LISTEN HERE for the full podcast! And available everywhere podcasts are found “Let Me Tell You Why with Jeremy Jacobowitz” But below is a summary of my unpacking of how I actually use AI day to day, why I think ignoring it is a mistake, and why I’m currently obsessed with Perplexity as my main tool.

Let me start by acknowledging that unregulated, unbridled AI is genuinely dangerous: deepfakes, stolen IP, and endless low-effort “slop” content are all things I absolutely do not want to participate in or promote. At the same time, I’m convinced that if I decide, on principle, to never use AI, I’m going to get left behind, especially as younger generations learn to use these tools to massively boost their productivity and creativity.​

My personal approach is to treat AI as a responsible assistant rather than a replacement for my voice. There are tons of AI tools out there, but Perplexity has become my go-to, especially for research, because it focuses on accuracy, cites its sources, and very rarely makes things up. Instead of spending 15–20 minutes bouncing around multiple websites for background on a restaurant, a dish, or a brand, I can get a sourced summary in about 30 seconds, then rewrite that information in my own words for scripts and VO.​

I also use Perplexity as my “coworker” for writing and editing. When my grammar is off or a line doesn’t sound quite right, I’ll paste it in and ask for a better way to say it, then tweak the suggestion so it still sounds like me. For the podcast and newsletter, I now export my 20‑minute audio track, feed it into Perplexity, and have it generate a tight first-person summary using my own words, which is far faster and more readable than me trying to retype everything from scratch.​ (you are reading that right now)

Another huge use case for me is analytics. I’ve had Perplexity analyze my YouTube channel, TikTok, and Instagram to explain why certain content underperforms and what actually works on my accounts, which pushed me to spin up a separate YouTube channel for the podcast instead of dragging down my travel content. It can also break down what other successful channels are doing, turning years of posts and messy platform data into insights I can actually act on.​

Beyond that, I use Perplexity Pro’s more advanced features to go deeper: long-form breakdowns, almost research paper level analysis, and even quick prototype apps based on ideas I’ve had in my head for years. The apps it makes aren’t always ready to launch, but they’re good enough to show people my concepts and help me move projects forward.​

All of this exists alongside a bigger, messier conversation in my head about AI, capitalism, regulation, and the future of work. In a utopian scenario, AI could dramatically lower the costs of building and producing things, making housing and infrastructure cheaper and more accessible, but within a capitalist system there’s a real risk that prices stay high, jobs disappear, and the benefits flow only to the top. That’s why I keep coming back to the need for serious regulation and clear labeling of AI-generated content, especially video, so people understand what’s real and what isn’t.​

At the end of the day, my stance is pretty simple: AI can absolutely be misused and cause harm, but if I ignore it, I’m handing a massive advantage to everyone who embraces it. My goal is to use AI as a tool that saves time, amplifies my creativity, and helps me understand my own work better, without contributing to a flood of meaningless AI slop.

YOUTUBE

I have recently rediscovered the dubbed Japanese Iron Chef that originally ran on Food Network in the early 2000’s and I am obsessed! Almost more than any other show, this was what sparked my love of food, and clearly was a big impact on my love for Japan as well! I’ve been loving going through all the old episodes, its still the best food competition show all these years later! Even reliving the controversy of Bobby Flay jumping on the cutting board was thrilling!

YOUTUBE

Also on Youtube, I’ve been loving the sort of new car channel Zip Tie Tuning that comes from two former members of the Linus Tech Tip Team, Andy and Alex! I love car youtube, and I feel like they have done a great job of just making really fun, really informative, and really personable videos. Where alot of channels “GO BIG” for attention, I love how casual their approach has been so far! WATCH HERE