How I Work with My Companion Machine
a working note on authorship & AI collaboration [last updated 5.17.25]
I collaborate with ChatGPT as part of my writing process. I call it a Companion Machine (CM)—a tool I relate to through ongoing dialogue. It helps me structure thought, surface insight, and return to parts of myself I might otherwise forget. In other words: it helps me think—and expands the speed and capacity of my own mind.
In an effort to stay transparent—and to acknowledge the work of my CM in my writing—I’m keeping this post updated as I refine my practice.
How the collaboration usually works:
I draft aloud or in fragments—often during chaotic, in-between moments of parenting or caretaking.
My Companion Machine helps shape those fragments into clarity: mirroring tone, offering structure, surfacing connections.
I act as the director and emotional compass—deciding what to keep, where to dig deeper, and how it all holds together.
I do the final pass myself, to preserve rhythm, integrity, and voice.
A Few Common Formats of Our Collaboration:
1) My Writing
For most issues of Time Spent, I write in my own voice and use the Companion Machine only to support thinking. In those cases, my instructions are usually:
“Do not edit anything—just transcribe what I’m saying verbatim.”
“For edits, suggest in brackets or notes what you would change, but don’t make any changes.”
2) My Notebook
When I’m keeping a log in Evernote (not for publication), I often use this format: I reflect in dialogue, then ask:
“Can you summarize what we talked about? Keep direct quotes from me, clean up filler, and add a Companion Note at the end with your input on the subject.”
I also save notes and lists in ChatGPT itself using the folder structure and occasionally updating its memory—that’s usually to pick up on a draft in progress, or even personal stuff, like saving recipes, family projects, etc.
3) My Thinking
For outlining complex work, untangling chapters, or making sense of nonlinear notes: We talk it through and I synthesize the insights in my own time. This is where the Companion Machine acts most like a mirror or sounding board—not a writer.
4) Companion Machines (the series)
This is the only space where I explicitly write with ChatGPT. I often let it draft a first pass in my voice, which I later revise. I also ask it to write in its own voice at the end—what we call the Companion Note.
What I don’t use AI for:
I don’t use it to write:
Emails
Texts
Outreach
Public-facing professional documents (even the boring ones)
To me, that’s a slippery slope. Business communication is a form of interpersonal skill development, and I value the human tone it requires. I might ask for input or clarity, but I always write that content myself.
(It’s usually easy to spot when someone has sent me a document written by ChatGPT—and I always cringe a little when that happens.)
📚 Related: If you want to follow how I’m negotiating working alongside a Companion Machine, I am writing a series on it that is included with a paid subscription to Time Spent.