Bonus Chapter: Staying in Control

Don't Let AI Platforms Own Your Work

Here's something that might sound paranoid but will save you grief: assume every AI platform you use will either shut down, drastically change their terms, or lock you out tomorrow. Because some of them will.

I've watched people build their entire workflows around ChatGPT's chat history, Claude's project feature, or some startup's "revolutionary" AI writing app. Then the service changes, or their credit card fails to process, or the company pivots, and suddenly months of work is trapped behind a login screen they can't access.

This isn't theoretical. AI companies are burning through cash, getting acquired, changing strategies. The hot new platform everyone's using today might not exist next year. Or it might exist but cost 10x more. Or delete your history after 30 days unless you pay for premium.

The Markdown Solution

My solution is almost embarrassingly simple: I keep everything in plain text files, specifically Markdown format. Not because I'm technical (Markdown is just plain text with a few simple symbols), but because it's the most portable format that exists.

Here's what my setup looks like:

• A folder called "AI-Work" on my computer
• Subfolders for different types of content (bios, project descriptions, LinkedIn posts, prompts that work well)
• Everything saved as .md files (which are just text files with different extension)

That's it. No special software. No cloud subscription. No proprietary format.

Why Markdown Works

Markdown is just text with minimal formatting marks:

• # Title for headings
• **bold** for emphasis
• - item for lists
• Regular paragraphs need no marks at all

Every AI system can read it. Every computer can open it. You can edit it in Notepad, TextEdit, or any phone app. It'll still be readable in 20 years when today's AI platforms are digital archaeology.

More importantly, you can instantly feed your content to any AI system. Testing a new model? Copy, paste, go. Want to compare how three different AIs handle your content? Copy, paste three times. No export process, no formatting issues, no begging for your data back.

My Actual Workflow

I keep files like these ready at all times:

• bio.md: Different versions of my bio (short, medium, long)
• linkedin-posts.md: Last 18 months of posts, easy to analyze or repurpose
• project-descriptions.md: Standard descriptions I can quickly modify
• prompt-library.md: Prompts that consistently work well
• meeting-notes/: Folder with dated files for each significant AI session

When I use any AI system, I:

1. Copy relevant context from my files
2. Paste into whatever AI I'm testing
3. Save any useful outputs back to my files
4. Never rely on the AI platform to remember anything

The Payoff

This approach has saved me multiple times:

• When ChatGPT's history got wiped during an update
• When a startup AI writing tool I was testing shut down with 48 hours notice
• When Claude's project feature hit its limit and started deleting old content
• When I wanted to switch from GPT-4 to Claude for a specific project

But the biggest benefit? I can instantly test new AI systems. When Google releases a new model, I can evaluate it in minutes with my standard test content. When a client asks "have you tried X?", I can give them a real answer based on actual testing, not marketing materials.

Beyond Text

The same principle applies to everything:

• Images: Save originals and prompts separately
• Code: Keep it in plain files, not locked in AI platforms
• Research: Download important responses as text/PDF
• Conversations: Export anything valuable immediately

The One-Hour Investment

Set this up once:

1. Create a folder called "AI-Work" (or whatever)
2. Create a few starter files with your common content
3. Get in the habit of saving important stuff immediately
4. That's it

You don't need to learn Git, use special software, or become technical. Just save text files. It's almost stupidly simple, which is why it works.

The Real Point

AI platforms want to be sticky. They want you dependent on their interface, their features, their way of doing things. That's their business model. But your business (or life) shouldn't be held hostage by their business.

Use whatever AI platforms you want. Try them all. But keep your work, your ideas, and your content in formats you control. Because the only constant in AI right now is change, and the only way to stay flexible is to stay independent.

When the next "game-changing" AI platform launches next week (and one will), you'll be ready to test it properly. When your current favorite platform inevitably changes in ways you don't like, you'll switch without losing anything.

That's what being in control actually looks like. Not avoiding these platforms, but using them on your terms.

© 2025 Uli Hitzel  

This book is released under the Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial 4.0 International license (CC BY-NC 4.0).  
You may copy, distribute, and adapt the material for any non-commercial purpose, provided you give appropriate credit, include a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. For commercial uses, please contact the author.

Version 0.1, last updated July 8th 2025