How is life better?

Reflections from Jig Young, co-founder of Expedock, Manila Bulletin’s 2024 Newsmaker of the Year

Artificial Intelligence lets him focus on deep work rather than mundane work

As a product person, I used to spend all my time on mundane tasks like transcribing and summarizing customer calls. At least half of my workweek was spent watching calls from our sales and onboarding teams. With the advent of AI, all transcription work is now completed and summarized for me.

AI even highlights critical sections for my review. This reduction in manual work has freed up more time for me to synthesize insights and deeply understand customer needs.

Life is better because doing deep work daily not only accelerates progress and development based on customer feedback but, more importantly, also makes the act of working more enjoyable. I feel more fulfilled when I focus my time on sessions that generate new ideas and synthesis rather than spending my work hours preparing for creative work through mundane tasks.

Remote work lets him compete globally from the Philippines

As a software professional, my dream when I was younger was to move to San Francisco so I could compete and engage globally.

I lived there for a while, but when I decided to become a father, I realized that the best place to raise my son was in the Philippines, where he could grow up surrounded by the love and support of his extended family.

With the normalization of remote work, I can now run a tech startup based in SF with employees in the US who serve customers in both the US and Europe—without living there.

Life is better because I get to compete globally while living locally.

Remote work lets him be a father, husband, and leader at the same time

At the start of my career, I spent at least three hours a day commuting to and from the office. Now, I can use that time to fulfill my roles as a father, husband, and leader.

As a father to a newborn, I can care for him and spend quality time with him.

As a husband, I have the time to be present and support my wife.

And as a leader, I can dedicate time to learning and growing so I can mentor my team more effectively.

Life is better because I can live in a more integrated and holistic way without compromising any of my commitments.

Artificial intelligence lets him create and reflect every day

With generative AI applications like Midjourney, I can create art every day by transforming random ideas, reflections, essays, and journal entries into visual pieces for my personal enjoyment.

I’ve been able to bring long-held ideas to life, manifesting concepts that once lingered in the back of my mind. In particular, I’ve created art that inspires me to be the best version of myself, drawing from two central personal philosophies: “Icarus who loves the burn” and “Sisyphus with a smile.”

With the help of AI, I post this art on my website—jigyoung.com. This simple automation significantly lowers the barrier to living life as an artist.

This daily act of creativity sharpens my professional creative thinking as a product person while also calming my mind as a form of meditation.

Life is better because I can express my creative side every day—something made possible by the advent of artificial intelligence.