How to Use AI Better
10 lessons to 10x the value you get out of AI
We shape our tools, and thereafter our tools shape us
— Marshall McLuhan, philosopher
When the wrong man uses the right means, the right means work in the wrong way
— Old Taoist proverb
It's not the wand, it's the wizard
— Duff Goldman, businessman
Human knowledge and human power meet in one; for where the cause is not known the effect cannot be produced
— Francis Bacon, philosopher
A bad workman quarrels with his tools
— Proverb (attributed to George Herbert)
It is essential to have good tools, but it is also essential that the tools should be used in the right way
— Wallace D. Wattles, writer
A fool with a tool is still a fool
— Grady Booch, software engineer
Ok, you get it. Those quotes capture what this post is about: As powerful as AI can be, unless you change the way you think about it and truly learn to use it, you will still be just “a fool with a tool.”
Apply these 10 lessons to increase the value you get out of AI 10x (or some other number that you find comfortable believing). These are not simple prompts or dumb slogans that sound nice but are useless. These are deep mindset reframes. Take your time to absorb them. Come back as often as you need.
Here’s the outline, in case it pulls you in:
Focused agency >>> dispersed curiosity
When intelligence is free, pay up in imagination
Cultivate taste like art curators and fashion designers
ChatGPT is not a person, but it is your acquaintance
To know if AI works, don’t read news—try it yourself
Study, study, study, study, and study a bit more
Reflect on how your brain changes, because it will
Go meta: ChatGPT is good at using ChatGPT
Don't disregard the usefulness of custom instructions
The smartest people I know always go extra meta