Stop Saying "Oh, I Use AI Too" – You're Killing Innovation

The four words that reveal you're already behind in the AI revolution

By René Rodriguez

There's a conversation I witness almost daily that needs to stop. It goes like this:

Someone mentions they've been experimenting with AI in their work. Before they can share what they've discovered, someone else jumps in: "Oh, I use AI too." The conversation shifts to everyone listing the AI tools they use—ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini—like they're comparing smartphone brands. What could have been a collaborative exploration of innovative applications devolves into an unintentional one-upping contest. Then it dies.

What just happened? A potential goldmine of insight got buried under competitive credential-sharing. The first person might have been about to reveal how they transformed their entire workflow, discovered a game-changing customer insight, or found a way to do in minutes what used to take hours. But we'll never know because the moment someone said "I use AI too," the conversation became about membership rather than methodology.

This scene plays out thousands of times daily across conference rooms, Zoom calls, and coffee shops. Someone shares an innovative AI application, and instead of leaning in with curiosity, we reflexively announce our own usage—as if AI were a club membership rather than a universe of possibilities.

Yet there's a simple five-word response that changes everything. Five words that the most innovative people I know use instinctively. Five words that transform dead-end exchanges into breakthrough discoveries. But before I share them, let me show you why this matters more than you might think.

The Hidden Cost of "Same Here" Thinking

This reflexive response reveals something deeper about how we're approaching the AI revolution. We're treating AI like we treated social media in 2008—as a binary state. You're either "on Facebook" or you're not. You either "use AI" or you don't.

But AI isn't binary. It's exponential.

What I mean by exponential is that every new application you discover can combine with others to create possibilities that multiply rather than add. One use case plus another doesn't equal two—it can equal ten, or a hundred, when creative minds connect the dots.

Saying "I use AI" is like saying "I use electricity." Of course you do. The question is: How? For what? What problems are you solving? What opportunities are you creating? What have you discovered that others haven't?

I see two types of people when it comes to AI: the reflexive and the curious.

The reflexive immediately announce their own AI usage, as if checking a box on an invisible scorecard. It's not malicious—they genuinely don't realize they're shutting down a potential goldmine of collaborative discovery. They're so focused on establishing that they're "in the know" that they miss the chance to actually expand what they know. The curious? They lean in with questions, treating every mention of AI as an opportunity to discover something new.

Guess which group is actually pushing the boundaries of what's possible? And more importantly, which group has the humility to know they're just scratching the surface?

The Million-Dollar Question

Here's what fascinates me: The most successful and innovative people I know all respond the same way when someone mentions AI:

"That's awesome—how are you using it?"

Five words. That's it. But those five words unlock conversations that have literally transformed entire business models.

Think about it: breakthrough applications are hiding in everyday conversations. They're in the coffee line when someone mentions their AI experiment. They're in the Zoom waiting room when someone shares what they discovered last week. But these breakthroughs only surface when someone asks instead of announces.

The irony? The people quickest to say "I use AI too" are often the ones using it most superficially. They're using ChatGPT like Google, asking basic questions and accepting surface-level outputs. Meanwhile, the quiet questioners are building custom GPTs, fine-tuning models, creating agent swarms, and fundamentally reimagining what's possible.

The Beginner's Advantage

Let me share something that might sting: I thought I was highly proficient with AI. I had integrated it into every aspect of my business, from content creation to strategic planning. I teach thousands of professionals how to leverage it for influence and communication. I was, to put it bluntly, feeling pretty good about my AI expertise.

But last month, I spoke at a conference in Saudi Arabia. I walked into a room of thousands of people from countries all over the world, all using AI to build entirely new futures. And none of them—not one—were using the approaches I thought were cutting-edge. What I considered advanced was their starting point. What I was doing was already old hat.

It was the best feeling I've had in years.

Why? Because in that moment of humility, my brain opened to possibilities I couldn't have imagined. I asked questions like a five-year-old. I took notes like a freshman. I left that room with my head spinning, consumed by possibilities I hadn't even imagined existed. The experience fundamentally shifted how I approach every AI conversation since.

That conference reminded me of three things that matter more than any specific AI tool or technique: curiosity, collaboration, and humility. These aren't just nice-to-have soft skills—they're the only sustainable competitive advantage in a technology that evolves daily.

The moment you think you've mastered AI is the moment you start falling behind. This technology evolves daily—not yearly, not monthly, but daily. The only sustainable competitive advantage is insatiable curiosity.

From Threat to Opportunity

I understand the impulse to establish your AI credentials. In a world where technological competence equals professional relevance, admitting ignorance feels dangerous. But here's what I've learned: Curiosity is the gateway to growth.

When someone shares their AI application and you respond with genuine curiosity, several powerful things happen:

1. You create psychological safety. The speaker feels valued, not challenged. This opens the door to deeper sharing.

2. You position yourself as a learner. Counterintuitively, this increases your credibility. Leaders who ask questions are perceived as more intelligent than those who have all the answers.

3. You expand your possibility horizon. Every use case you discover can be adapted, modified, or combined with your existing knowledge.

4. You build genuine connection. Shared exploration creates stronger bonds than competitive positioning ever could.

5. You unlock exponential innovation. Every "and" in the conversation—"and then I tried," "and it also does," "and we discovered"—opens pathways to applications neither of you imagined alone. The ROI of collaborative discovery dwarfs any solo exploration.

The 5-Second Decision That Changes Everything

Next time someone mentions AI—whether it's your CEO, your intern, or your Uber driver—you have a five-second window that will determine whether you learn something transformative or remain stuck in what you already know.

In those five seconds, your brain will push you toward the comfortable response: "Oh, I use AI too." It's safe. It's easy. It's also a dead end.

Instead, pause. Smile. Lean in. And say: "That's awesome—how are you using it?"

Then listen. Really listen. Not to respond, but to understand. Ask follow-up questions. Take notes. Be the person who leaves every AI conversation knowing more than when you entered it.

Because here's the truth that should both terrify and exhilarate you: We're not even in the first inning of the AI revolution. We're still in batting practice. The applications that will define the next decade haven't been discovered yet. They're hiding in conversations that haven't happened because someone said "I use AI too" instead of "Tell me more."

The Choice That Changes Everything

If you take nothing else from this article, remember this: In a world of exponential change, curiosity is currency. The most influential leaders of the next decade won't be those who signal their AI usage—they'll be those who relentlessly discover new applications by asking better questions.

So here's my challenge, framed in a way your brain can't ignore: For the next 30 days, ban yourself from saying "I use AI too." Replace it with "That's awesome—how are you using it?" Document what you learn. Share your discoveries.

I promise you this: The ROI on those five words will exceed any investment you make this year. Because in the silence between "I know" and "I wonder" lies the gap where innovation lives. And those who fill that gap with curiosity rather than ego will own the future.

"In the silence between 'I know' and 'I wonder' lies the gap where innovation lives. And those who fill that gap with curiosity rather than ego will own the future."

The question isn't whether you use AI. It's whether you're brave enough to admit how much you still don't know—and excited enough to discover it.

Author Bio: René Rodriguez is CEO of Volentum and creator of the AMPLIFII™ formula. His Wall Street Journal bestselling book, "Amplify Your Influence: Transform How You Communicate and Lead," reveals how story, sequence, and science converge to create unstoppable influence.