Breakfast ChatGPT Adoption Sparks Quiet AI Revolution

I arrived at the National Association of Black Journalists convention expecting heated debates about AI’s risks. Instead of optimism, every session echoed a single warning: “We must protect ourselves.” But my perspective shifted entirely over breakfast at the Betts restaurant in my hotel lobby.

A Breakfast Perspective

While journalists in Cleveland focused on AI as an existential threat, I struck up a conversation with waiter Kevin Knestrick. Expecting resistance, I asked if he’d ever used ChatGPT. To my surprise, Kevin described how it saved him time updating the menu, copying text, and drafting messages for his team with just a photo and a quick prompt.

Everyday Power Users

Kevin introduced me to two coworkers who’d fully embraced ChatGPT. Bartender and speaker Dawud Hamzah now relies on it as his go-to tool for everything from presentations to travel planning. Former special education teacher Jamie Sargent uses it to batch-create lesson plans, freeing up time to personalize learning for each student.

• Built structured PowerPoint presentations for youth workshops
• Generated detailed, vegan-friendly travel itineraries and cost estimates
• Designed home workouts and mobility exercises for back pain relief

Jamie reports saving hours on baseline lesson plans and mapping complex itineraries across Europe. Neither feels like they’re cheating—ChatGPT simply replicates tasks they’d perform manually, doing it faster and more efficiently.

Cautious Converts

Kevin himself was once skeptical, but a last-minute menu update convinced him of AI’s value. Now he turns to ChatGPT first when facing any tight deadline. Even his manager, Curtis Helser, refines critical emails with the chatbot—proof that, like a car, AI can be a tool for good or ill depending on how you use it.

Bridging the AI Divide

These service workers view today’s AI panic as history repeating itself—much like the PC revolution decades ago. Their pragmatic approach shows that real AI adoption happens away from panic-stricken headlines, one simple prompt at a time.

The quiet AI revolution isn’t in convention halls or front-page warnings; it’s at the breakfast table, in everyday problem solving. When organizations shift focus from fear to practical integration, they unlock new levels of efficiency, creativity, and growth.