AI has woven itself into our everyday lives with extraordinary speed. It drafts emails, summarises documents, proposes ideas, answers questions, and occasionally entertains us with something amusing. And yet, although almost everyone now “uses AI,” not everyone uses it in the same way.
A subtle but meaningful divide is emerging.
It’s not a divide based on technical expertise.
It’s not about age, job role, or confidence.
It’s about intention.
Today, two kinds of users are emerging:
the Casuals and the Value Creators.
And the distinction matters more than we think. Understanding the difference isn’t simply about technical expertise or skill. It’s about intention, and ultimately, about future competitiveness.
The Casual AI User: AI as a Helper, a Trend, a Distraction
Casual users love the convenience of AI.
They use it at work to polish emails, summarise text, build a quick presentation outline, create jokes or absurd images. AI is a helpful shortcut, a faster search engine, a friendly assistant, a time-saving tool.
But their relationship with AI remains superficial.
It rarely changes how they think or how they work; it simply speeds up what they were already doing.
And because their use is casual, their awareness of risk is casual too.
Casual users often:
- paste client information or confidential documents into public tools
- use free, ungoverned platforms without checking where data is stored
- upload private text without understanding who might access it
- accept AI output as “true enough” without checking accuracy
- share AI-generated content that might be biased, misleading, or inappropriate
This combination of insecure AI use and blind trust in its outputs exposes organisations to serious consequences, from data breaches and loss of confidential information to compliance failures and reputational damage caused by AI hallucinations. A single unverified answer or mistakenly shared piece of private data can erode client trust instantly.
And yet, even when things don’t go wrong, casual AI use remains limited in impact. At best, it saves a bit of time or adds convenience; it does not elevate the individual’s role, deepen their expertise, or build the kind of strategic capabilities that will define the workforce of the future.
Casual use speeds up tasks but does not create value. It makes work easier, but not better. It offers shortcuts, but not growth. And as AI becomes a core competency in every profession, relying on AI only at a superficial level means missing the chance to develop the high-value skills: critical thinking, workflow design, insight generation, responsible AI judgment, that will set the next generation of leaders apart.
The Value Creator: Intentional, Privacy-First, and Always Human-Led AI
Value Creators engage with AI entirely differently.
They see AI not as a shortcut but as leverage, a way to amplify their thinking, redesign processes, create new client experiences, and unlock opportunities they couldn’t reach alone.
And they understand a foundational truth:
AI becomes powerful only when used responsibly, securely, and with human judgment in the loop.
Value Creators:
- design new client experiences
- build workflows to increase productivity
- develop better processes
- create new digital products and service models
- choose secure, privacy-focused AI environments like Kalisa
- understand data governance and treat it as non-negotiable
- review and validate all AI outputs
- bring their expertise, nuance, and context to everything AI produces
They don’t just consume AI.
They produce outcomes with responsible AI.
Because they treat AI as leverage, Value Creators unlock benefits that go far beyond saving time. They elevate their role, redesign their products and services, generate new revenue streams and develop new, future-proof skills, from critical thinking and workflow design to data literacy and strategic decision-making. They use AI to create new value, not just complete tasks faster.
Crucially, they understand that trust is everything.
So they keep a human in the loop: checking accuracy, validating outputs, refining the work, and ensuring every action is secure, ethical, and aligned with organisational standards. They choose privacy-first environments because they know real transformation cannot be built on risk.
The Philosophical Divide
This divide isn’t technological, it’s human.
Casual users ask:
“What can AI do for me right now?”
Value Creators ask:
“What can AI help me become?”
Look closer, and the distinction becomes even clearer.
Casual users are, in many ways, used by AI: they feed the system with their data, preferences, and creative inputs, often without gaining meaningful long-term value in return. Value Creators, on the other hand, consciously use AI to expand their capabilities, enhance their work, and create opportunities that compound over time.
In organisations, this difference is profound.
Teams that use AI casually may save a few minutes here and there.
Teams that use AI strategically redesign how they operate, learn, deliver, and grow.
And this is exactly why so many businesses partner with Calls9.
Because the real question is no longer whether you use AI, almost everyone does.
The real question is whether you use it in a way that creates lasting, meaningful value for your clients, your employees, and the future of your business.
Why This Matters Now
We’re entering a phase where the gap between Casual and Value Creator will only widen.
Casual users will continue to dabble.
Value Creators will build the next generation of digital products, client experiences, and business models.
The organisations embracing AI as a lever, not a novelty, will be the ones that win:
- more efficient teams
- smarter use of knowledge
- better customer experiences
- new revenue streams
- faster innovation cycles
This isn’t about learning how to use another tool.
It’s about choosing the mindset that shapes your future.
So, What Type of AI User Are You?
The question isn’t meant to shame, it’s meant to inspire.
Every one of us can transition from Casual to Value Creator.
It starts with a shift in intention, followed by a willingness to rethink how we work and what we could achieve with the right support.
At Calls9, we help organisations make that leap, from dabbling with AI to unlocking real, measurable value from it.
Because in this new era of technology, two types of users will emerge:
Those who play with AI.
And those who build their future with it.
Which one will you be?
Getting Started with End-to-End AI Transformation
Partner with Calls9, a leading Generative AI agency, through our AI Fast Lane programme, designed to identify where AI will give you a strategic advantage and help you rapidly build AI solutions in your organisation. As an AI specialist, we are here to facilitate the development of your AI strategy and solutions within your organisation, guiding you every step of the way:
- Audit your existing AI capabilities
- Create your Generative AI strategy
- Identify Generative AI use cases
- Build and deploy Generative AI solutions
- Testing and continuous improvement
Learn more and book a free AI Consultation
* This articles' cover image is generated by AI
