The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →“Wait, that was AI?” is the moment Thanh Pham wants an AI demonstration to create—not through a staged presentation, but by letting someone experience useful work first. His “demo by doing” approach means using AI in an ordinary professional task, then explaining its role when the conversation naturally turns to it.
What “demo by doing” means
In a conventional demo, a presenter explains a tool while an audience watches. Pham’s alternative is to let the work itself make the capability visible: use AI to handle a real, appropriate task, deliver the result, and disclose the tool when there is a natural opening.
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The distinction is about the order of the experience, not hiding AI. The person should understand what happened and have a chance to ask questions; the approach is not a reason to mislead anyone about how work was produced.
Two examples from Thanh Pham
Scheduling a discovery call
Pham describes an AI scheduling agent built on Lindy that replied to emails and coordinated a discovery-call appointment. He says he explained the agent’s role during the call, after the other participant had already experienced the scheduling exchange. This is a personal anecdote; no independently verified performance measurements are provided. Pham’s account at Asian Efficiency does not establish Lindy’s current features or pricing.
#1 Best Overall
- AI-Powered Raspberry Pi Robot Dog — PiDog: Powered by Raspberry Pi (5/4B/3B+/3B/Zero 2W), OpenClaw, and multi-LLMs like ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek, Qwen & Ollama. With 12 servos, camera, gyroscope, hearing & touch sensors, PiDog can see, listen, talk, move, and interact intelligently. Supports OpenCV, MediaPipe, TTS & STT, app control, FPV & Python. A great STEM robotics gift for students, makers & tech enthusiasts—perfect for birthdays and holidays. (Raspberry Pi not included)
- Realistic Dog-like Movements: PiDog's 12 powerful servos enable 32 dog-like actions, including walking, sitting, standing, shaking its head, wagging its tail, and performing playful tricks, closely mimicking a real dog and providing an engaging experience. This is an AI development robot product designed for engineers, suitable for ages 15 and above
- Rich Sensor Suite for Interactive Experiences: PiDog features ultrasonic, touch, gyroscope, sound, camera, speaker and microphone. These provide it with advanced hearing, vision, and touch, enabling it to see, detect obstacles, respond to touch, and recognize sounds, making interactions highly engaging
- AI-Powered Interactions with OpenClaw & Multi-LLMs. PiDog combines voice, vision, and gesture recognition for immersive AI experiences. Powered by OpenClaw and multi-LLMs like ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek, Qwen, Doubao, and Ollama (local LLMs), it can understand questions, respond naturally through TTS & STT, recognize math problems, interpret hand gestures, and hold smart conversations. OpenClaw also enables customizable AI behaviors and personalized robotics development, helping users create their own intelligent robotic companion
- Comprehensive Learning Resources and Support: PiDog offers detailed online documentation, video tutorials, prompt technical support, and an active forum community, ensuring beginners can easily complete all projects and enjoy a great experience
Organizing notes during a planning call
In a second anecdote, Pham says a call was being transcribed and organized from the start. When the client reached for a notepad, they realized notes were already being captured. The account does not name the transcription service, and it does not establish how accurately the notes captured the conversation.
Why the approach may feel more convincing
Pham’s explanation is that people watching a prepared presentation evaluate a tool from the outside, while someone who has received useful work can judge an actual experience. He also argues that using AI for routine tasks can make it seem like a normal part of work rather than a novelty introduced for a pitch.
Rank #2
- Optimized AI Arm Kit for LeRobot & Hugging Face Projects – The SO-ARM101 is an upgraded low-cost robotic arm servo motor kit designed for AI robotics enthusiasts and developers. Fully compatible with LeRobot and Hugging Face frameworks, it supports imitation learning and reinforcement learning, making it ideal for real-world robotics applications. (3D-printed parts not included.)
- Enhanced Wiring & Performance – Compared to the SO-ARM100, the SO-ARM101 features improved wiring to prevent disconnection at joint 3 and eliminates range-of-motion limitations. The leader arm uses optimized gear ratio motors for smoother performance—no external gearboxes required.
- Real-Time Leader-Follower Functionality – New real-time tracking allows the leader arm to follow the follower arm, enabling human intervention and correction during reinforcement learning (RL) training. Perfect for hands-on AI robotics development and research.
- Open-Source, DIY-Friendly & Nvidia-Compatible – Developed by TheRobotStudio, this open-source AI Arm kit integrates seamlessly with the LeRobot platform, offering PyTorch-based datasets, simulation, training, and deployment tools. Fully compatible with Nvidia Jetson edge devices, including reComputer Mini J4012 Orin NX 16 GB.
- Comprehensive Learning Resources – Includes detailed open-source assembly and calibration guides, testing tutorials, and deployment instructions. From wiring to AI training, get everything you need to start building, teaching, and optimizing your robotic arm for grasping and placing tasks.
Those are the author’s reasons for recommending the method, not demonstrated sales or adoption outcomes. The article reports no controlled comparison, survey, conversion data, or measured productivity gains. A good experience may make an AI capability more concrete, but it does not prove the tool is suitable for every task or audience.
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How to try “demo by doing” responsibly
- Choose a real, low-risk task. Consider a follow-up draft, a research summary, meeting coordination, or call notes—routine work where an imperfect first output will not create serious consequences.
- Keep the result reviewable. Check AI-generated replies, summaries, and notes before they are sent or relied on. Correct errors and handle sensitive decisions yourself.
- Fit the tool to the workflow. For any AI service you consider, assess whether it performs the task adequately, produces reliable output, protects information appropriately, works with your existing tools, and leaves a manageable amount of human review.
- Be thoughtful about information and consent. Before using AI with someone else’s messages or a meeting, consider what information the service will receive, who can access it, and whether participants should be told or asked before recording or transcription begins. The cited account does not explain its privacy or consent practices, so it cannot answer those questions for your situation.
- Explain the AI when relevant. Once the work has a natural result to discuss, say what the tool did and what you reviewed. Invite questions rather than turning the explanation into a sales pitch.
What the examples do—and do not—show
The scheduling and transcription stories illustrate how AI-supported work might be encountered in an ordinary interaction. They do not identify the transcription product, establish current product capabilities, or show that an unannounced workflow will improve trust, sales, or adoption. Treat “demo by doing” as a practical way to make a capability tangible, not a proven formula or a substitute for transparency.
Quick Recap
Rank #4
- 【End-to-End Imitation Learning】Hiwonder SO-ARM101 robot arm is an embodied intelligent hardware platform compatible with the Lerobot open-source framework. It provides developers with streamlined access to shared code, templates, and pre-trained models to explore the latest advancements in AI research.
- 【Dual-Camera Vision System】Equipped with both a gripper-mounted camera and an external camera, the system supports both precise manipulation and environmental awareness for accurate imitation learning.
- 【Hiwonder High-Performance Bus Servos】Featuring 12 high-torque bus servo motors with magnetic feedback, the Hiwonder SO-Arm101 robotic arm delivers smooth, stable motion, eliminating issues like power deficiency and jitter.
- 【Professional Control & Debugging】Integrated with the Hiwonder BusLinker V3.0 debugging board, the system supports servo scanning, real-time status monitoring, and trajectory control. The professional PC software simplifies device calibration and debugging, making it accessible for both researchers and hobbyists.
- 【Open-Source Compatibility】The SO-ARM101 robotic arm is designed to be fully compatible with the LeRobot open-source project. We acknowledge the contributions of the open-source community; all trademarks and copyrights belong to their respective owners.
Rank #3
- Raspberry Pi AI Robot: powered by Raspberry Pi (5/4B/3B+/3B/Zero 2W), features 12 servos and sensors for vision, hearing, and touch. Integrated with ChatGPT-4o, it responds to complex queries. With app control and FPV, users can manage and see its view in real-time. It supports Python programming
- Realistic Movements: 12 powerful servos enable 32 actions, including walking, sitting, standing, shaking its head, wagging its tail, and performing playful tricks, closely mimicking a real and providing an engaging experience
- Rich Sensor Suite for Interactive Experiences: features ultrasonic, touch, gyroscope, sound, camera, speaker and microphone. These provide it with advanced hearing, vision, and touch, enabling it to see, detect obstacles, respond to touch, and recognize sounds, making interactions highly engaging
- Engaging Interactions with ChatGPT-4o: with ChatGPT-4o enables voice interactions and visual recognition, making it smarter and more responsive. Users can have natural conversations, solve math problems via the camera, and interpret gestures, creating diverse and fun interactions
- Comprehensive Learning Resources and Support: offers detailed online documentation, video tutorials, prompt technical support, and an active forum community, ensuring beginners can easily complete all projects and enjoy a great experience
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