Podcast Summary

Podcast: The Martell Method w/ Dan Martell
Episode: How to Actually Use AI in 2026
Date: February 19, 2026
Host: Dan Martell

Episode Overview

In this engaging episode, Dan Martell debunks the most common – and harmful – AI advice circulating in the business world, focusing on actionable, sustainable strategies for leveraging artificial intelligence in 2026 and beyond. Drawing from his own journey from rehab at 17 to building a $100M empire, Dan delivers no-nonsense tips to avoid burnout, turbo-charge your team, and actually get ahead with AI—without falling for hype or shortcuts.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Myth-busting Harmful AI Advice

Dan tackles 15 pieces of popular but misguided AI advice, offering practical alternatives based on real experience.

a. Don’t Replace Your Team With AI

• Bad Advice: "Fire your team and replace them with AI agents."
• Reality: Business is about people & relationships. AI should augment teams, not replace them.
• Dan’s Take: “Having people on your team makes the business fun. AI can't build relationships...Your team is your competitive advantage. AI should make them 10 times better, not replace them.” [01:05]
• Actionable Insight: Use AI as a co-pilot to empower and elevate your team.

b. Don’t Automate Broken Processes

• Bad Advice: "Automate everything in your business immediately."
• Reality: Automating flaws only makes things worse, faster.
• Dan’s Take: “Automating a broken process just makes it broken faster...Fix your process manually first.” [02:00]
• Actionable Insight: Refine processes manually, then scale proven parts with AI.

c. AI in Customer Service

• Bad Advice: "Let AI handle all customer service to save you money."
• Reality: Customer conversations are goldmines for insights.
• Dan’s Take: “Customer conversations are goldmines...Cut that off and you're flying blind.” [03:20]
• Actionable Insight: Use AI for simple queries, keep humans for nuanced, valuable interactions. "Business isn't B2B, it's H to H—human to human."

d. Understand How AI Works

• Bad Advice: "Don’t bother learning how AI works."
• Reality: If you don’t understand AI’s limits, it can mislead you (e.g., hallucinated data).
• Dan’s Take: “Ask AI to teach you AI...Watch it teach you so you can then learn how to craft it and design it.” [05:20]
• Actionable Insight: Learn AI fundamentals. Use AI itself as a teacher.

e. Start Manual, Scale with AI

• Bad Advice: "Build everything with AI from day one."
• Reality: You need proven processes before scaling with AI.
• Dan’s Take: “Start manual, learn what works...then add AI to scale what's proven.” [06:20]

f. Don’t Chase AI Hype

• Bad Advice: "Build strategy around the latest AI."
• Reality: AI evolves rapidly; foundational business pains persist.
• Dan’s Take: “Focus on solving problems that have existed for years, pains that people have.” [07:10]
• Quote: “Use AI today for what works best today and go deep. Master the skill of one platform.” [07:30]

g. You Are the Vision

• Bad Advice: "Let AI make all your business decisions."
• Reality: AI outputs median answers – not innovative vision.
• Dan’s Take: "The best companies were built off intuition...Use AI for insights and research, then verify with experienced people." [08:30]
• Actionable Insight: Be the director; don’t delegate vision.

h. Brainstorming: People First

• Bad Advice: "Replace all brainstorming with AI."
• Reality: AI can’t connect dots across disparate fields or envision new paradigms.
• Dan’s Take: “One of the things that AI can't do is have vision. That is your job, to see a future that doesn't exist yet, but should.” [10:00]
• Actionable Insight: Use AI to spark ideas, not to replace creativity.

i. Data Context Matters

• Bad Advice: "Feed AI as much data as possible."
• Reality: Too much context confuses AI—garbage in, garbage out.
• Quote: “If you give it too much information...it's like giving somebody 10 maps when they ask for simple directions.” [11:35]

j. AI Isn’t Just For Techies

• Bad Advice: "Leave AI to your IT guys."
• Reality: AI is programmed in English—everyone can (and should) learn.
• Dan’s Take: “If you're hearing the words coming out of my mouth, I know you know how to use AI because you can talk.” [13:00]
• Actionable Insight: Train everyone to use AI in their workflow.

k. Problem Before Tool

• Bad Advice: "Pick the coolest AI tools."
• Reality: Technology should serve problem-solving, not be an end in itself.
• Dan’s Take: “Find the problem that's worth solving...then find the AI to solve it.” [14:00]

l. Build a Toolkit, Not a Toolbox

• Bad Advice: "Use only one AI tool for everything."
• Reality: Use the right specialized tools for any job.
• Dan’s Take: “Build a toolkit of specialized AI...Match the right tool to the right problem.” [15:05]

m. Don’t Chase Every New Tool

• Bad Advice: "Use every AI tool that comes out."
• Reality: Focus and mastery over novelty.
• Quote: “I just call that productive procrastination...they actually don’t do anything with the tools.” [16:15]

n. Customize Your Prompts

• Bad Advice: "Just copy-paste other people's prompts."
• Reality: Generic prompts lead to generic output.
• Dan’s Take: “Generic prompts create generic output...Understand your process, create your prompt.” [17:40]

o. AI Alone Isn’t A Moat

• Bad Advice: "AI will give you a competitive advantage just by using it."
• Reality: It’s about how you use AI—combined with relationships, processes, and expertise.
• Dan’s Take: “AI doesn’t give you anything...Your advantage comes from combining AI with your unique process, your relationships, your expertise.” [18:20]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Business isn't B2B. It's H to H – human to human.” [03:55]
• “Automating a broken process just makes it broken faster.” [02:10]
• “AI still hallucinates and it makes mistakes.” [08:15]
• “That is your job, to see a future that doesn’t exist yet, but should.” [10:10]
• “If you’re hearing the words coming out of my mouth, I know you know how to use AI because you can talk.” [13:20]
• “Generic prompts create generic output.” [17:45]
• “AI doesn’t give you anything. It’s just a thing you’re using.” [18:20]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:05]—The dangers of firing your team for AI agents.
• [02:00]—Why you shouldn't automate everything immediately.
• [03:20]—The real role of AI in customer service.
• [05:20]—How to teach yourself AI basics.
• [08:30]—AI for insights: you’re still the director.
• [10:00]—AI vs. human creativity in brainstorming.
• [13:00]—AI is for everyone, not just the tech team.
• [14:00]—Choosing problems before tools.
• [15:05]—Why you need a toolkit, not just one AI tool.
• [16:15]—Avoid “productive procrastination” with new tools.
• [18:20]—True competitive advantage: AI plus your process.

Final Mindset Shift

Dan wraps up by urging listeners to pick one key mindset shift about AI to apply this week, asking:

"Out of all those ideas, which one did you need to hear most today?" [19:00]

He reminds listeners: simply using AI rarely leads to real impact—it's how you integrate, direct, and enhance your own unique strengths with AI that defines success.

Summary:
This episode is a rapid-fire, myth-busting guide for founders and business leaders looking to harness AI the right way. Dan Martell’s message: Cut through the hype, start with core business problems, empower your team, and use AI as a powerful co-pilot—not as a silver bullet.