AI’s Biggest Weakness (and How Clean Language Can Help)
When it comes to helping people with human stuff, it turns out AI has a massive weakness.
Try this simple experiment: Ask ChatGPT “What should I have for lunch?”
Within seconds, you’ll get multiple menu options, nutrition facts, cooking methods, and probably a few recipes thrown in for good measure. AI can’t help itself – it’s designed to access vast amounts of information and share everything that might be relevant.
This tendency to dive into details isn’t just annoying – it can actually hijack your thinking process.
I noticed this recently during an AI interaction about exercise. I asked a simple question about becoming a faster cyclist, and immediately received a torrent of workout plans, scheduling options, dietary advice, and links to fitness research…
After a few moments of frustration, something clicked. What if I could use my Clean knowledge and skills to help the machine to help me?
It worked. A couple of hours later (yes, it was a loooong conversation, but it was very interesting!) I had what I needed. A grasp of why this stuff was really important to me. A list of emotionally-resonant goals, strongly related to my personal motivation. A set of phases, with real targets and specific actions to take. And a decision not to spend a shedload of money on an expensive remote coaching programme, but instead to combine available, inexpensive resources in a way that worked for me.
The Solution Rush
One funny thing about all this is how the AI’s rush to offer advice and solutions takes a human tendency and magnifies it!
You hear advice-giving all the time from humans, too:
“I should exercise more.”
“Great! You should come with me to the gym…”
Or:
“I’m not sure about my career direction.”
“Is your LinkedIn up to date? If you post something, I can share it on…”
Whether AI or human, the advice-giver leaps straight to solutions, actions, and “shoulds.” Their enthusiasm to help actually gets in the way of clarity around what the person actually wants.
Why does this matter? Because when our thinking gets hijacked by solutions – whether from AI or traditional coaching approaches – we often end up with plans that don’t quite fit. They might be perfectly logical, well-researched, and comprehensive. But if they don’t connect with what we really want to have happen, we’re still left to wade through the chaos to figure out what’s relevant to our situation, and so they’re unlikely to create lasting change.
The science backs this up. Research in motivation psychology shows that externally imposed goals and solutions – even well-meaning ones – often fail to create lasting change. What works is connecting with our own authentic desires and motivations.
The Clean Language Antidote
Want to see what happens when you take a different -almost opposite – approach? Watch this short demonstration:
Notice what happened? Instead of rushing into solutions and detailed plans, this approach creates space for clarity to emerge. The participant discovers what they really want to happen – often something quite different from what they initially thought they “should” do.
This isn’t about making advice or solutionising wrong. They can be valuable. But they’re most useful AFTER you’ve gained clarity about what you want to have happen.
The key is to stay in charge of your own thinking, before, during and after the AI session.
Start by considering what you want to happen as a result of the interaction. Write that down – ideally physically, on a sticky-note, placed somewhere you can see it.
And as the AI does its thing, dishing out the epic responses and shooting down rabbit holes with its inane “Would you like me to X or Y?”, know that you’re the human here. You’re driving the bus.
Keep reminding the AI of your desired outcome. Keep your own track of the elements you need to work on, and pick them off one at a time. Use the AI’s knowledge and enthusiasm in service of YOUR outcome, rather than getting lost in their solutions.
“Solution Rush” Workshop
Want to experience this for yourself? I’m offering a short, focused online workshop on 20 February where you’ll:
Discover how to stay in charge of your thinking when working with AI
Experience the power of Clean Language questions
Learn a simple technique you can use immediately.
Read details and register here >