Helen Edwards, writing in Marketing Week, proposed a framework I haven't been able to stop thinking about. She mapped how marketing leaders integrate AI into their cognitive processes—not what tools they use, but how they use them, and what that usage says about where they sit on the curve of genuine adoption.
The framework ranges from skeptics who avoid AI entirely to architects who've restructured their entire cognitive approach around AI capabilities. Most interesting is her finding that the people who've integrated AI most deeply into their work aren't the ones losing their distinctiveness—they're the ones whose judgment has been amplified rather than replaced.
The Eight Levels
The Skeptic
Avoids AI tools entirely. Concerns about accuracy, authenticity, or job security keep them on the sidelines.
Traits: Relies exclusively on traditional methods. May not have tried AI at all.
The Curious Observer
Watches others use AI, reads about it, asks questions—but hasn't incorporated it into their own workflow.
Traits: High interest, low action. Waiting to see how it plays out.
The Experimenter
Uses AI occasionally for low-stakes tasks. Might generate a first draft or ask for research help, but doesn't trust it for anything important.
Traits: Sporadic usage. Views AI as a novelty rather than a tool.
The Practitioner
Has incorporated AI into regular workflows for specific tasks. Uses it for drafting, research, or analysis—but within defined boundaries.
Traits: Consistent usage for tactical work. Still views AI as an assistant.
The Collaborator
Works with AI iteratively. Uses it for brainstorming, challenging their own thinking, and refining ideas through dialogue.
Traits: Conversational workflow. AI as thinking partner, not just executor.
The Integrator
AI is woven into most significant work. Uses custom instructions, builds context across sessions, has developed personal systems.
Traits: Systematic approach. Has invested in learning how to use AI effectively.
The Amplifier
Uses AI to extend capabilities they already have. Their distinctive perspective, expertise, and judgment are enhanced—not replaced—by AI.
Traits: More themselves with AI than without. The tool serves the vision.
The Architect
Has fundamentally restructured how they approach knowledge work. Builds systems that combine human judgment with AI capabilities.
Traits: Creates leverage for themselves and others. Designs workflows, not just tasks.
The Sovereignty Paradox
Edwards' most counterintuitive finding: the people who've gone furthest in integrating AI aren't the ones losing themselves. They're the ones who've become more distinctively themselves.
Key insight: At levels 7 and 8, AI amplifies existing judgment rather than replacing it. The distinctive perspective, the accumulated expertise, the strategic intuition—these become more powerful when augmented, not less.
This makes sense when you think about it. The people who reach Amplifier or Architect status aren't using AI to avoid thinking—they're using it to think better. They've developed enough self-awareness about their own cognitive strengths and weaknesses to know where AI helps and where it gets in the way.
Finding Your Position
Most product marketers I talk to sit somewhere between levels 3 and 5. They've experimented with AI, maybe use it regularly for certain tasks, but haven't yet made the leap to genuine integration.
The jump from Practitioner (Level 4) to Collaborator (Level 5) is where things get interesting. It requires shifting your mental model from "AI as tool" to "AI as thinking partner." You start asking AI to challenge your assumptions, not just execute your instructions. You iterate through ideas in conversation rather than treating each prompt as a one-shot transaction.
The jump from Integrator (Level 6) to Amplifier (Level 7) requires something different: genuine self-awareness about what makes your judgment valuable, and clarity about how AI can enhance rather than substitute for it. This is where the sovereignty paradox kicks in—you have to know who you are before AI can make you more of it.
The Assessment Question
Ask yourself:
- When was the last time AI genuinely surprised you with an insight?
- Do you use AI differently than you did six months ago?
- Have you built any personal systems or workflows around AI?
- Does AI make you more distinctively yourself, or more generic?
Your answers tell you where you sit—and what the next level might look like.
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