A while back, my daughter asked for a home media server. What started as a simple dad/daughter project quickly evolved into a powerful case study in AI-guided process improvement. I’d heard of Plex, but I couldn’t bring myself to pay a subscription for a service I’d still have to host myself. So, I began exploring other options. This search led me to Emby, and then to a fantastic open-source fork called Jellyfin.
But how to host it? A Synology NAS? A mini-computer?
Meanwhile, I had this 10-year-old Dell laptop sitting around, just shy of being eligible for the Windows 11 upgrade. In an effort to extract more life out of it, I’d already ditched Windows and put Linux Mint on it. Before long, I realized this laptop—this relative “door stop”—could be the very thing I needed.
What started as a simple request quickly evolved into something much bigger. I turned to AI, switching between models like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini. I told them my goal: build a media server, from hardware evaluation to software installation. AI was the perfect partner. It didn’t just give me commands; it acted as a consultant. When I asked about installation, it suggested Docker, a method for quickly deploying programs I’d never heard of. When I asked how to access it from outside my home, it suggested Cloudflare Zero Trust (CZT), solving the roaming IP issue that historically blocked consumer hosting.
After a few “laps” with my new AI partners, Jellyfin was installed and serving up movies. And that’s when the lightbulb went off.
The looming annual bill for my Dreamhost web hosting was on my mind. My main motivation was cost savings. I thought, “Wait a minute. If I can do this with Jellyfin… I can do this with other things, too.”
From Media Server to Productivity Engine
I always assumed my website (this very site) was “creaky” because of the nature of WordPress combined with Dreamhost—that what I was experiencing was the convergence between a somewhat heavy blogging platform and being one of thousands of websites competing for resources on a shared server. I came to find out only half of that equation is true.
During my exploration of Docker, I discovered WordPress was available.
Using my freshly honed skills and some more AI-guided instruction, I installed WordPress on my laptop and transitioned my entire site. The looming Dreamhost bill was my motivation, but the result was the real epiphany.
My website wasn’t just cheaper to run; it was night-and-day faster!
WordPress isn’t “creaky” at all. The experience of my site, now hosted on a 10-year-old laptop in my bedroom, was lightning-fast. My productivity in developing the site soared due to not having to wait for ages for each update to save. This new speed was a genuine breakthrough, similar to the results of the music organization script I wrote in Directory Opus.
That speed and control bled over into everything else. I refined my brand. I reformatted my resume. I built a new digital business card. I felt a renewed pride in this platform, making me more confident to share my work.
My AI-Guided Process Improvement: The Real Takeaway
This project perfectly mirrors a conversation from a recent VCU School of Business panel I attended, “Keeping it Human in the Age of AI.” The context of the panel discussion was based on the common fear that AI is going to replace jobs. I am certainly not here to invalidate those fears because they are valid. However, what I want to do is offer an alternate narrative. My laptop project is an excellent metaphor for this.
The capabilities of AI haven’t replaced what I have to offer. Through the power of this technology, I magnified myself. AI was the springboard. It took my existing skills and curiosity and gave me the tools (Docker, CZT) and the knowledge to execute a project I wouldn’t have known how to start. I turned a “creaky,” costly, shared process (Dreamhost) into a lean, fast, automated, and near-zero-cost system.
This is the true potential of AI in the workplace, and a perfect example of AI-guided process improvement. It’s a theme I’ve explored before when thinking about leveling up my productivity. It’s not a threat; it’s a tool to give employees heightened abilities. Leaders shouldn’t see AI as a way to cut costs by replacing people. They should see it as a way to empower their existing teams to find and build new, transformative efficiencies.
What went from a simple request turned into a total transformation. That laptop “door stop” truly became a “door knob.” And after I opened it? I just kept building. Since that first project, I’ve used the same setup to host my own personal cloud (Nextcloud), project management boards (kan.bn), time tracking (Solidtime), a music server, and even a messaging platform.
It all started with a laptop, a need, and a little help from artificial intelligence.
