I'm Going to Live Forever : Or how I wrote this within an hour and you can too

For context, I started writing this at 5.56pm. Its going out just after midnight. In between, I have been a dad, tidied the house, eaten dinner with the family, and gone out for drinks with former colleagues in town. How did I crank out 1300 words ? Imagine if you could bottle up over 20 years of hard-earned wisdom, late-night brainstorming sessions, webinars, training sessions and speeches. Now, picture being able to access that knowledge instantly, whenever you need it. Thats what I have done. I have created the SecureJon LLM (Large Language Model or as some say, ChatGPT) based on all the content I have made for 12 years. This isn't just about harnessing AI—it's about creating a personalized, turbocharged version of myself. In this article I'd like to discuss the value, the process, and the game-changing outputs of creating my very own LLM.

Why You Need Your Own LLM

1. Immortalize Your Knowledge

Here is a thought for you. As humans, we’re drowning in information but starving for knowledge. With over 20 years of experience and 12 years of hardcore content generation, my brainchild LLM serves as my ultimate personal assistant. Imagine asking, "What was my take on cybersecurity threats in 2015?" and getting a precise, context-rich answer in seconds. No more digging through old files or racking my brain to remember key points from past presentations. My LLM does the heavy lifting, giving me time back for things that move the needle like calls and meetings. In addition, my LLM is always learning. Not just on my interactions with it, but I use it to absorb and relfect new data. A Gartner Critical Capabilities report, or an article on Chinese hacking gangs. It curates my process, but speeds up my understanding and personal reflections.

2. Personalized Insights, On Demand

Here's the thing, if you have spent any time with me, attended a webinar or training, you know my actual voice and communication style. As you read this, you can hear my voice. An LLM trained on your content isn’t just smart—it’s you, distilled. It knows your style, your preferences, and your key messages. This means it can generate personalized insights tailored to your unique voice and perspective. Whether you're crafting a new article, preparing for a speech, or brainstorming with your team (I do this by the way, on conference calls, Ill ask SecureJon to examine something, and I get an instant Matrix like upload of data and insight), your LLM can provide relevant, on-point suggestions that sound like they came straight from your brain. You’re not just saving time; you’re ensuring that your unique perspective lives on and continues to evolve.

3. Time is Money

The old saying holds true: time is money. Think about the hours you spend each week searching for information, drafting content, and revisiting old materials. Your LLM can cut that time to a fraction, freeing you up to focus on high-value activities. More time for strategic thinking, team-building, and, let’s face it, maybe even a bit of that elusive work-life balance. The bit I really like, is the force multiplier effect. With better data content, I make, and hopefully clients make, better decisions.

But Is That Really You Writing?

Now, you might be wondering: Is that really you writing? Isn’t this cheating? No, it isn't. What you're reading was started by the LLM. It was structured by the LLM, based on my 'normal' style. By the way, I have ghostwritten a lot of content, and that is flagged differently. This makes simple the hardest part of writing—starting.

The essence of what I want to convey, my unique insights, and my voice are all preserved. The LLM is merely a tool that helps streamline the process, making it more efficient and effective. It ensures that my ideas are captured accurately and communicated clearly, without the initial hurdle of staring at a blank page.

The Process: Building Your Own LLM

Step 1: Data Aggregation

First things first: gather your content. This means every article, blog post, webinar transcript, and speech you’ve ever produced. The goal is to create a comprehensive dataset that captures your knowledge and style. Think of it as the ultimate digital autobiography. This is where your digital legacy begins.

Step 2: Preprocessing

Next up, preprocessing. Your data needs to be cleaned, formatted, and organized. This involves removing any irrelevant content, standardizing formats, and ensuring that the data is ready for training. It’s a bit like prepping your ingredients before cooking a gourmet meal—you want everything in perfect order. This step ensures that your LLM is built on a solid foundation.

Step 3: Training the Model

Here’s where the magic happens. Using state-of-the-art AI frameworks, your data is fed into the model to start the training process. The LLM learns from your content, understanding the nuances of your language, the intricacies of your arguments, and the core themes of your work. This step requires significant computational power and expertise, but the payoff is worth it. Your brain is essentially getting a digital twin. to this point it took about two weeks, and unironically, AI helped with that process.

Step 4: Fine-Tuning

Once the initial training is complete, it’s time for fine-tuning. This involves tweaking the model to ensure it generates high-quality, accurate outputs. That means lots of feedback to the system. You may have worked out, how I have been able to crank out a 1000-1500 word article every working day. Well now you know. And each one of them has been used to fine tune the LLM, making sure it’s aligned with my expectations and needs. This step is crucial to ensuring that your digital brain truly reflects your unique thought processes.

Step 5: Deployment

Finally, the model is ready for deployment. This means integrating the LLM into your workflow, making it accessible through a user-friendly interface. Whether it’s a chatbot, a content generation tool, or a sophisticated search engine, your LLM is now at your service, ready to revolutionize the way you work. Your digital legacy is now live, ready to interact with the world.

The Outputs: What to Expect

Instant Content Generation

Need a draft for a blog post? Your LLM can generate it in minutes, complete with your signature style and insights. This isn’t generic AI drivel—it’s content that sounds like you because it’s learned from you. Perfect for when you’re short on time but big on ideas. Your voice, your thoughts, instantly accessible. At the time of writing, this article included, I would suggest the LLM gets 75% of the way there.

Intelligent Q&A

From complex queries to simple questions, your LLM can handle them all. It’s like having a conversation with a version of yourself that never forgets a thing. This is particularly useful for training new team members, preparing for speaking engagements, or simply satisfying your curiosity. Your LLM becomes your personal encyclopedia, always ready to assist.

Enhanced Decision-Making

With instant access to your collective knowledge, decision-making becomes a breeze. Your LLM can provide context, suggest alternatives, and highlight past insights relevant to the decision at hand. It’s like having a strategic advisor who’s always in the room. Your decisions become more informed, backed by years of experience and insight.

Improved Efficiency

Imagine cutting down research time by 90%. That’s the power of an LLM. By handling the grunt work of information retrieval and synthesis, it allows you to focus on what really matters: thinking, strategizing, and leading. Your LLM doesn’t just save time; it enhances your ability to perform at your best.

Conclusion: The Future is Personalized AI

Creating your own LLM is more than just a tech upgrade—it’s a strategic move that positions you at the cutting edge of innovation. It’s about leveraging your unique expertise and insights, distilled and amplified by AI, to drive better outcomes for you and your team. In a world where knowledge is power, having a personalized LLM is like having a superpower.

So should you do this. If content creation is a major part of your function, then yes. Better you own your digital twin, than your job. Crucially, at this point the technology is working for me. I also understand, that some would use it to replace me in a heartbeat, because it does not have healthcare premiums.

And if it make me more effective, and allows me more time with my daughter, thats a win. Because sadly I wont actually live forever, and I am so happy to be here right now.