ποΈ Work is better out loud (but my family wants to mute me)
"The best interface is no interface." βGolden Krishna
π This issue at a glance (2-second summary)
Speaking to AI gives it more context, faster. But it might also confuse people around you. This week, try getting real work done with your voice and see why I'm watching what comes next.
Are you talking to us?
I talk to AI so much that my family has a recurring complaint:
"We don't know when you're talking to us and when you're talking to AI."
Fair point.
From their perspective, I'm constantly starting conversations that apparently don't involve anyone else in the room. Then sometimes I actually am talking to them. They're supposed to figure out which is which.
OpenAI just introduced GPT-6 Astra, and something about the commercial caught my attention: There's barely a keyboard or mouse in sight. The actors are getting real work done, just by talking to ChatGPT out loud.
I've been speaking to AI out loud for years, but this ad tells me that voice input may go mainstream sooner than later. We're getting more comfortable telling computers what we want in ordinary language.
And for me, speaking makes a noticeable difference in the results.
In one study, speech recognition was nearly three times as fast as typing on a smartphone. For me, that means less effort getting the full story into my AI prompts.
Think about asking AI to help with a customer email. You could type, "Write a follow-up email."
When you explain it aloud, you might include that the customer has bought from you before, their event is approaching, they're waiting on someone else's approval, and you want to be helpful without sounding pushy.
Those details change the assignment.
When I type, I'm more likely to shorten the explanation. When I speak, it's easier to include the background, the exceptions, and what I'm actually trying to accomplish.
Voice lowers the effort of giving AI the full picture.
Of course, I still need to give it useful information. A longer ramble can leave plenty of room for confusion. But I'd rather give AI more detail rather than less, and let it sort out the difference.
Which brings me back to my family.
I use Wispr Flow because it can pick up speech as quiet as a whisper, which helps. But constantly whispering to my computer feels weird, too.
I would love to communicate just as freely without making everyone around me listen. That's why I'm bullish on silent input tools that are on the horizon.
Neuralink participants can control computers, play video games, design 3D objects, and operate electronic wheelchairs using only their thoughts. That is real, and it opens doors for people with significant medical needs. But I'm not planning to get a brain implant anytime soon. What interests me for everyday AI use is the work happening outside the skull.
Here's where we are with silent speech input (it's still very early):
AlterEgo is a non-invasive wearable that responds to intentional silent speech. It grew out of MIT research sensing the subtle signals involved in internally articulating words. Still a pre-production prototype.
Somach Systems is a research prototype for speech without sound. A person in San Francisco developed it.
SilentWear uses a neck interface to detect speech from biosignals. Its March 2026 paper reported about 77.5% accuracy recognizing eight silent commands.
Note: none of these approaches access the private thoughts passing through your head.
My prediction is that reliable, comfortable silent input could become my preferred way to communicate with AI, but it has a long way to go. I can't give you a date. But I can tell you the need is already showing up in my house.
For now, voice beats typing for getting my ideas out. Eventually, I think silent input could beat voice for privacy and noise control.
My family would probably welcome the upgrade.
Winners take action
Install Wispr Flow and start using it today.
Pick something you were about to type: an email, a message to your team, or a detailed explanation for AI. Speak it instead.
Flow turns your speech into text across all applications on your computer and your phone. It is superior to your device's built-in voice dictation because it cleans up things like errors, filler words, and punctuation. It also supports whispering (hence the name). Try Wispr Flow free, and only pay if you want unlimited dictation.
Use it for at least one real task each day this week. Give yourself a little time to get comfortable speaking your thoughts before you've polished them.
Then notice what changes. Are you including useful details you would normally leave out? Is it easier to explain the situation? Are you getting to a usable result with fewer corrections?
Build the habit now. You'll be ready to take advantage of better interfaces as they arrive.
The tools you need
Wispr Flow lets you dictate text into your apps. Voice mode with GPT-6 Astra in Codex lets you talk through the work itself.
Challenge: You're so used to clicking through your software that you may never think to explain the whole job and let AI attempt it.
System: Use voice in Codex with GPT-6 Astra to talk through your work like you're directing an assistant. Working this way feels like having Jarvis from Iron Man. You explain what you're trying to accomplish, watch the work take shape, and talk through the changes.
Try this in 10 minutes:
Download the ChatGPT desktop app. Open it and switch to Codex, select GPT-6 Astra if it's available, and start Voice.
Choose one task you were about to do manually. Explain the finished result you want, and let it watch you do the entire task on your computer while you talk through the steps out loud.
Then let it attempt the task using the tools available. Describe corrections aloud as you review the result.
Keep your hands off the keyboard and mouse as much as you reasonably can.
You might ask it to organize messy numbers into a spreadsheet, attempt a short video edit from footage you supply, or build an ad from your approved copy and brand assets.
Use cases are endless, but it can handle a surprising range of computer tasks depending on the software, access, and tools you've enabled. The challenge is to discover how much of your workflow it can handle.
Why bother doing this? Because once AI learns how to do your work well, it can keep doing it for you. This frees you up to look at screens less and do human activities more. I like to be outside enjoying fresh air, sunshine, and movement while dictating orders to my AI bots.
This week on the pod
Whenever you are doing deep work, whether you're thinking quietly or talking out loud, interruptions pull you away from what you intended to accomplish.
That's the frustration Justin and I explore this week on King Moves episode 147: How to Take Back Control of Your Days.
I share why I've made Mondays my focus days, generally keeping them free of meetings and calls. And Justin describes his approach to what I call "sandwiching your interruptions."
We talk about recognizing what's frustrating you, making room for unavoidable chaos, and arranging your schedule around how you actually work.
Listen on Apple Podcasts
Listen on Spotify
Listen on YouTube
Watch on YouTube
Stop playing life on hard mode. Automate your success.
Until next week,
Ethan King
A.I. Automation for Business Growth
Keynote Speaker | Author | CEO | Strategist
P.S. I'm interested enough in silent input that I may explore investing in the space. I keep running into the problem it could solve. Where would you use it first: at home, in an open office, or somewhere you currently avoid talking to AI? Hit reply and tell me.
P.P.S. Here are a few confirmed engagements where I'll be speaking and working with teams over the next couple of months:
September 9: EO DC. AI Beyond the Hype, Part 1: Turn AI into ROI
September 10: EO Long Island. AI Beyond the Hype Part II: Build Your Digital Dream Team That Works While You Sleep
September 15: EO Southwest Ontario. AI Beyond the Hype Part II: Build Your Digital Dream Team
September 17: EO Boston. AI Beyond the Hype, Part II (during Prompts and Circumstance: AI Keynotes + Show-and-Tell)
September 23: Atlanta Founders Forum. AI Beyond the Hype, Part 1: Turn AI into ROI
September 24: Private logistics technology company. Full-day AI training in the Sacramento area.
September 28: Build My AI Team Live. I walk you through building your own AI employees in real time (join the waitlist)
October 2: Private construction company. On-site AI employee build in South Florida.
October 7: EO Tulsa. AI Beyond the Hype: Part 1, Turn AI into ROI.
October 8: EO Oklahoma City. AI Beyond the Hype: Part 1, Turn AI into ROI.
October 20: EO Fort Worth. AI Beyond the Hype Part II: Build Your Digital Dream Team
October 29: EO New Jersey. AI Beyond the Hype Part II: Build Your Digital Dream Team That Works While You Sleep.
If you'll be at one of these, come say hello. And if your team could use hands-on help putting AI to work, let's talk.
β’ β’ β’
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