AI can help you think before it helps you write
Before asking for output, make it interview you.
Most people use AI late in the process, for the execution phase.
Write the post.
Draft the strategy.
List the features.
Create the brief.
But if the thinking underneath is vague, the output can become vague too.
A different approach is to start with: “Interview me about this.”
I did exactly that this week for a content challenge I just joined. We were given a content game plan to fill: fifteen pages of questions about audience, content pillars, stories, beliefs, positioning, and more.
Instead of asking AI to fill it in for me, I had it walk me through the questions, challenge vague answers, ask for examples, and turn messy thoughts into usable raw material.
We have already been working on these topics for this very newsletter, so the agent has context. But the interview made that context much more useful.
Founders can use the same pattern.
Before building an app:
Ask AI to interview you about the workflow: who uses it, what happens before and after, what data changes, what edge cases matter, and what would make the tool worth maintaining.
Before hiring an agency or developer:
Ask AI to interview you into a clearer brief: what problem you are solving, what you already tried, what must stay simple, what success looks like, and what would be overbuilt.
The point again is super simple: use AI to ask better questions, not just produce answers.
On that note, I’m starting to share more through the Yap challenge.
The newsletter stays practical and concise.
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