Using AI to Toughen and Fortify My Ideas

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We tend to fall in love with our ideas pretty quickly. Creative advice suggests we should “kill our darlings,” meaning we should toss aside the most obvious initial concepts. But I’m choosing a different approach. I’m leveraging these five prompt styles as straightforward sparring partners for my thinking.

Enjoy exploring your own thought processes and reasoning prompts. Remember to use this AI prompting framework to help the AI assist you effectively. The examples below are just starting points—you can customize and develop more detailed prompts of your own.

1. Play the Devil’s Advocate
We often become emotionally attached to our ideas, making it difficult to see their flaws. That’s where having a devil’s advocate can be incredibly useful. With AI, it’s simple: just ask it to take an opposing stance.
If you’re considering starting a newsletter, ask:
“List three strong reasons against launching this newsletter in today’s saturated market.”
Or:
“What are the main reasons this plan could fail?”
The responses might reveal market oversaturation, email filters, or shrinking attention spans. Seeing the situation from another perspective can spark reconsideration or show what needs tweaking. Even weaker objections are worth considering because they force your brain to challenge assumptions right away.

2. Identify What’s Missing
After fleshing out your idea, AI can help pinpoint gaps. I’ve used this prompt to find missing steps in tutorials, overlooked constraints in pitches, or critical details in budgeting plans.
It’s also helpful when your idea seems solid but leaves you with that nagging feeling that something’s off. AI can suggest next steps, related ideas, or follow-up questions.
You might ask:
“Assume I’m missing something big—what could it be?”
Follow-up with:
“How can I fill these gaps?” to get solutions. Play around with different phrasings and see what insights you gain.

3. Predict the Outcomes
A good idea is only as useful as your ability to imagine its results—both positive and negative. I ask AI to forecast potential consequences. Once, I tested a content idea and was warned it might alienate part of my audience for lacking authority on the topic.
Useful prompts include:
“What might happen if this idea succeeds? And if it fails?”
You can also ask:
“Describe best-case and worst-case scenarios.”
For long-term plans, inquire:
“How could this develop over the next year?”
Getting these quick simulations helps manage expectations and prepares you for surprises, whether they’re risks or unexpected rewards.

4. Expose Hidden Biases
Everyone’s thinking is influenced by personal experiences, cultural background, and unseen prejudices. Confronting these biases is tough, but AI makes it easier.
Ask:
“Are there any biases I’m not seeing in this idea?”
Or:
“What assumptions here might reflect personal or cultural biases?”
This approach offers a fresh perspective each time. Sometimes I discover my expectations are rooted in habits, or that stereotypes have crept in—regarding affordability, accessibility, or cultural tone. Finding these issues early makes the final product more inclusive and stronger, even if it’s uncomfortable.

5. Gather Multiple Expert Perspectives
Since I work solo, I love instructing AI to simulate the viewpoints of various professionals. For example:
“How would a teacher, a psychologist, and a marketing expert each critique this idea?”
You can start with a broad prompt like, “Give me feedback on this plan from three different professional perspectives,” then specify different roles in follow-up prompts.
Each “expert” can evaluate your idea based on their expertise—such as technical feasibility, user impact, or business viability. This method helps me see my projects from many angles, revealing strengths and vulnerabilities I might overlook. It’s like assembling a quick, diverse brainstorming team I can’t always coordinate in real life.

I don’t use AI because I want it to do my thinking for me; I use it to get out of my own head. Applying these five simple prompt styles helps me sharpen my logic, explore new angles, and discover opportunities I might miss alone. Sometimes, it pushes me to defend my ideas more rigorously; other times, it affirms that an idea is worth fighting for.