70 days of videos. AI never told me the truth.

Feedback Trigger

Hey everyone, this is Allan. Yesterday’s video gave me some direct feedback: my storytelling could be better. That hit home. I’ve been feeling stuck with the way I record, always trying to improve a little, but not moving forward. The feedback pumped me to try something new, and I want to show you the visual aid I’m now using and explain why it matters.

Why Feedback Matters

Feedback is the fastest way to get better. The more I listen, the faster I grow. A feedback loop is simply your work coming back to teach you. I record a video, publish it, someone watches it, comments with their thoughts, and that comment feeds into my next video. The loop closes when I act on that input.

Practice without useful feedback is worthless. I’ve learned a lot just by recording daily, but without someone pointing out concrete improvements, the learning stalls. Not every comment is actionable, generic insults aren’t helpful. Specific notes, like “your pronunciation of this word is messy,” give me something to work on. I’ve also noticed I repeat the same words because my vocabulary is limited, so I’m using flashcards to expand it.

Human vs. AI Feedback

My AI tools have been great at following instructions, but they’re essentially trained to please. They don’t give honest criticism. A newsletter from Scott Young reminded me that AI can be a sycophant, flattering you instead of challenging you. Human feedback, even when it’s critical, is far more valuable.

I admit I have an ego and don’t love being told I need to improve, but I accept feedback because it’s essential. Josh Waitzkin’s concept of “investing in loss” from The Art of Learning resonates with me: you have to choose to be bad on purpose so you can get better faster.

Learning by Doing

In Jiu‑Jitsu I realized I was too reactive. My sensei told me I wasn’t attacking, just responding. When I started to be more proactive, even though I’m still a white belt, I saw improvement. I’m still losing, but now it’s because I’m attacking poorly, not because I’m passive. That shift taught me the value of making mistakes intentionally.

New Recording Method

My old approach was either reading a script, which felt unnatural, or jotting down topics, which made me lose focus. Without a clear structure, my videos drifted and lost storytelling value. To fix that, I’m using “guardrails” or “harnesses.” I externalize my thinking by organizing slides with AI, turning my ideas into a visual outline that keeps me on track. This structure lets me improvise without wandering.

Harnesses for AI

A harness is a tool that keeps AI work organized and prevents me from relying solely on the model. If you work with AI and haven’t built any harnesses yet, I recommend reading the technical text I linked in the description. It’s a bit dense, but it explains why external structures are crucial.

Results So Far

Using AI‑generated slides has made recording easier than I expected. I’m not reading robotically; I have a solid base and can improvise on top of it. If you’re watching this, you might already notice the improvement over my previous videos.

Looking Ahead

I’m still repeating words and have a lot to improve, but I’m excited. I want to keep showing up, share the process, and let feedback shape my growth. Years from now I’ll look back at these early videos and be glad I kept the feedback loop alive.

I’ve listed all the sources I referenced in the description, including The Art of Learning with an Amazon affiliate link. If you buy the book through that link, you’ll help me a little, no promises of becoming a millionaire, just a bit of support.

Follow me on Instagram or read my posts on my website if you’d like. See you guys in the next video.