Information can help you understand a problem.
But understanding the problem doesn’t always tell you what to do.
Sometimes you need to explore different possibilities.
This is another area where AI can be useful.
Ask “What Could Be Possible?”
Imagine customer complaints have increased.
You could ask:
“What are some possible reasons this might have happened?”
AI might suggest several possibilities.
That’s useful.
But remember:
A possibility isn’t a fact.
It’s something worth investigating.
Look at More Than One Option
Suppose you have three possible ways to improve customer service.
You could ask AI to compare them.
For example:
| Option | Cost | Difficulty | Potential benefit | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Option A | Low | Easy | Medium | Low |
| Option B | Medium | Moderate | High | Medium |
| Option C | High | Difficult | High | High |
The table isn’t the decision.
It simply gives you a clearer way to think about the choices.
Ask AI to Disagree With You
This can be surprisingly useful.
If you’ve already decided what you want to do, ask:
“Challenge my conclusion. What might I have overlooked?”
Or:
“Make the strongest argument against this option.”
You may discover something you hadn’t considered.
Don’t Let AI Choose for You
AI can generate possibilities very quickly.
That doesn’t mean it knows which possibility is right for you.
You know things AI may not know:
Your priorities.
Your experience.
Your customers.
Your circumstances.
Use AI to expand the thinking.
Then use your own judgement to narrow it down.
Let’s Make It Practical
Choose a real problem or decision.
Give AI the information you’re comfortable sharing.
Ask:
What possibilities do you see?
What might explain the situation?
What assumptions am I making?
What alternatives should I consider?
What evidence would help me choose?
Then decide for yourself.
What You’ve Learned
AI can help you explore possibilities, compare options and challenge your thinking.
Its value isn’t always in giving you the answer.
Sometimes its value is helping you see possibilities you hadn’t considered.
But by now you may have noticed something.
There are a lot of different ways to use AI.
And there are a lot of different AI tools.
So how do you know which tool or approach is right for the job?
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