Jerry Seinfeld said you don’t get good at comedy by listening to other people talk about jokes.
You get good by writing them. Every day.
In Episode 2 of The AI Edit, Samantha McLean applies that same principle to AI – and introduces a framework for understanding the four distinct modes of working with it.
The four modes:
1. Freelancer – Ad hoc, one-off use. Ask a question, get an answer. This is where the majority of agents currently sit.
2. Collaborator – Working with AI in real time. Co-writing, brainstorming, vibe coding. The agent and the AI iterate together.
3. Delegate – Assigning AI a complex goal and stepping away. The AI handles research, drafting, or data processing while the agent focuses elsewhere.
4. OS (Operating System) – AI embedded across the entire business. Inboxes pre-processed, leads flagged, team capability amplified. Everyone operates at the same level.
Key takeaways:
– Prompting is a skill you build through practice – early prompts will be poor, and that’s expected. Iteration is the path to competence.
– “Using AI” is not a single activity. Where you sit on the four-mode spectrum determines the value AI delivers to your business.
– The AI First mindset means putting AI at the centre of tasks before you begin – not applying it as an afterthought.
– This is not about handing everything to AI. The human stays essential: expertise, judgement, and relationships are what make AI output genuinely useful.
The AI Edit is a weekly series of short clips from the AI First Agent Accelerator.
New episodes weekly.
Want the full course? Visit aiagentcourse.com
Want Samantha to present to your team or at your next event? Get in touch
