The Pivot: Why I am "Becoming with AI" (and a gift to get you started)

Moving from theory to practice

We are currently living through a storm of noise.

Open any tech newsletter or social feed, and you are bombarded with hyperbole. We are told that AI is either “saving the world” or “destroying it”. We are promised tools that will “10x our productivity” overnight.

But if you are like me, sitting at the intersection of engineering and creative work, you don’t feel “10x’d.” You feel overwhelmed.

This brings me to the rebrand.

Previously, I wrote under the name The Cognitive Stack.

That publication was a necessary space for deep thinking, an exploration of how human and machine intelligence layer together. But I realized that while the ideas were sound, they were often too abstract.

We don’t just need to understand the “stack.” We need to get our work done.

That is why I am renaming this newsletter “Becoming with AI.”

My mission is to turn that technical noise into something practical.

I want to move away from the high-level theory and offer you strategies you can actually use on a Tuesday morning. I want to help you bridge the gap between human intent and AI capability.

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The Mirror, Not the Magic Wand

We often treat AI like a magic wand - we wave it at a problem and hope for a solution. But I have found that AI is actually a mirror:

Mirrors, Machines and Memory: What Sufism Thought Me About AI

It reflects our input with brutal accuracy.

• If our thinking is messy, the output is messy.

• If our intent is vague, the result is generic.

• If we lack clarity, the machine cannot give it to us.

Why AI Only Works When You Know What You’re Thinking

“Becoming with AI” is about learning to stand in front of that mirror.

Yes, we will discuss prompts. But we will also build workflows, design products, and forge tools.

Whether we are writing code or natural language, the core skill is the same: clear communication. It requires logic, syntax, and empathy.

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A Gift: Buying Back Your Time

To do this practical work, to actually think clearly, we need space. And right now, most of us don’t have it. We are drowning in what I call the “Grind Zone”: low-value, high-energy tasks that eat away at our day .

We cannot become better engineers, writers, or creators if we are burnt out.

So, to mark this new chapter, I am releasing a resource I originally built to help myself to find stillness in the storm.

It is called Automate the Boring: The Anti-Burnout Guide.

It is not a technical manual for building complex systems. It is a guide to spotting your “Energy Leaks” and handing the robotic work over to the robots, so you can get your brain back.

I’m sharing this $19 guide for free. If it helps you reclaim even one hour of your week, it means it did its job.

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What Comes Next?

Going forward, this newsletter will move at a measured pace. I value depth over speed.

But a bridge cannot be built from only one side.

I don’t want to guess what you need. I want to build this roadmap based on where you are actually getting stuck.

So, help me shape the next few issues.

Leave a comment below, or send me a DM:

1. Are you struggling with the technical tools (the code, the agents)?

2. Are you struggling with the workflow (how to fit it into your day)?

3. Or is it something else?

I read every response. Your friction points will determine what we build next.

AI is not here to replace us. It is a tool we must learn to wield.

Thank you for being here for the pivot.

Let’s build something that matters.

PS: If you want to learn more about me, please visit my About page.