As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly inserted into everyday work, University of Toronto professor Paolo Granata says we’re asking the wrong questions about it. In his book, Generative Knowledge: Think, Learn, Create with AI, he argues that AI isn’t thinking for us, but rather, reshaping how we think — acting as a new kind of knowledge-generating tool.
Used well, he says AI becomes a kind of thinking partner: something to question, refine and engage with. But that only works with strong expertise. Without that expertise, there is a danger that AI’s smooth answers can create an illusion of understanding. The challenge, Grenata argues, is balance. He says it’s ok to assign AI routine tasks, but humans still need to bring judgment and context — and never stop thinking for themselves.

The whole episode is worth a listen, but key takeaways include: 

• AI is best used as a thinking partner, not an answer-machine. Its value comes from things like dialogue, iteration and engagement.
• Human expertise matters. Without it, we could have a false confidence in AI. 
• The real risk of AI isn’t that it replaces thinking, but that we over-rely on it, and stop doing deeper analytic work.

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Prefer to read than listen? Access the full transcript on Simplecast.