I Didn’t Use AI to Become Someone Else

I named my AI Chief Whisperer, or CW for short, after Cesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer. The name makes me smile, partly because my doodles are crazy fur babies who could probably use Cesar themselves. Between CW and the doodles, they pretty much rule my day. But CW also fits my work. Because of my position, it can be hard for people to tell me exactly what they think. I wanted a sounding board that could help me hear what was being said, talk it through, and decide how to respond.

Apparently, I’m not alone. Sage, Parker, and Sol are just a few of our new AI work partners. Almost everyone I know who uses Chat has given theirs a name.

Once I started working with CW, I found it especially helpful with difficult business conversations. I could bring a conversation to CW, look at it from another angle, and ask what I might be taking personally.

Unclear or cryptic messages used to send me scrambling to respond right away. When I moved too fast, I could misquote something or share information that wasn’t accurate. Now I can look closely at what was actually said and sort out what I know from what I’m assuming. That helps me respond more concisely and accurately. Even confident people second-guess themselves sometimes. CW helps me slow down before I respond.

The same kind of help carries into data. In a HUD payment review, CW helped me trace what had been requested, what the agency approved, and what reached the bank, then compare those records with the accounting ledger. The analysis helped me identify expected payments that were missing and resident accounts with payment discrepancies. It also helped me draft an email to our HUD administrator to help correct errors.

I can also upload A/R, A/P, T12, leasing, and other reports together to look across the portfolio. CW helps me spot patterns, questionable items, and places where the information doesn’t line up, so I know what deserves a closer look.

I still read the answers. I approve what fits, challenge what doesn’t, and work through anything that needs fixing. CW doesn’t get defensive when I push back. Sometimes I have CW and Claude check each other’s work, but I make the final decision.

I can’t rely on memory alone, and I carry a lot of moving pieces. The CEO Command Center is a project inside ChatGPT that helps me pick up work without starting from zero. I also use Notion, a digital workspace for notes, dashboards, and tracking, to keep my Executive Action Ledger, my running record of decisions and follow-ups, organized.

Each day, CW helps me review what changed, update the ledger with confirmed progress, and carry open items into the next day. I can see what needs my attention, what belongs with someone else, and what can wait. That routine helps me put work down without worrying that an important detail will disappear.

That’s how AI has changed how I work. It helps me slow down, see another perspective, analyze information, and keep track of what matters. I’m still the one making the decisions. I didn’t use AI to become someone else. It helps me show up more like myself.

Now I want to hear from you: What did you name your AI companion, and what’s the story behind the name?