Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming a regular part of professional practice.  Practitioners can use AI to prepare, organize information, brainstorm questions, draft communications, and think through difficult situations.

The value of AI depends substantially on how people use it.  Consider the difference between using AI in centaur mode and zombie mode.

An AI centaur system combines complementary human and AI capabilities.  Humans are responsible for making decisions based on their experience, understanding of the context, and professional judgment.  They take advantage of AI’s abilities to rapidly organize information, identify patterns, generate alternatives, and assist with drafting.

Working together thoughtfully, humans and AI can produce better results than either could produce independently.

The alternative is zombie mode.  People operate in zombie mode when they rely on AI without exercising the judgment appropriate for the task.  AI can produce polished, plausible responses almost instantly, making it tempting to accept them without carefully examining their assumptions, alternatives, or sources.

Different tasks require different levels of judgment.  Proofreading an email requires less scrutiny than analyzing a complicated mediation problem.  The key is to match the use of AI to the judgment each task requires.

Experienced practitioners already have personal practice systems – their own ways of preparing, analyzing problems, communicating with participants, and making difficult decisions.  If you use AI, one of the most important decisions is how you incorporate it into your work.

Developing a centaur system means becoming more conscious of when you use AI, what tasks you ask it to perform, and how it can strengthen your judgment.  AI contributes ideas, but you decide if and how to use them.

Exercising your judgment will become increasingly important as AI becomes more agentic and can plan and execute tasks with greater autonomy.

This article provides more detail about how you can develop a centaur system that fits your work.

Take a look.