AI Changed My Life

Hi, friend.

I'm really glad you found your way here.

If you're reading this, I'm guessing life has changed recently. Maybe you were just diagnosed. Maybe your vision has been changing for a while. Or maybe someone you love is navigating vision loss and you're trying to understand what they're experiencing.

However you got here, I want you to know one thing before we begin...

You don't have to figure this out alone.

I'm Kenisha.

I live with progressive retinal disease and legal blindness.

I'm not here to give medical advice.

I'm here to share what I've learned, what I wish someone had told me, and to walk beside you as a friend who's been there.

So grab a cup of coffee, get comfortable, and let's have another conversation.

AI Changed My Life

I'll admit it.

When everyone started talking about artificial intelligence, I rolled my eyes.

Everywhere I looked, someone was saying AI was going to change the world. Every company suddenly had an AI tool, every headline promised a revolution, and it honestly felt like another technology trend that people would be excited about for a while before moving on to the next big thing.

I wasn't interested.

At least, not at first.

Then I started using it.

Not because I wanted to be on the cutting edge of technology, but because I was trying to solve everyday problems. I wasn't looking for something revolutionary. I just wanted to read my mail, understand a picture someone texted me, organize my thoughts, and continue doing the things I loved without asking for help every five minutes.

I had no idea how much AI was about to change my life.

The first AI tool I really embraced was ChatGPT.

Like many people, I assumed it was mostly for students writing papers or people asking random questions. I couldn't have been more wrong. Today, I use ChatGPT almost every single day. Sometimes it helps me organize my thoughts before writing an article or preparing a keynote. Sometimes I ask it to explain something I don't understand or help me work through a problem. Other times, it's something much simpler, like helping me organize a grocery list, plan my week, compare products, or make sense of information that feels overwhelming.

It hasn't replaced my thinking.

It's helped me think more clearly.

Around the same time, I started relying heavily on Seeing AI. If you've read my previous articles, you've probably noticed that I love practical tools that make everyday life easier, and Seeing AI has become one of those tools. I use it to read mail, identify products at the grocery store, recognize currency, and understand what's in front of me. There are days when I use it several times before lunch without even thinking about it.

It's one of those apps that quietly becomes part of your routine.

Then I discovered PiccyBot, and it completely changed how I think about image descriptions.

What I love about PiccyBot isn't just that it tells me what's in a picture. It lets me have a conversation about it. I can upload a photo and ask follow-up questions. If someone texts me a family picture, I don't just get a basic description. I can ask who's standing where, what people are wearing, whether someone is smiling, or what details I might have missed. If I'm trying to match clothes before leaving the house or identify something sitting on my kitchen counter, I can keep asking questions until I understand exactly what I'm looking at.

That conversational approach makes all the difference.

It feels less like using an app and more like exploring the world with a really patient friend.

As AI continued to evolve, I also started using Meta AI and Gemini. I've learned that every AI tool has its own strengths. Sometimes one gives a better description of an image. Sometimes another explains something more clearly or helps me brainstorm ideas differently. Rather than trying to find one perfect AI assistant, I've built a toolbox of resources that I can choose from depending on what I need at the moment.

If you looked at my phone today, you'd probably laugh at how many AI apps I have.

But there's a reason for that. No single AI tool does everything perfectly. ChatGPT helps me think, organize, and create. Seeing AI helps me read and identify the world around me. PiccyBot helps me understand images in greater depth.

Meta AI and Gemini often give me another perspective or help me solve problems in different ways. Together, they help me live more independently. People often ask me how I actually use AI in everyday life.

The honest answer?

Constantly.

I've used it to identify products in my pantry when I couldn't tell one can from another. I've asked it to describe pictures that friends sent me. I've used it to organize complicated work projects, summarize long documents, help me write emails, compare accessibility products, plan trips, brainstorm keynote presentations, and even decide what to cook for dinner based on whatever happened to be left in my refrigerator.

None of those moments seem particularly remarkable on their own.

Together, they've made a remarkable difference in my life.

That doesn't mean AI is perfect.

Far from it.

I've had AI confidently tell me the wrong thing more times than I can count. I've had image descriptions miss important details. I've had text read incorrectly or information explained in ways that weren't quite right.

That's why I always remind people that AI is a tool.

Not the final answer.

If I'm reading medication instructions, reviewing legal paperwork, looking at financial information, or making an important decision, I verify what I'm reading. Sometimes I compare answers across multiple AI tools. Sometimes I ask another person. Learning when to trust technology—and when to double-check it—is just as important as learning how to use it.

One thing I never want people to think is that AI replaces human connection.

It doesn't.

No app can replace sitting across the table from a friend who truly understands what you're going through. No technology can replace community, empathy, or shared lived experience.

What AI has done is give me more independence.

It has allowed me to solve more problems on my own before I need to ask someone else for help. It has given me more confidence to travel, work, advocate, and simply live my life.

And that's a beautiful thing.

Looking back, I smile when I think about how skeptical I was. I thought AI was another passing trend. mInstead, it became one of the greatest accessibility tools I've ever used. Not because it restored my vision. But because it expanded my independence.

Friend, if AI feels intimidating, let me encourage you with one simple thought. You don't have to become an expert. You don't have to download every app. You don't have to understand how any of it works.

Just start.

Ask ChatGPT one question. Use Seeing AI to read today's mail. Upload a picture to PiccyBot and ask what it sees. Try Meta AI or Gemini the next time you're curious about something. nOne question becomes another. One app becomes another.

Before you know it, you'll have your own AI toolbox, filled with the tools that work best for your life.

And who knows?

A year from now, you may find yourself smiling at how skeptical you once were, too.

Before You Go

Today, I want you to download one AI tool you've never used before.

Ask ChatGPT a question.

Read a piece of mail with Seeing AI.

Upload a picture to PiccyBot and ask a follow-up question.

Explore Meta AI or Gemini.

Don't worry about learning everything today.

Just be curious.

Sometimes one small discovery can open the door to a whole new level of independence.

Until Our Next Conversation...

Friend, I know this journey can feel overwhelming. Some days you'll feel hopeful. Other days you may feel frustrated, scared, or exhausted. All of those feelings are welcome here.

You don't have to figure everything out today. You don't have to have all the answers. Take one step at a time, give yourself grace, and remember that asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness.

Most importantly, I want you to remember this: vision loss may change how you experience the world, but it does not change your value, your purpose, or the life you're still capable of building.

I'm honored to walk alongside you.

With you every step of the way,

Kenisha