You're Using AI Wrong (Probably)

Most businesses treat AI like a faster Google. They ask it questions, get generic answers, and then wonder why nothing changes.

That is not a tool problem. That is a usage problem.

If you are only using AI to rewrite emails, summarize notes, or do low-value admin, you are leaving most of the leverage on the table.

The Pressure Test

Next time you have a business decision, do not ask AI to brainstorm.

Use it to pressure-test the plan.

Try this prompt:

"I am evaluating [a business idea / a new vendor / a pricing change / a market entry]. Here is the situation: [describe it in 2-3 sentences]. Give me the three strongest reasons this will fail. Then give me the three things I am not seeing that could make or break this."

This forces AI to attack your thinking rather than agree with it.

That is where the value starts.

Why this works

Used properly, AI becomes a cheap way to stress-test decisions before you pay for them.

It can highlight gaps in your logic, blind spots in your assumptions, and weaknesses in your execution plan.

That is far more useful than asking it to do cosmetic work faster.

What good AI usage looks like

• Strategy stress-testing: pressure-test a decision before you commit
• Customer objection mapping: ask AI to play the skeptical buyer
• Competitor scenario planning: map likely responses before the market forces them on you
• Process bottleneck identification: find where a workflow will break before it does

These are not "write me an email" tasks.

They are "help me think better" tasks.

The choice

You can keep using AI as a faster way to do the work you already do.

Or you can use it to challenge your assumptions, pressure-test your plans, and find the blind spots before they cost you.