Artificial intelligence, or AI, has become a popular subject over the last few years. Some people are excited about it, while others are unsure or even a little afraid of it.

That is understandable. New technology can be intimidating, especially for someone who only turns on a computer to check email or look at Facebook.

However, AI does not have to be complicated. For Cowboy Action Shooting clubs, match directors and shooters, it can be a surprisingly useful tool.

Giving Cowboy Action Shooting More Visibility

One of the first changes I noticed when AI became popular was the increase in graphics promoting Cowboy Action Shooting matches.

Before AI, many clubs would create a simple Facebook post announcing the date and time of their next shoot. There was nothing wrong with that, but it was easy for those announcements to get lost among everything else on social media.

Then clubs began creating colorful, Old West-style posters using AI.

Once one club did it, another club saw the idea and tried it. Then another club joined in. Today, Facebook is filled with great-looking graphics promoting monthly shoots, state championships, annual matches and special events.

That additional visibility is good for our sport.

That small moment of curiosity can lead someone to visit a club, watch a match or eventually become a shooter.

AI allows even a small club without a graphic designer or large advertising budget to produce something exciting and professional-looking.

You Do Not Have to Be a Computer Expert

Some people hear the words “artificial intelligence” and immediately think it must be complicated.

In reality, programs such as ChatGPT can be easier to use than searching the internet. You do not have to know special computer commands. You simply explain what you need in ordinary language, almost like you are talking to someone sitting next to you.

You might type:

AI can then create a starting point for your announcement.

You can ask it to make the post funnier, shorter, more exciting or more Western. You can tell it to add your club’s name, address, contact information or other important details.

You are always in control of the conversation.

AI Can Help Clubs Try Something New

Many of the people running Cowboy Action Shooting clubs have been doing it for years. They have spent countless hours writing stages, organizing matches, preparing ranges and keeping their clubs operating.

After a while, it can become easy to fall into a routine and do the same things repeatedly. That does not mean anyone is doing a bad job. Sometimes people simply do not have the time or energy to start something completely new.

AI can help provide that starting point.

A match director can ask for new stage ideas, different sweeps, humorous stories, match themes, shooter instructions or ideas gathered from successful matches.

Shoot books and stage descriptions have been shared online by clubs from across the country. AI can help locate and compare publicly available ideas, summarize information and suggest different directions.

It does not mean that every suggestion should be used. It simply gives the match director more ideas to consider.

Our AI-Assisted Mystery Match

At the Wolfpack Ranch Cowboy Action Shooting Club, we decided to test how much AI could help us create our fifth annual Battle at Adobe Walls match.

Our theme was a mystery called The Case of the Vanished Payroll.

AI helped us develop the mystery from the beginning. It assisted with creating the characters, writing their backgrounds, developing clues, deciding how the clues would be distributed and writing the overall story.

It also helped us create hints and organize the information so shooters could follow the mystery throughout the match.

We provided the ideas, personalities and direction. AI helped turn those ideas into a complete story.

I also tested AI by asking it to draft ten Cowboy Action Shooting stages. For the most part, it did a surprisingly good job. It gave us a foundation that could be reviewed, corrected and adjusted for our range.

AI also helped with the shoot book. We could give it information and ask it to make the writing sound funny, serious, dramatic or authentically Western.

That was a major time-saver.

Instead of spending hours trying to write the first draft, we could concentrate on improving the match and creating a better experience for our shooters.

AI Is a Helper, Not the Match Director

AI is not perfect.

It can make mistakes, misunderstand instructions or create something that simply does not work.

When we asked it to create graphics showing target placement, the results became too complicated and were not practical for our range. We decided not to use AI for that part of the match.

That is an important lesson.

Range safety, target placement, stage flow and compliance with SASS rules must always be decided and confirmed by experienced people who understand the range and the sport.

AI does not know your shooters, your props, your berms or the physical limitations of your range.

Think of AI as another tool in the match director’s toolbox. It is there to help get the work started, but the final decision always belongs to the people running the match.

Saving Time Behind the Scenes

Running a Cowboy Action Shooting club takes a tremendous amount of behind-the-scenes work.

Someone must write the stages, prepare the shoot book, announce the match, answer questions, create social media posts, organize volunteers and keep shooters informed.

AI can assist with:

• Match announcements
• Facebook and social media posts
• Posters and promotional graphics
• Shoot-book stories
• Stage descriptions
• Match themes and character ideas
• Sponsor letters
• Thank-you messages
• Club newsletters
• Volunteer instructions
• Award descriptions
• Website and blog content
• Ideas for attracting new shooters

The purpose is not to eliminate the human side of the sport. The purpose is to reduce the amount of time spent staring at a blank computer screen.

The less time club leaders spend struggling with the first draft of a poster, email or story, the more time they can spend improving the range and taking care of their shooters.

Helping New People Discover the Sport

AI has also helped Cowboy Action Shooting become more visible on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.

More clubs and individual shooters are sharing videos, match highlights, costumes, stage runs and behind-the-scenes content.

Those posts help people see that Cowboy Action Shooting is more than firearms and competition. It is history, costuming, friendship, family, community and fun.

I do not know the exact number of people who have joined Cowboy Action Shooting because of this increased online visibility. However, it is reasonable to believe that more people are discovering the sport because they are seeing it presented in exciting and creative ways.

AI is helping us get that message in front of more people.

Do Not Be Afraid to Experiment

You do not have to understand everything about AI before you use it.

Start with one small project.

Ask it to write an announcement for your next monthly match. Ask it to create a theme. Ask for five funny stage names. Ask it to rewrite something with more of an Old West tone.

Read what it gives you and decide what you like.

You can tell it:

• “That is too complicated.”
• “Make it shorter.”
• “Make it funnier.”
• “Give it more of an Old West feeling.”
• “Keep the information, but make it easier to understand.”

Using AI is a conversation. You do not have to accept the first answer, and you cannot break anything by asking it to try again.

The more clearly you explain what you need, the better the results will usually be.