A useful demonstration can do more than an argument about AI. Help someone solve a problem they already care about, and they have a reason to try it again. In this conversation, Dalton Caldwell and Michael Seibel discuss how to approach skeptical friends, employees, and customers—and when persuasion stops being a good use of your time.
Start with the task, not the technology. Michael describes helping a medical student create study materials and a screenwriter explore ideas. The point was not to win a debate about AI. It was to give each person a chance to discover something useful in their own work.
A disappointing first attempt can become a lasting objection. Dalton and Michael encourage people to revisit that experience with current tools rather than judge everything by an old interaction. Helping someone get set up and work through a real task is more useful than telling them they are falling behind.
Inside a company, make the expectation concrete. Ask people to share workflows that improve their work, not just show that they are using AI. A leaderboard of usage can reward activity without producing better results. Hiring is another opportunity: ask candidates how they use these tools and what they have learned.
With customers, sell the outcome. Show a working prototype, answer a question during the meeting, or demonstrate how you can deliver work sooner. A customer does not need to share your enthusiasm for AI to want a better result.
When school or workplace rules limit what is allowed, distinguish permitted learning from prohibited use. The conversation explores practicing on personal projects and using AI for research rather than having it produce an assignment. That is not blanket permission to ignore security rules or academic requirements.
The boundary for founders is time. Help people learn, provide useful examples, and make expectations clear. But if every discussion becomes another debate over whether to use the tools at all, persuasion can crowd out the more important work: figuring out how to serve customers better.