How a Server Glitch Turned My Skeptical Brother into an AI Fan

It was half past one in the morning in Thailand, and I was barely holding onto consciousness when my phone buzzed. "Hey, still awake? I need help, man," my brother texted, clearly frustrated. No dramatic TED talk or bestseller had ever matched the intensity of this late-night message—especially when I was halfway across the world, trying to decide if I cared more about my brother’s sanity or my own sleep.

A Server Crisis at the Worst Possible Time

"I can't renew the stupid SSL certificate. I'm losing it!" he typed, with a few choice words thrown in for emphasis. He was battling a mysterious Linux error on a Bitrix server that bluntly declared: read: name(s): not a valid identifier. Nothing seemed to fix it. His patience was nearly gone, and frankly, mine wasn't far behind.

I briefly considered diving into endless pages of server documentation but thought better of it. Instead, partly out of desperation and partly curiosity, I copied the error message, pasted it into an AI chatbot, and asked for help.

Within seconds, the chatbot replied calmly: "There's a typo in the script. Just change name(s) to names."

I stared blankly at my screen. Could it really be that simple? I forwarded the solution to my brother, and after a few tense moments, he messaged back, incredulous: "Seriously? I've been at this for hours, and your robot buddy fixed it in five minutes? Unreal."

We laughed awkwardly across continents, feeling both silly and oddly victorious.

The Gradual Transformation of a Skeptic

Up until then, my brother had been openly dismissive of AI. His only previous encounter involved a voice assistant misunderstanding his request and giving him a cookie recipe instead of software instructions. Ever since, he had labeled all AI as useless gimmicks.

But this simple yet astonishing fix triggered something in him. Over the next few days, he cautiously began asking me more questions: How exactly should I phrase my queries? Can it really automate scripts or even routine tasks?

I explained that vague questions produce vague answers, but clearly articulated queries yield practical results. Slowly but surely, his curiosity transformed into genuine enthusiasm. Within weeks, the man who once mocked AI began referring to himself as a "prompt engineer," much to our shared amusement.

Soon, he was automating daily server checks, effortlessly drafting emails, and yes—even experimenting with lunch recipes provided by the chatbot (mostly with positive outcomes, though one questionable casserole sparked some skepticism).

Changing the Way We Work (and Think)

Witnessing his shift in mindset reminded me of when I first switched from self-hosted servers to cloud infrastructure. At first, the cloud seemed daunting and unnecessary—until I realized it was about working smarter, not harder. AI feels similar: it's not magic, it won't replace human judgment, and it certainly won’t make your morning coffee (at least not yet). But it can open new doors and change the way you approach everyday problems.

We learned that treating AI as a helpful collaborator, rather than an infallible oracle, drastically improves results. Our "robot buddy" has since become a reliable third opinion for technical puzzles and mundane tasks alike.

The Takeaway

If you're still skeptical, just test it out with a small, annoying problem—the kind you'd gladly pass on to an intern if you had one. Worst-case scenario? You waste five minutes. Best-case scenario? You discover a helpful assistant who's always available, never grumbles about overtime, and occasionally makes you laugh at your own stubbornness.

Trust me—once you cross this threshold, those frustrating server glitches (even at the worst hours) won’t feel quite as dreadful anymore.