Quick Win: The dangerous AI shortcut that quietly erodes your judgment

AI can feel like the ultimate shortcut – no blank pages, no stuck moments. But what happens when you hand over too much of the thinking? 

In this Quick Win, I chat with business professor and author Scott Anthony about how he uses AI as a sparring partner for ideas, and why keeping ownership of the hard thinking is essential if we want to stay sharp.  

Scott and I discuss: 

• Why AI can easily replace the discomfort that leads to original thinking 

• How Scott uses multiple AI models (ChatGPT and Claude) to brainstorm from different perspectives 

• The importance of setting context and personas when prompting 

• Where Scott draws the line between useful AI help and losing his “thinking muscle” 

• A simple test to check if you’ve outsourced too much of your thought process 

KEY QUOTES 

“Use AI to brainstorm, to challenge, to widen the lens – but keep ownership of the hard thinking.” 

“Once you stop struggling with the blank page, you risk losing the very skill that makes your ideas valuable.” 

Check out Scott’s new book Epic Disruptions. 

Listen to the full conversation with Scott here. 

My latest book The Health Habit is out now. You can order a copy here: https://www.amantha.com/the-health-habit/  

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Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.  

Get in touch at [email protected]  

Credits:  

Host: Amantha Imber  

Sound Engineer: The Podcast Butler 

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