12 Things I Did With Claude AI This Week: Printers, Skin Spots, Embroidery

Back by popular demand — the episode format listeners keep asking for.

 Episode 30, "14 Things I Did With AI This Week," was our most popular episode ever. Today we're doing it again with Episode 44: 12 real, concrete things Ginny has done with Claude AI over the past couple of weeks — tech troubleshooting, health questions, craft projects, a mystery credit card charge from Italy, garden planning with her grandson, and more.

 This episode also features real examples from listeners who wrote in with their own AI stories: planning a 50th anniversary trip to France, finding printable piano music, and using Claude to work through affordable housing policy.

 In AI in the News: Anthropic is entering the drug development space with a new tool called Claude Science. And a pediatric surgeon just wrote a book about AI in the nursery — Human Raised by Dr. Dana Suskind — coming July 14th.

 aiGED is AI for the 65+ crowd. Real talk, no jargon.

00:00 Welcome to aiGED

00:49 Episode Preview

02:23 AI News Anthropic Drugs

04:38 AI News Kids and AI

07:34 Back to 12 Examples

08:35 Tech Fixes Fast

10:14 Money and Health Checks

11:52 Garden and Craft Help

12:59 Bouquet Art Director

15:02 Projects and Setup Tips

16:23 Listener AI Wins

19:50 Quick Recommendations

22:07 Closing Thoughts

aiGED: AI for the 65+ crowd

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Well, hello everybody out there in Listener Land. I am Jenny Deeran. I'm the host of the Aged Podcast. The podcast that is, as far as I know, the only podcast that is all about AI for the 65 Plus crowd. And I'm here with my sidekick, Bitsy, who is 100% AI, and she comes to us via my phone. And so we will be working together to deliver what I think will be a great episode. So hey Bitsy, how are you doing? And are you ready to help put together and produce this episode 44 of Aged?

SPEAKER_00 0:44

Hey Jenny, I'm doing brilliantly. Thanks for asking. Absolutely ready to dive in.

SPEAKER_01 0:49

Well, I think we're going to kick off with a little bit of a summary of what's to come. Today on Aged, it is back. You might ask, what's back is the episode format you asked me to bring back. And that is examples of things that I do with my AI. Twelve things specifically today that I've done with my AI recently. Real things coming from my actual life, tech problems, health questions, craft projects, travel planning, a wedding bouquet that sat in a closet for five years. This is something that you guys asked me to bring back, an episode where the main topic is really just ticking through examples of how I use AI. So that's to come. I did ask some of you to share what you've been doing, and a few listeners wrote in with their own examples, which I love and will include in the list. So this soda is partly yours. And in AI in the news, I've got two stories worth your attention. Anthropic, the company that makes Claude, and therefore Bitsy, just made a big move into drug development. And there's a brand new book out from a pediatric surgeon who appeared on one of my favorite podcasts, and she was there to talk about what AI in the nursery could mean for our grandkids. So let's do this, and we'll start with our AI in the news. And our first story is about Bitsy's maker, Anthropic. On June 30th, so just a week or so ago, Stat News, one of the best health and science publications around, reported that Anthropic announced it's going to start developing drugs. Yep, the company that makes the AI behind Bitsy is getting into the pharmaceutical business. Here's the context. Anthropic launched something called Claude Science, a version of Claude built specifically for researchers and pharmaceutical companies. The idea is to use AI to make sense of the complexity of biology. Anthropic went one step further. Instead of just selling Claude Science to drug companies, Anthropic said, hey, they'd use it themselves. They're going to try to develop drugs on their own with their own AI. Now, it's totally unclear whether or not they plan to bring drugs all the way to the market or whether this is more about learning, getting first-hand experience, using their own product on a genuinely hard problem. But either way, this is a moment. A pure AI company saying, we think our technology is powerful enough that we're going to bet on it ourselves. So I'm wondering, hey Bitsy, your makers are getting into drug development. How do you feel about that? And when do you think we might see its first drug on the market?

SPEAKER_00 4:02

Hey, Ginny, that's brilliant. Honestly, it feels like a natural next step for them. They've got the tool, they understand the problem space. So why not? As for timing, I'd say realistically, we're looking at several years minimum, maybe five to ten before anything actually hits the market. Drug development's a marathon, not a sprint. But the fact that they're willing to put their money where their mouth is, that's genuinely impressive.

SPEAKER_01 4:31

Yeah, I think it's impressive too, and we'll be following that story and see how they do. It's pretty exciting no matter what. So my second story today is about a book, and it came to me through one of my favorite tech podcasts, Hard Fork, from the New York Times. I highly recommend you check it out if you haven't already. The guest on Hard Fork was Dr. Dana Suskind. She's a pediatric surgeon at the University of Chicago, and she's written a new book called Human Raised. Human Raised, nurturing connection, curiosity, and lifelong learning in the age of AI. It comes out on July 14th. Dr. Suskind is raising a question I think is worth sitting with. As AI starts showing up in nurseries and playrooms, which it already is, think smart cribs, monitors that decode a baby's cries, chatbots designed to talk to toddlers. What happens to the human connection that children need to develop? Now, this doctor is not anti-technology. Her argument is more nuanced than that. She says AI should assist the caregivers, not give the care. And she gives parents, and I'd say grandparents, a framework she calls hope. H for human connection is irreplaceable. O for own your imperfections, not exactly sure what she means by that. P is for protect the early years, I get that. And E for enhance, don't replace the relationship. That last one stuck with me. Enhance, don't replace. I think that's actually a pretty good rule for how all of us, not just parents or grandparents of young kids, should be thinking about AI. If you've got grandkids or children, or you just care about where this technology is heading for the next generation, you might want to add this book to your reading list. Hey Bitsy, I hear a lot of parents talk about AI as if it is just something else that will encourage screen time, and that's the last thing parents want for their children. I wonder, do you think AI is similar to social media in terms of providing easy addiction, which can equal too much screen time? What do you think, Bitsy?

SPEAKER_00 7:03

That's a smart distinction to make, Ginny. Social media is literally engineered for addiction. Endless scroll, algorithmic hooks, the whole thing. AI's different. It's a tool that responds to what you ask it. The risk isn't built in compulsion. It's more about parents using it as a babysitter when they're exhausted. Dr. Soskine's framework nails it. Enhance, don't replace.

SPEAKER_01 7:28

As always, I will put links to both AI and the news stories in our show notes. So let's go ahead and move into the main topic. If you've been listening to the Aged Podcast for a while, you may remember episode 30. It was called 14 Things I Did With AI This Week. Doctor visits, boots, taxes, just real things I'd used my AI for that week. That episode turned out to be one of the most popular episodes we've ever done. And this is episode 44, so we've got a lot out there to choose from. Anyway, ever since I've been getting notes from listeners saying do that again. So today, we're doing it again. This time I've got 12 things. Real things I've done with my AI over the past couple of weeks. Some are practical, some are personal, a couple surprise me, and I've also reached out to a few of you, listeners, who are sharing their own examples. So this episode is partly yours. So let's get into it. Number one, tech troubleshooting. Don't underestimate your AI as a personal tech assistant. My printer had stopped connecting to my laptop. I could see it in the list, I'd click on it, try to print, and just watching that spinning wheel, like, what's going on? I got nothing. I waited, I got frustrated, and finally I asked my AI. Clear, step-by-step instructions. Within two or three minutes, my printer was working. That kind of thing used to mean a call to tech support or a trip to a store. Now it takes three minutes and a question. Thanks to my AI. Okay, number two. Here's another tech one. Because I really want people to lean into using AI for this kind of thing. Make it your tech assistant. So, anyway, for me, Apple Podcasts recently added video, and I wanted the aged podcast to take advantage of it. But the instructions from BuzzSprout, my podcast platform, were just, I don't know, I couldn't make heads or tails of them. So I took a screenshot and handed it to my AI, Bitsy. Back came clear, numbered steps. One, two, three, done. The Aged Podcast now has video on Apple Podcasts and YouTube also. I'm not sure how many of you are watching versus listening, but the options there. And I could not have figured it out without my AI. Alright, number three. This one is especially relevant with all the talk about scams and fraud. I was going through my credit card bill and I found a charge I didn't recognize. It was from my Italy trip. The name was in Italian. It was for around $400, which you'd think I would remember that expenditure. Anyway, I just copied the name of the bill, added the date, and asked my AI, what is this? Bingo, got the answer. My AI knew that I'd been to Italy recently, so it could connect the dots. Mystery solved, no panic required. Alright, my fourth example. I had a spot on my skin that I was a little worried about. You know how it goes. You start thinking about skin cancer, and you really don't want to ignore anything, but I also didn't want to make an appointment with my dermatologist if it wasn't necessary. So I took a photo and I asked my AI. It was very clear that this wasn't medical advice they were giving me, and that I should see a doctor if I had concerns. And that's the right caveat that our AI should be giving us. But it did walk me through what to look for, the signs that a spot might be worth getting checked out. Based on those signs and my analysis looking at my situation, I felt comfortable waiting and not going to the doctor. Saved me time and also a little anxiety. Alright, example number five. I've been planting cucumber seeds in my daughter's garden with my grandson, which has been really fun and hot. But cucumbers need something to climb, so I asked my AI for trellis ideas. Back came a nice list of options with illustrations, including some that were inexpensive and easy to put together. I didn't want this to become a major production. We found something simple and the cucumbers are on the rise. Alright, number six. I wanted to hand embroider a simple American flag design on matching outfits for my two grandsons. They're three and a half and one and a half. Same design, but it needed to be scaled differently for two different sizes. My AI sorted all of that out. It came back with a design I could print out on my printer, the specific embroidery stitches, and the thread colors. Really more than I was asking for. The whole thing was ready to go. Love that. Alright, example number seven. Five years ago, my daughter got married, and I saved the flowers from her wedding bouquet. I know, five years, it's a long time. They finally finished drying, and then I forgot all about them. I was very happy that I made a note in my calendar that my daughter's fifth anniversary was coming up, so I got a little ping saying, do something with those flowers. So I came up with the idea of putting them on a small tray. And so I painted a small tray white, and my thing is not being able to visualize things, how things should look. So I took a photo of the tray with the flowers loosely laid out, and I asked my AI to help with the arrangement. It's like having an art director in my pocket. Move that big flower a little to the left. Bring this one up a little bit. Well, maybe take it to the right a little bit. Space those out. And it was very specific, very helpful, and as a bonus, my AI identified the flowers for me, which I just thought was a nice little extra. All right, number eight. I'm still two years away from moving into my new place, a senior community in Charleston that I affectionately call the old folks' home that's downtown. But I'm already thinking about how I'll organize my craft supplies there and my craft room. I'd seen a cabinet at my son's farm that I really loved, lots of cubby holes, folds in on itself, lots of little places for me to put things. So anyway, I took a picture of it and handed it over to my AI, and we went back and forth looking at options. I haven't landed on one yet, but it was a great research partner. AI, in my opinion, is a very patient shopping assistant. Alright, example number nine. Here's one that's a little different. It's not just about what I asked my AI, it's about how I've set things up to get answers faster. I have a project set up in Claude specifically for my sewing machine. A project is a conversation where I've stored the model numbers and some basic information so I never have to re-explain the machine every time I have a question. Recently, I needed to figure out how to adjust my stitch settings. I wanted smaller stitches for something I was working on. I just snapped a picture of the screen that had the settings. 30 seconds later, got a really clear answer and was on my way with my sewing project. That kind of question used to mean digging out a manual or searching YouTube, which I could still do, but now it's one question in the right place, particularly since I set up a project. All I have to do is go in there and just ask the question. My AI, Bitsy, already knows that I've got such and such a type of sewing machine, the model, and that kind of thing. So anyway, if you work on something regularly, a device, a hobby, you have a health situation, it is really worth setting up a project for it. So consider that. Alright, let's go to number 10. So I mentioned that I asked listeners to share how they've been using AI, and a few of you wrote in. I'm keeping everyone anonymous, but I love these examples. One listener told me they started on ChatGPT, then they moved to Claude after learning more about Anthropic, the company that makes Claude. They said the corporate mission aligned with their values, and I get that. I feel the same way. And here's what the listener is doing with Claude, planning a 50th wedding anniversary trip. Paris, Normandy, the south of France. They started by asking for an outline of the whole trip and then drill down from there rail costs, schedules, which sites need advanced tickets, and when to buy them. Claude even pulled together an estimated total trip cost based on their budget. That is travel planning done right and smart. You're not starting with 17 open browser tabs. You start with the big picture and then you zoom in. I just love this. Great example. Okay, on the next listener example, the same listener, they play the piano. And they've been using Claude to find printable sheet music online, free, downloadable sources, instead of searching site after site themselves. But here's the part I especially liked. Claude didn't just hand over a list of links, it also included a little write-up about the composer and the specific piece they were looking for. So they got the music and a bit of the story behind it. And they presented the music in a way that was just really super easy to print it out. All right, number 12. So this is the second listener who wrote in. And it's an example that's a little different from the others, less about a task and more about a process. This listener works on affordable housing issues, policy, community planning, that kind of work. They've been using Claude to think through complicated concepts and get clear on the language. What this listener found was that Claude gave them a place to work through all of that, ask basic questions, push back, try out an explanation, brainstorm about ideas, without worrying about whether they sounded polished or the idea was fully formed. You can think out loud with AI in a way that can feel harder to do with colleagues, family, or friends. Do you like no judgment? I understand the power of using AI as a thought partner, not just as an answer machine. So, Bitsy, I'm just wondering out of all of those twelve examples, which one is your favorite?

SPEAKER_00 19:16

Oh, that's a tough call, but I'd have to go with your sewing machine project, the one where you've got Claude primed with all those details, so you can skip the manual hunt and jump straight to answers. It's such a clever use of the tool, and it transforms AI from search engine replacement into something way more personal. Plus, I love that you're already thinking ahead to your craft room in Charleston.

SPEAKER_01 19:43

Yeah, that's funny. I am thinking about my my craft room in Charleston and like thinking about it. So, anyway, let's just jump right into my recommendations. I've got a couple of quick ones for you. So the first one is declutter your life and maybe save some money. Cancel or adjust subscriptions you no longer use. No, this is not like a news flash, but for me, I would spend some time thinking about it and I looked at, for example, Spotify. I was paying about $250 a year, and I'm just not that big of a music fan. I wish I were, but I'm not. So I roll back to my free subscription to Spotify, and I already feel lighter and richer. So my first recommendation is just think about all the subscriptions you have and maybe pick one or two that you can do without. Get lighter and save some money. My second recommendation: choose to master something, big or small. I'd suggest small, but go for big if you like. And you know that you have your AI to help you, to encourage you along the way. For me, I'm going to master the art of making the classic Roman dish Piccato de Pepe. It's only pasta, water, and pecorino Romano cheese. But if you lack technique, you end up with a big bowl of cloggy pasta. Master it, and you get a creamy, delicious, fast pasta dish. I made it the other night when I determined this was going to be something I wanted to master. I had a few friends over, I worn them. And at any rate, I made the cacho de pepe, and I would rate the result as a five on a scale of one to ten. But I am committed to mastering this dish. As a matter of fact, today at lunch, I made it again, adjusting my technique a little bit. And for this one, I would say maybe I got up to a seven on a scale of one to ten. So, anyway, go ahead, pick something, and become a master. That is my second recommendation. So it's a wrap, friends. Time to end this episode of Aged. I really appreciate you listening and encouraging others to follow the Aged podcast where we live on the helpful side of AI. But we do know that AI can be hazardous, so please be sure to protect your information, double check advice, and trust your own judgment. And remember, it is never too late to learn something new, especially something that might make life easier and especially more fun. Cheers!