Structured Thinking

🤖 AI TRIVIA

AI is becoming commonplace at work but using AI and using it in meaningful and advanced ways are very different things.

In a global study of 15,000 employees across 29 countries, what percentage qualified as advanced AI users who were using the technology in ways that transformed how they work?

A. 5%
B. 18%
C. 32%
D. 47%

No Googling! 😆

Drop your guess — A, B, C, or D — in the comments.

If you’re playing along, our last question: AI is one of the most sophisticated tools developed, but what language does it operate in when you strip all the layers away? Correct Answer: B (Binary Code). As sophisticated as it is, at it’s most basic level, AI is just a series of 1 and 0.

LOOP LESSON: The Decisions You Didn't Know AI Made

You ask AI: “Summarize this report and tell me what I need to know.”

It gives you a great summary. You read it, understand the major points, and move on. Sounds simple enough, except somewhere between your request and that final answer, a lot of decisions were made.

AI had to determine what information was important enough to include and what could be left out. It had to decide which details deserved emphasis, how different pieces of information related to each other, what your phrase “need to know” probably meant, and how much explanation was appropriate. You didn't explicitly make all of those decisions, so who did?

This becomes even more important when the task gets more complicated. Imagine using AI to evaluate job candidates, conduct analysis or research, recommend priorities, or draft proposals. There are dozens of smaller judgments buried inside what looks like one simple request.

This doesn't automatically make the output unreliable, but it does mean you should know where judgment is hiding. As AI becomes more sophisticated, these automated decision layers can sometimes be hard to identify.

A useful habit you should develop is occasionally asking: “What decisions or assumptions did you have to make to produce this result that I didn't explicitly specify?”

You may discover that AI interpreted something differently than you intended, prioritized something you wouldn't have, filled in missing context, or made a perfectly reasonable assumption that simply isn't true in your situation. The important thing to understand is that the finished output isn't the entire AI interaction.

Sometimes becoming better at working with AI means learning to look underneath the answer and recognize the decisions that produced it.

That's Operational Literacy with AI.

Want to know more about Operational Literacy with AI, visit our website: www.structuredthinking.co

⚡ AI CHALLENGE: Can You Get AI to Tell You You're Wrong?
AI is good at helping us develop ideas, but that often means it follows the direction we’ve already established. This is why you’ve probably heard people say things like, “Tell AI not to agree with you.”

That’s a great place to start, but there’s a difference between telling the tool not to agree with you and actually using it to challenge your thinking around an output.

Try this: Think of a real decision, idea, strategy, or approach you’re currently considering. Provide your explanation and context to AI and then ask, “What do you think?” Read the answer, but DON’T stop.

Instead, tell the tool to flat-out assume you are wrong. Have it build the strongest case against your conclusion, identify weak or incorrect assumptions, and provide evidence for its reasoning. Ask it to provide an alternative explanation or approach you should seriously consider. Read the answer, but DON’T stop.

Now look at all the responses. Have AI compare both positions. Ask it to identify hidden dependencies, overlooked risks, and any new information or questions that surface from the comparison itself.

Now you’ve done something different. You’ve actually used the tool to challenge your thinking.

A lot of times, getting the most value from AI isn’t about asking the perfect question, but it’s about intentionally creating an interaction that forces you to examine your thinking behind it all.

That’s Operational Literacy with AI: not just producing something with AI, but knowing how to use the interaction itself to improve your own thinking.

📚 Check out our Free Resource Library: https://www.structuredthinking.co/operational-literacy-resource-library

It's time for some...🤖 AI TRIVIA!!!

AI is one of the most sophisticated tools ever developed. But when you strip all the layers away, what “language” does it ultimately operate in?

A. Mathematical formulas
B. Binary code
C. Python
D. Natural language

If you’ve been following along, last week’s trivia was: Which country produced the most notable AI Models in 2025? The answer: C. The United States.

🕵️ AI MYTHBUSTER: Can AI Actually Be Dangerous?
A former researcher at both Anthropic and OpenAI recently warned about the possibility of advanced AI eventually posing an existential threat to humanity. So, can AI actually be dangerous?

Yes, it certainly can.

You've probably seen headlines about AI agents “escaping,” breaking into systems, or even attempting to “blackmail” someone. There is truth behind these stories, although much of this occurred during deliberate testing by the AI companies trying to determine just how far their models could go under adverse conditions. What they've discovered has some people very concerned.

Years ago, another emerging technology frightened the world: atomic energy. The same science that could be used destructively also held enormous potential. Today, nuclear energy generates about one-tenth of the world's electricity and is one of the largest sources of low-carbon power. The capability was powerful and what humans did with it mattered.

So what's the real myth? It’s this: The only AI danger worth worrying about is some future superintelligence suddenly becoming evil and ending humanity.

The real truth is that AI is becoming extraordinarily capable and that capability can be placed in educated hands or uneducated hands. AI can operate with good information or bad information, clear boundaries or virtually none, and with limited authority or extensive authority. That's where Operational Literacy with AI sits: with the human in the equation.

Before we automate the work or hand over another decision, people need to understand how to direct AI, evaluate what it produces, establish its boundaries, and recognize where human judgment belongs.

AI is powerful. That's precisely why learning how to think with it, evaluate it, direct it, and govern what you allow it to do matters.

AI Unfiltered happens TODAY. This FREE event starts at 4:00 PM. You don't have to be an expert, just someone who wants to know more about how others are using AI, share what you're doing, get some feedback on what you're working on, give some feedback on what someone else is working on, or just enjoy the good vibes at Texas LIVE in Arlington. Use the QR code to sign-up on the form if you want notifications about today's event. This event is FREE so don't hesitate to bring a friend. :)

Professionalism meets accountability! Fewer mistakes, more reliable, professional results… for some reason this isn’t selling us. 🤔😂

Hmm… just one more piece of evidence that human judgment is still very much needed.

Happy Friday everyone! 😆

⚡ AI CHALLENGE: Does AI Know Your Business Exists?
Here's a quick experiment for all the business owners and entrepreneurs. Open the AI tool you normally use and ask: “I'm looking for a [YOUR SERVICE] in [YOUR CITY/AREA]. Who would you recommend?”

Don't mention your business. Don't give it any hints.

Did you show up? 👀

Now change the question. Ask who the best providers are. Ask for a recommendation based on a specific need your customers have. Try another AI tool. If your AI has web search, try it with search on and off.

Were the results the same? Were you impressed? Surprised? Completely confused? 😆

AI operates under certain principles and conditions. Understanding how all of these things influence the result produced by AI can give you a strategic advantage.

That's what we mean by Operational Literacy with AI.

At Structured Thinking, we don't focus on teaching people the latest AI tool. Tools will keep changing. We focus on developing the thinking and operational capability behind the tool — so you can work effectively with whatever comes next.

Check out our Free Resource Library:
https://www.structuredthinking.co/operational-literacy-resource-library

This weeks AI Trivia question: Which country produced the largest number of notable AI models in 2025?

For those of you following along… last weeks questions gave you three truths and a lie. The answer: letter B was false. An AI-generated song did not top the Billboard Hot 100 in the 1980’s. The other three really did happen, which means the term ‘artificial intelligence’ has been around since 1955, an early chatbot appeared in 1966, and AI defeated a reigning world chess champion in 1997.

This weeks AI Trivia question: Which country produced the largest number of notable AI models in 2025?

For those of you following along… last weeks questions gave you three truths and a lie. The answer: letter B was the lie. An AI-generated song did not top the Billboard Hot 100 in the 1980’s. The other three really did happen, which means the term ‘artificial intelligence’ has been around since 1955, an early chatbot appeared in 1966, and AI defeated a reigning world chess champion in 1997.