏

And I have bad news… If you remember from last week's newsletter, I was having a cooking contest with my family for the big game. As you can see from the picture above, I did not win! With all the AI-empowered cooking tips I am learning, there's still hope for next year.

Whether you're celebrating Valentine’s, hunting for presidential history, eating king cake, or preparing for a season of reflection and renewal, I hope this weekend brings you exactly what you need.

And if you’ve got something special planned, hit reply! I'd love to hear about your celebrations (especially if AI is going to make them easier!). 🎉

Until next time,