Warning: Don't outsource your thinking to AI
As powerful as AI is, there's a risk we need to talk about: the temptation to let AI take over the deeper thinking.
So today I want to talk about the right way and the wrong way to use AI chatbots like ChatGPT.
Here's what I mean: AI is fantastic at doing things like drafting written content, analyzing docs and datasets, and even brainstorming with you as a thought partner.
But it can't replicate the insight, intuition, or context that comes from you. The human judgement. The higher-order thinking.
That’s what makes great assistants so valuable to execs — and so indispensable.
Aid your thinking? Yes ✅
Replace your thinking? No ❌
Let me walk you through an example of one piece of work I outsource to AI all the time without compromising the real thinking behind it.
The 20-minute proposal 🕒
Here’s how it works:
Step 1: when meeting with a potential client, I use an AI meeting notetaker to capture a full transcript of the meeting
Step 2: I use the below prompt in ChatGPT or Claude and attach the transcript, my proposal template plus any additional details or context (like pricing)
Step 3: in seconds I have a high-quality draft based on my actual words and ideas
Step 4: I spend 5-10 mins refining it, tidying formatting in a doc, adding my style, and making sure it feels personal and tailored.
Prompt:
Act as an experienced b2b CRO. Use the attached call transcript to draft a high-quality, compelling proposal that meets this client’s needs and reflects what we’ve discussed. Mimic the format and style of past proposals I’ve created before (attached), and reference the attached sales deck for detail on our services.
The result? Instead of spending 2 hours on it, I get a polished proposal in 20 mins — and it's still 100% my insights and expertise driving the finished product.
How to feed in your own ideas
Notice that I feed in a ton of background detail: sales meeting notes, proposal template and pricing (at minimum) 👈 this is critical to get a high-quality result.
The trick is to figure out how to quickly and efficiently feed in your own ideas and context.
Here are three ways I do this every week and every day:
Use Gobble.bot to scrape my public web copy into plaintext, paste into ChatGPT
Use ChatGPT’s Advanced Voice mode to talk through my ideas in the phone app, get ChatGPT to transform into polished content
Use an AI meeting notetaker to generate a meeting transcript, paste into ChatGPT (note you can also use MS Word’s Dictate function for the transcript)
The bottom line? AI should augment your thinking, not replace it
AI can create a solid draft for anything you’re creating — provided you feed it enough context, raw data and thinking.
It’s obvious when people are over-reliant on AI. We’ve all seen it. Their work product ends up generic and derivative — it lacks the nuance and insight we bring as humans ☠️
That’s not to say AI isn’t capable of saving you a ton of time.. it will absolutely shave hours you spend on admin off your week if you know how to use it properly.
But it can’t do the higher-order thinking for you yet (and maybe that’s a good thing 🙃).
Save 8 hours every week.
You read that right — Carve AI alumni report saving a full day per week on admin tasks.
Imagine what you could accomplish with that time: more strategic projects, proactive problem-solving, and the freedom to focus on the bigger picture.
We just opened the doors to our next Carve AI cohort today — here's what's in store:
🚀 7 weeks of live, interactive sessions (2-3h/week time commitment)
🚀 Hands-on AI and automation practice
🚀 Learn alongside a community of ambitious EAs who share your goals and challenges
Hear what you can expect from one of our alums Natasha 👉 "The Carve AI course is an incredible way to rethink how you work. It's made AI a working tool, and created valuable efficiencies and time savings. I can't recommend it enough."
Kicks off February 11th, limited to 30 spots (I've got a waitlist of 118 people keen to join us so don't delay).
If you join by December 31st you'll enjoy a 20% early bird discount AND get a bonus 50-minute 1:1 AI coaching session with me.
Join today and future-proof your career 🌱
Enjoy the festive season!
Fi
p.s. I have two FREE festive 🎁 gifts for you this month: a mini session on how to make AI sound like you tomorrow, December 18th at 9:30 PT | 12:30 ET | 17:30 UK (comment or hit reply to get on the invite), and a prize draw for a chance to win a series of 3 × 1:1 AI coaching sessions with me (enter behind door no. 12)