10,000 subscribers: why I started talking AI on YouTube

Dek: I started the channel in June 2024 for two reasons: to annoy the kids, and to show you what AI can do when you ask better questions, in a UK voice, with proper debate about jobs, ethics, and competitiveness.

Ten thousand subscribers still feels unreal. I began posting in June 2024 with a mischievous goal and a serious one. The mischievous goal was to annoy the kids. It worked at first, then something unexpected happened: the channel started to grow, and the kids shifted from eye rolls to genuine pride. The serious goal was bigger. I had played with ChatGPT, felt underwhelmed, then learned how prompting works and suddenly saw real business value. I wanted to pass that moment on, especially to UK organisations that cannot afford to sit back.

It started as a wind-up, then it turned into discipline

Takeaway: A family joke can become a habit that pays back.

Let’s be honest. Part of this began as a wind-up. I’m a professor, they’re my kids, and they have a natural allergy to anything I do online. So I did the most predictable thing possible and started a YouTube channel.

In the early days, the comedy was the point. Then the channel found an audience, and the kids surprised me. They are now impressed by the channel's success. That matters more than it should, because it is not just validation, it is a reminder that consistent effort still cuts through.

The camera also forced a kind of discipline. If I cannot explain a tool or a method clearly, then I probably do not understand it properly. YouTube became a weekly test of clarity.

The moment I stopped being disappointed by ChatGPT

Takeaway: The tool did not change; my briefing did.

About two years ago, I was playing around with AI, with ChatGPT, and I felt a bit disappointed. The outputs were generic, occasionally wrong, and too confident for comfort. Then I watched a video on effective prompting and tried again.

That was the shift. Not a new model. Not a magic feature. Just a better way of asking.

In business terms, prompting is simply briefing:

• Give context so the system knows what matters • Set constraints so it does not wander • Ask for an output format you can actually reuse • Add a check step so you do not take things on trust

That’s the message I wanted to share. You do not need to become a technical expert to benefit from AI. You need a method you can repeat.

Why I want more UK voices in the AI conversation

Takeaway: If we do not shape the debate, we inherit it.

AI discussion is often led by the firms building the tools. That is understandable, but it is not enough. The incentives lean towards adoption at speed, and the costs of mistakes are often paid elsewhere.

In the UK, we have a different context: smaller firms, public services under pressure, a strong data protection culture, and a need to raise productivity without widening inequality. UK policy has promoted a pro-innovation approach to AI regulation that leans on existing regulators and cross-sector principles rather than one single AI law (UK Government, 2023). Parliament has also highlighted the governance and ethical challenges in plain terms (Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology, 2024).

So yes, I want UK voices in the mix. Not for flags and slogans. For practical judgement.

The competitiveness point: waiting can be the expensive option

Takeaway: Adoption is rising, but most firms still report no use.

I work with companies in the West Midlands and across the UK, and I do not want them to wake up to this too late. Your competitors will adopt AI to cut costs, speed decision-making, and improve customer response. Some of your competitors will be new firms built around AI from day one.

ONS business survey reporting suggests AI use is rising among UK businesses, from 9 percent in late September 2023 to 23 percent in late September 2025 (Office for National Statistics, 2025). That is progress, but it also suggests most businesses still say they are not using AI.

The West Midlands has been explicit about building regional AI capability, including an AI missions programme and adoption work (West Midlands Combined Authority, 2025).

Pros and cons of starting AI adoption now

If you want my practical rule: match the tool and the checking to the risk and importance of the task.

The video I am proudest of: Become a NotebookLM Pro

Takeaway: The best tutorials turn a clever tool into a Monday morning workflow.

If I had to pick one video that captures what I am trying to do, it is the one on becoming a NotebookLM Pro.

NotebookLM is a strong example of what many people miss about modern AI. It is not just chat. It is a way to organise a pile of documents, pull out themes, ask better questions of your own material, and draft outputs faster. That is why I like it for busy professionals and teams. Google positions NotebookLM plans as supporting heavier use and more serious work (Google, n.d.).

This is also where the channel has settled into its purpose. I am not trying to impress you with demos. I am trying to give you repeatable ways of working.

Action checklist

• Pick one task that wastes time each week • Draft one prompt with context, constraints, and output format • Test on low-risk inputs before you touch anything sensitive • Add one check step before anything leaves the building • Write a one-page playbook and share it with your team

From the professor’s desk

I started this channel to wind up the kids and to share something that genuinely surprised me. The surprise was not that AI exists; it was how quickly it becomes useful when you brief it properly. The second surprise was that the kids went from mocking the idea to being proud of it. That shift mirrors what I want for organisations: move from eye-rolling scepticism to informed, measured use. Ten thousand subscribers is a marker, not a finish line. My plan is simple: keep testing tools, keep talking about the risks, and keep pushing UK firms to act with sense.

References

Google. (n.d.). NotebookLM plans. https://notebooklm.google/plans

Office for National Statistics. (2025, October 2). Business insights and impact on the UK economy. https://www.ons.gov.uk/businessindustryandtrade/business/businessservices/bulletins/businessinsightsandimpactontheukeconomy/2october2025

Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology. (2024, October 7). Artificial intelligence: ethics, governance and regulation. https://post.parliament.uk/artificial-intelligence-ethics-governance-and-regulation/

UK Government. (2023). AI regulation: a pro innovation approach. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ai-regulation-a-pro-innovation-approach

West Midlands Combined Authority. (2025, October 20). West Midlands artificial intelligence missions. https://www.wmca.org.uk/documents/culture-digital/west-midlands-artificial-intelligence-missions/

YouTube. (n.d.). The Professor AI channel about page. https://www.youtube.com/@TheProfessor-AI/about