AI tools and automation

@briarcochran

Tier list of where AI/agents help content creators: S for research and data/pattern analysis; A-B for scripting, ideation, funnels, design; low for admin, editing and especially replying to DMs.

12k plays · 25 Sep 2026

What they said

Admin work: C tier. Valuable for getting time back, but not the best use of energy and intellect.
Replying to DMs: D-F tier. Should be done by a human who knows your voice; people see through it fast and it burns bridges; low reward, high risk.
Research: S tier. Quotes: a New Yorker writer says research is 90% of writing; David Ogilvy: you must also be researched. High leverage and tedious for a human; 10/10 for an agent.
Script writing: B-A tier. If results are poor, you are asking AI to do too much and not giving context. "AI is smarter than you given the right direction and context." Put it on a high-leverage part of the content engine.
Ideation: B-A tier, same logic; have your agent source ideas and do creative thought.
Editing: used to be F tier "two weeks ago", now D-C tier; a year away from being really powerful; not the best use because it can be offshored for about $2,000 (ideation and scripting cannot).
Funnel building: B tier; systematic and automatable.
Design work: B tier; replace designers with AI carousels and thumbnails to save money, indistinguishable; not higher only because it is outsourceable cheaply.
Data analysis and pattern recognition: S tier; best current use case for a content creator: sift data to find psychological patterns across 3, 5, 6, 8, 10 top winners, not just remake the same hook repeatedly.

Try this

Creators: Put AI first on research and on pattern analysis. These were the two top-tier uses in the tier list because they are tedious for humans and high leverage.
Pattern analysis: Feed your 5 to 10 best-performing posts into an assistant and ask what psychological patterns they share, instead of remaking the same hook repeatedly.
Scripts and ideas: Treat them as good uses if you give heavy context. Poor results usually mean you asked for too much with too little direction.
Design and funnels: Use AI for carousels, thumbnails and funnel steps if you want to save money, since they are systematic and easy to check.
Keep humans on DMs: Customers can tell, and a wrong reply costs more than the time saved. Treat admin and editing as lower priority, since they can be outsourced cheaply.
Agencies and freelancers: Offer research and analysis as the core AI-assisted service, with a human reviewing every message that goes to a customer.

Watch the original

Watch the full reel on Instagram by @briarcochran. Follow them for more.

Video, voice and ideas belong to @briarcochran. Shown here as a short preview with our own summary, for commentary and education. Want it removed? Tell us.

00:00