As AI tools become standard in our workflows, the question isn’t whether to use them, but how to use them thoughtfully. Too many people are treating AI like the Staples easy button – throw in a request, get an answer, move on. But that’s missing the real opportunity.
Had the privilege to lead a session on AI as Your Work Coach to over 500+ colleagues recently and introduced a new framework “CARE” to embed more thought into our interactions with Copilot or your Gen AI tool of choice.
- Context is key – give your Gen AI tool the download. Without context, it’s like asking Copilot to bring you dinner. Sure, it will give you something that is “dinner”, but will it satisfy you?
- Ask – prompting your Gen AI to ask you clarifying questions when your ask is still fairly ambiguous or more high stakes.
- Responsible – ask Gen AI to reflect on your request and ask you the relevant questions regarding potential impacts, risks and ethical considerations first before responding.
- Expectations – what is it that you expect for dinner that would actually make you happy? Tell it the quality, format, tone, and approach you want, with examples of what good looks like.
Think of the interaction between Gen AI and yourself as the relationship between a coach and a player, depending on your expertise on the topic.
Novices: You’re the player, AI is the coach
- You do the work, AI guides and corrects
- AI says “try this approach” or “what about this risk you missed?”
- You’re building the muscle memory of thinking and understanding the topic
Experts: AI is the player, you’re the coach
- AI does the initial execution, you direct strategy
- You say “take this angle” or “that’s off track, adjust here”
- You’re leveraging your experience and expertise to guide AI’s capabilities
This progression matters because it gets to the heart of a bigger question: how do we use AI to amplify our thinking without losing our ability to think critically? These two recent podcasts explore exactly this tension…
- Beyond the Prompt – Can AI Replace Me? Evan Ratliff on Letting an AI Clone Live His Life
- The Most Interesting Thing in AI – Outsourcing Thought – with Nicholas Thompson and Nita Farahany
Next time you’re about to use AI, pause and ask: where am I on this spectrum for this particular task? Am I building expertise that needs the struggle, or leveraging expertise that can direct the work?
