What AI Is Taking From Us Without Us Noticing

Lately, I’ve been thinking less about what AI can produce and more about what it’s doing to how we think.

We now live in a world where almost anything can be generated instantly using AI. And while that’s impressive, it’s driven me to a very deliberate choice in my own business.

Writing this newsletter myself is my Move that Matters.

This isn't because I don't want to use AI. I do use it, all day. It's because I don’t want to outsource the thinking.

There’s a quiet risk in defaulting to AI for first drafts, ideas, or viewpoints. We skip the struggle that actually creates clarity.

Thinking doesn’t happen when words automatically appear on the screen. It happens because we try to find the words.

And like any skill or muscle, if we don’t use it, we lose it. There are countless examples:

• Use of calculators reducing numerical sense

• Spellcheck and autocomplete reducing writing fluency

• GPS reducing our navigation skills

The convenience and speed gained is significant but it comes at a cost.

I believe the same can happen with our thinking.

When we stop going through the struggle to clearly articulate our ideas ourselves, we weaken our critical thinking skills and reduce our capability to lead, decide and explain our reasoning under pressure.

I'm a mathematician, so for me writing doesn't come easily. But that's exactly why I'm doing it.

The effort forces me to clarify what I actually believe. It deepens my understanding of the strategies I use with my clients.

And it pulls together ideas that no AI ever could. My experience running a business in agriculture and manufacturing. My consulting work in leadership, operations and AI strategy. My life as a wife and mother. My foundations in mathematics and management consulting.

No language model has lived that combination of experiences, so it can't make the same connections.

That's why this newsletter is deliberately human-first. It's where human thinking starts - with judgement, experience and reflection.

Will I still use AI? Absolutely.

• As a sparring partner to expose gaps in my thinking

• To repurpose my thoughts and writing to other platforms

• To streamline distribution of content

• To automate repeatable tasks

But the thinking starts here.

If you're running a business, this matters for you too.

The ability to thinking clearly and explain your thinking is not optional. If you are missing this, it shows up when:

• delegation keeps breaking down

• decisions keep getting revisited

• things aren't working but you can't put your finger on the problem

When you can’t clearly articulate what you want, AI doesn’t give you good answers. The same is true with people.

The discipline of slowing down, thinking it through, expressing it clearly compounds over time.

It makes you a better decision-maker. A clearer leader. And far more effective at using technology without losing yourself in it.

And I get it, we are all very busy. And finding the time to write this has been challenging as I'm slow at writing.

But the benefits in my own clarity and the insights I can bring to my clients to optimise their businesses and prepare for a rapidly changing future are absolutely worth it.

I’ll also be honest. I don’t have all the repurposing automation built yet. I’m spending a month overseas with my daughter, and right now I’m choosing to spend most of my time with her.

But the thinking continues. The systems will catch up.

Next week, I’ll return to how this way of thinking applies inside a business particularly when it comes to leverage, constraints, and deciding where to focus.

For now, I’ll leave you with this:

Where in your business are you choosing speed and convenience when what you actually need is clearer thinking?

Until next week,

Kylie.