The imagine, activate, validate framework
This resource distills the three-phase AI adoption framework that Jess Tyson and her team at Don't Panic Management use to integrate AI into their marketing and virtual assistant work. Read A decade-long VA on how AI makes you harder to replace to learn how Tyson's team uses AI to make them better marketers.
Get the framework
The big idea
AI is already embedded in tools that marketers use every day. The difference between passive AI usage and strategic AI adoption is knowing which phase of your work to apply it to. Jess Tyson’s framework organizes AI use cases into three categories that map to how work actually flows: generating ideas, executing on them, and validating the results.
The framework
| Phase | What AI does | Example tools | Human role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Imagine | Generates starting points for content, design, and research | ChatGPT, Google NotebookLM, Canva AI, Descript | Selects the best ideas, adds creative direction |
| Activate | Builds project scaffolding, shortcuts research, cleans up writing | Asana, ClickUp, ChatGPT, Grammarly | Reviews output, applies critical thinking, makes strategic decisions |
| Validate | Researches audiences, analyzes competitors, pressure-tests assumptions | ChatGPT, any LLM | Interprets findings, adjusts strategy based on context |
When to use this
- You’re onboarding a new client and need to ramp up on their industry quickly
- You have a recurring task that takes more than 30 minutes and follows a repeatable pattern
- You want to expand what your team can deliver without expanding the team’s hours
- You’re evaluating which AI tools to adopt and need a framework for prioritizing
Common mistakes
- Using AI output without human review: always treat AI-generated work as a first draft that needs your expertise and judgment
- Trying to automate everything at once: pick one task in one phase and measure the time savings before expanding
- Assuming AI replaces critical thinking: AI handles the research and scaffolding so you can spend more time on strategy and creativity
- Ignoring AI that is already in your tools: check Grammarly, Asana, ClickUp, and Canva for built-in AI features you may not be using
Quick-start
Start by picking one task in the “activate” phase that you do every week. Use ChatGPT to shortcut the research or scaffolding portion of that task and measure how much time you save. Jess estimates a 75% time reduction on research tasks. Once you see results there, expand into “imagine” and “validate.”
Ready for the full story?
Read A decade-long VA on how AI makes you harder to replace featuring Jess Tyson on the AI Lab by ActiveCampaign.
Related
More data from the AI Lab.