Stop Using AI Like Google

What you'll learn

The four ways to use AI, and why most people stop at the first
Why thinking comes before delegating
How to get several expert perspectives on one problem

Why this matters. Most people use AI the way they use a search engine: ask a question, get an answer, move on. That's fine, but it's the least interesting thing AI can do. This chapter shows you what else is on the menu.

The big idea: four ways to use AI

Think of it as a ladder. Most people are standing on the bottom rung.

Mode	What you're doing	Example
1. Search engine	Asking for an answer. Useful, but basic.	"What's a good price for a one-day workshop?"
2. Thinking partner	Getting help to think something through.	"Don't tell me what to charge. Help me work it out. What am I missing?"
3. Assistant	Handing over a task, like an agent with one job.	"Turn these notes into a one-page proposal."
4. Team	Getting several perspectives, or several agents each with a job.	"Look at this from a marketer's, an accountant's and a sceptical customer's point of view."

Notice the order. Thinking comes before doing. Before you hand AI a task, use it to help you think about whether it's the right task in the first place.

Search engine: useful, but basic

Asking AI a question is fine for facts and quick explanations. The trouble is that the answer is only as good as the question, and most of our questions are missing half the story. (More on that in the Define chapter.)

Thinking partner: now AI is helping you think

This is the big shift. Instead of asking for the answer, you ask AI to help you work through the problem:

Prompt to copy

I'm thinking about raising my prices. Don't tell me what to do yet. Help me think it through. What am I missing? Challenge my assumptions. What evidence would you want to see?

You'll notice the conversation changes. AI starts asking questions, spotting gaps and pointing out things you hadn't considered.

Assistant: AI does the work

Once you know what you want, AI is brilliant at doing the legwork: drafting, summarising, extracting, formatting, building a first version. Think of it as an assistant (or an "agent") given one specific task.

Team: different lenses, different jobs

This is where it gets really interesting. You can ask AI to look at a problem from several perspectives at once:

Prompt to copy

Imagine I've got a marketing expert, an accountant, an operations manager and a sceptical customer sitting around the table. Look at my plan to launch a membership from each perspective. Where would they agree? Where would they disagree? What questions would each of them ask?

Suddenly you've got four lenses on one problem. And as AI agents become more common, you can go a step further and set up each role as its own agent, with its own job: one researches, one runs the numbers, one drafts the email.

Note: AI isn't literally your accountant, solicitor or surveyor, and it doesn't replace them. Use these perspectives to improve your thinking before you speak to the real people. You'll turn up with much better questions.

Try it yourself

Pick a decision you're facing this month. Ask your AI about it in "search engine" mode first. Then ask again in "thinking partner" mode using the prompt above. Compare the two conversations. Which one helped you more?

Think about it

Where are you on the ladder today? What's one thing you could hand to AI as an "assistant" this week?

Quick check

What's the difference between using AI as a search engine and as a thinking partner?
Why does "thinking partner" come before "assistant" on the ladder?
Does using a "team" of AI perspectives replace your accountant? Why or why not?

Answers: (1) A search engine gives you an answer; a thinking partner helps you work the problem through. (2) Because you should think about whether it's the right task before delegating it. (3) No. AI perspectives are lenses to improve your thinking before you speak to the real professionals.

Key takeaways

There are four ways to use AI: search engine, thinking partner, assistant, team.
Most people stop at the first one. The value is further up.
Think first, then delegate.
AI perspectives are lenses, not professionals.