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Using AI well Multi-tool 7 min read · free

Make AI your thinking partner, not a vending machine

Most people use AI like a vending machine — one question, one answer. The real unlock is letting it interview you, break big problems down, and pressure-test your thinking.

The short answer

Stop asking AI for a single finished answer. Ask it to interview you first, break the problem into steps, and argue against your own idea. Used as a thinking partner — not a vending machine — it helps you reach better decisions, not just faster text.

A vending machine gives you exactly what you punched in, nothing more. That is how most people use AI: one prompt, one output, done. But the highest-value use is the opposite — a back-and-forth where the AI draws out what you actually know, spots what you have missed, and stress-tests your reasoning. You stay the decision-maker; it makes your thinking sharper.

Best for this kind of back-and-forth
  • ▸Claude free — patient, good at structured reasoning and long threads
  • ▸ChatGPT free — flexible all-rounder for brainstorming and planning
  • ▸NotebookLM free — when you want it to think only from your own documents
Beginner

Let it interview you

The simplest upgrade: instead of dumping a half-formed question, ask the AI to question you. You almost always know more than you typed — the right questions pull it out of you and the answer gets far more specific because it is built on your real details, not its guesses.

  1. 1State the rough goal in one line.
  2. 2Ask the AI to interview you before answering — "ask me what you need to know".
  3. 3Answer its questions honestly, even briefly.
  4. 4Then let it produce the result, now grounded in your real situation.

Copy-paste prompts

promptI want to [goal]. Before you answer, ask me the 5 most useful questions you need so your answer is actually tailored to me. Ask them one at a time.
promptInterview me about [my business / my decision] like a sharp consultant would, then summarise what you learned and recommend a next step.
promptI am not sure what I am really trying to ask. Here is the messy version: [brain-dump]. Ask me questions until the real question is clear.
promptBefore writing anything, list the assumptions you would have to make. I will correct the wrong ones.
Intermediate

Break big problems into a chain

A huge ask in one prompt produces vague mush, because you are asking the model to do five jobs at once. Split the work into a chain — outline, then draft, then critique, then polish — and each step has one job it can do well. This is exactly how a good professional works, and the AI is better at each link when you let it focus.

  1. 1Name the steps the task naturally breaks into.
  2. 2Do them one at a time, feeding each result into the next.
  3. 3Check the output of each step before moving on.
  4. 4Keep each prompt narrow — one job per message.

Copy-paste prompts

promptWe will do this in steps. Step 1 only: give me an outline for [the task]. Do not write the full thing yet — wait for me to approve the outline.
promptGood. Step 2: write just the [first section] based on that outline.
promptNow critique what you just wrote as if you were a tough editor. List 3 weaknesses, then fix them.
promptFinal step: polish the whole thing for flow and cut 15% of the words.
promptBreak this big goal into the smallest sensible steps, then ask me which one to start with: [goal].
Advanced

Pressure-test your thinking

The most valuable thing a thinking partner does is disagree with you usefully. Ask the AI to argue the other side, find the holes, and play devil's advocate. You are not looking for flattery — you are looking for the objection you would rather not hear, while it is still cheap to fix.

  1. 1Share your plan or opinion plainly.
  2. 2Ask it to argue against you and find the weakest points.
  3. 3Ask what a smart critic or your toughest customer would say.
  4. 4Decide what to change — you keep the final call.

Copy-paste prompts

promptHere is my plan: [describe]. Argue the strongest case against it. What am I not seeing?
promptPlay devil's advocate. Give me the 3 objections a smart skeptic would raise, and how serious each one really is.
promptPretend you are my toughest customer. Why would you say no to this? [paste offer].
promptStress-test this decision: [decision]. What has to be true for it to work, and how likely is each of those things?
promptWhere am I being optimistic? Point out the assumptions I am treating as facts.
💡 Try this once today: take a decision you are weighing, paste it in, and ask the AI to argue against it. The goal is not to win the argument — it is to find the weak spot while it still costs nothing.

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