🧠 How to Use AI Effectively: A Practical Guide for Thinkers, Writers, and Policymakers

Most people treat AI like Google. The best treat it like a research assistant, strategist, and second brain.

After months of daily use across tasks—strategy, research, policy design, writing—I’ve come to one simple conclusion: there’s a widening gap between people who just use AI, and those who use it well. This post is about closing that gap.

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⚙️ The AI Tools You Should Know—and What They’re Good At

Not all models are built alike. Here’s how I use each tool—and what I avoid them for:

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🧠 How to Write Prompts That Actually Work

You don’t need to “prompt engineer” like a developer. But you do need to be deliberate. Here are 5 patterns I use every day:

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🔍 Using AI for Deep Research: Think Like a Manager, Not a User

If you're using AI like a search engine, you’re missing 90% of its value. Here’s what I mean by Deep Research:

• Ask structured, layered questions

• Request competing perspectives

• Synthesize evidence across time and place

• Iterate until the output teaches you something new

Example Prompt Chain:

1. “Break down the drivers of opposition to carbon taxes in the US based on CCAM data.”

2. “Now compare this to European countries using academic studies since 2015.”

3. “What policy design tweaks could increase acceptability? Provide real-world examples.”

This is how you move from AI as toy → tool → thinking partner.

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📚 How the Experts Use AI (and What You Can Steal From Them)

The best users aren’t engineers. They’re curious thinkers who experiment aggressively. Here’s what I’ve learned from some of the sharpest minds on this:

🧪 Ethan Mollick

• “Always use AI twice—once to explore, once to refine.”

• Uses GPT-4 for everything from literature reviews to prototyping slide decks.

• 🖇️ One Useful Thing – Substack

• 🎥 How to Really Use ChatGPT

🧠 Tyler Cowen

• Sees AI as a superforecasting partner.

• Encourages intellectual augmentation, not just automation.

• How AI is changing and will change the world of writing

✍️ David Perell

• Uses AI to enhance, not replace, writing (Humans have the two Es-Experience and Expertise to enhance your writing).

• Focuses on authenticity, structure, and creativity.

• 🎥 Writing with AI: YouTube

• 🌐 perell.com

🔍 Karen Hao & Eliezer Yudkowsky

• Remind us to stay critical. Don’t trust. Verify.

• Especially vital when using AI in domains like climate, policy, or ethics.

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🛠️ Resources You Should Bookmark Right Now

• OpenAI’s Best Prompt Practices

• Top Deep Research Prompts

• Awesome ChatGPT Prompts GitHub

• Harvard’s AI and Academic Integrity Guide

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🧩 Final Take: This Isn’t About Tech. It’s About Thinking.

AI is not a replacement for thinking. It’s a catalyst for it.

The best users don’t ask it to do their work. They ask it to challenge their assumptions, speed up iteration, and give them a fresh lens.

If you’re thoughtful, curious, and structured—you’ll win in this AI era.

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👇 I'd love to hear from you:

• How are you using AI in your research or work?

• What’s working—and what’s confusing?

Hit reply or comment below. I’ll respond to as many as I can.

🔗 Feel free to share this post with colleagues or teams exploring how to use AI more rigorously.