When to use AI and when not to: a four-rule decision framework
mioana · x · 2026-09-15
The author proposes four rules for deciding when to use AI:
- Don't replace activities whose value IS the effort: using AI there is like watching weightlifting videos instead of working out.
- Don't outsource skills you need to develop, whether general abilities or job/degree-specific ones.
- Do use AI when you could do it yourself but AI is faster.
- Do use AI when the skill it replaces doesn't matter to you — though the author notes this is hard to assess without first developing your own skill.
A follow-up stresses rules 1 and 2 should be checked first: justifying AI use by speed (rule 3) while degrading your skills or the product's value is a mistake.
Related event: A Four-Part Framework for Deciding When to Use AI(2 posts)→
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