Summary
Former Google productivity expert Jeff Su details the transition from 'AI Literate' to 'AI Native' by implementing specific habits like text expanders and reverse prompting. He argues that while AI agents are the future, current success relies on human ideation paired with rigorous AI execution workflows.
Key ideas
The Hierarchy of AI Competence
Su categorizes users into three levels: 'AI Curious' (sporadic, free users), 'AI Literate' (paid users who understand model differences and save prompts), and 'AI Native' (users who build habits to reduce friction). Being 'Native' involves integrating AI into the OS layer using text expanders and designing workflows that assume an AI collaborator exists from day one.
Why it matters: Moving to the 'Native' level drastically reduces the cognitive load and friction of using AI, allowing for compound productivity gains rather than one-off wins.
Supporting evidence
AI native, I would say you're developing and maintaining AI native habits. And for example, I talk about this a lot. Number one, using text expanders.