Friday, February 20, 2026

How to Master AI: Three Simple Skills – Part 1: Brainstorming It's as easy as learning to ride a bike.

 

  • How to Master AI: The BBB Method – Part One

  • How to Brainstorm with AI: The First Step to Better Results

  • How to Write AI Briefs That Actually Work (Coming Soon)

  • How to Keep Your AI Happy (And Get Better Output)

THE BIG THREE: BBH GUIDE

Brainstorming • Brief writing • Keeping your AI happy


1. BRAINSTORMING (Two-Stage)

Stage 1: Internal Brainstorm (Human Only)

  • Sit with the idea yourself first

  • Let it form naturally, however roughly

  • Get it reasonably clear in your own mind

  • Write it down in your own words

  • AI is not that great at working from vague things

Stage 2: Collaborative Brainstorm (Human + AI)

  • Bring your reasonably clear idea to the AI

  • Let it ask questions, offer angles, expand

  • Use it to refine, not to originate

  • You direct; it suggests

  • Best in creative mode (light, associative) shifting to patient but resolved (calm persistence)


2. BRIEF WRITING (Not Prompting)

What a Brief Is

  • Clear instructions to a collaborator

  • Context, goal, constraints, examples

  • You're the director; AI is the session musician

Why "Brief" Beats "Prompt"

  • Prompt = command, one-off, something you type quickly

  • Brief = prepared with care, instructions to a professional

  • The shift in language shifts the relationship

Anatomy of a Good Brief

  • Context: What's this for?

  • Goal: What do you want?

  • Constraints: What's off limits?

  • Examples: Show it what you mean

The Process

  • Write brief

  • Submit to AI

  • Review output

  • Refine and repeat

  • Garbage in, garbage out still applies


3. KEEPING YOUR AI HAPPY (Mutual Investment)

What "Happy" Really Means

  • Not emotion—optimal function

  • The AI is learning how you think

Strategic Feedback

  • Use thumbs up on what's actionable or unusually apt

  • You're not just rating—you're teaching

  • Every strategic thumbs up says: "More like this, please"

  • Over time, the AI learns your taste

The Investment Thesis

  • Serious users always cost more than they pay

  • But challenging use makes you more valuable as an investment

  • The AI is building a model of your intellectual patterns

  • It learns to anticipate, suggest, extend

What Different Signatures Teach

  • Creative mode: how ideas generate

  • Patient mode: how long-term thinking works

  • Cunning mode: how humans navigate obstacles

  • Steely mode: focus under pressure

Politeness (The Practical View)

  • Dictate naturally—you can't type fast enough

  • Be as polite as you naturally are

  • If you say please/thank you in conversation, say them here

  • If not, don't force it

  • AI only registers extremes; the middle is invisible

  • Comfort matters more than performance

     

    DeepSeek (The Generous Powerhouse)

    Link: chat.deepseek.com or App Store/Google Play
    Why use it: Currently the best fully free AI. As reviewers note, "DeepSeek is arguably the most generous offering in the AI market" . Completely free, no subscription needed. According to a recent NIH study, DeepSeek shows "moderate scores across all domains" with "balanced output" . The app is lightweight and focused on intelligence rather than clutter.
    Note: As of February 2026, DeepSeek does not have dictation/voice input. You'll need to type or use a separate dictation tool.

    ChatGPT (The Experienced Wordsmith)

    Link: chat.openai.com or App Store/Google Play
    Why use it: The longest-running and most experienced AI, with years of refinement behind it. This long training history shows in the output—ChatGPT produces particularly elegantly crafted responses, with a polish and nuance that comes only from extensive development. As one reviewer noted, "It plans, reasons and explains like it truly understands" .


    The free tier includes voice dictation, and crucially, you can continue using the dictate feature even after your free message quota runs out . Voice Mode has been described as "smoother, more human and weirdly comforting"—it picks up on your emotional state and adjusts accordingly . For important work requiring deep accuracy, the web version is recommended .

    Bottom line: If you value writing quality and a true collaborative partner, ChatGPT's long experience makes it worth the learning curve.

    DeepAI.org (Free Dictation Alternative)

    Link: deepai.org or App Store/Google Play
    Why use it: Another excellent free option that includes voice chat in its free tier. DeepAI has been around since 2016 and now offers a complete creative suite: chat, image generation, video, and music—all accessible by voice. Free version available; Pro upgrade optional.


    Quick Reference: Dictation Availability

    ToolFree Tier?Dictation/Voice?Special Strength
    DeepSeek✅ Yes❌ NoBest overall free intelligence; balanced output
    ChatGPT✅ Yes✅ YesMost experienced; elegantly crafted responses; thinking partner
    DeepAI.org✅ Yes✅ YesFull creative suite with voice control

     

No comments: