Think With GPTs, Not Just Through Them

While the tech world chases APIs, fine-tuning, and vibe coding, one foundational skillset is still flying under the radar:

Learning to think with GPTs.

Most people treat GPTs like interns—useful for output. But what happens when we start treating them like strategic collaborators?

It’s not just a mindset shift. It’s a capability shift.

The Engineering Bias Still Frames the AI Moment

We’re living through a tech cycle shaped by engineering values:

  • Build fast
  • Automate harder
  • Ship quicker

But this often comes at the cost of:

  • Strategic coherence
  • User empathy
  • Creative clarity

Designers and researchers know this pattern well. Roles like facilitation, design strategy, and research are consistently downplayed in engineering-led cultures. Yet these are the very disciplines that help us frame what matters.

GPTs as Strategic Amplifiers: What the Data Shows

New research confirms what many of us are already seeing in practice:
GPTs are powerful thinking partners when used with intention.

💡 Wharton’s working paper found that GPT-4 generated better business innovation ideas—rated higher in quality and purchase intent—than elite MBA students
🚀 Boston Consulting Group’s field study showed that GPT-augmented consultants completed 12% more tasks, worked 25% faster, and produced work rated 40% higher in quality
🧠 In an HBR survey, two-thirds of managers now view GPTs as “thought partners”—valuable for evaluating trade-offs, challenging assumptions, and framing better decisions

These aren’t marginal gains. They point to a deeper shift:
GPTs don’t just speed up output—they expand human thinking.

The Real Unlock: Design-Centered Strategy

Here's where designers have the edge.

Designers already:

  • Think in systems
  • Ask better questions
  • Navigate ambiguity
  • Lead with taste and emotional resonance

This is exactly the skillset needed to co-think with GPTs.

🔁 Instead of just generating content, we can build thinking interfaces—GPTs that reflect our frameworks, mental models, and strategic rituals.
🛠 I’ve used this approach to co-create:Product strategy docsValue laddersNew business ideasBrand architecture flows

Things that used to take days—now done in hours. And more aligned with user needs than ever.

Design Thinking Meets GPT: A Strategic Alliance

Design-led teams don’t just build faster—they build better.

  • McKinsey found that top-quartile design performers achieved 32% higher revenue growth and 56% higher shareholder returns than their peers.
  • IBM doubled time-to-market and achieved 300% ROI by shifting from engineering-led to design-led strategy.

GPTs accelerate thinking.
Design clarifies what is worth thinking about.

Together? You get faster strategy, smarter innovation, and more human-centered outcomes.

My Lane: Tools That Help You Think

I’m building tools and systems that don’t just help you code faster—but think clearer.

If that resonates, you’re already part of the shift.

Because the future isn’t just about what AI can generate.

It’s about what you can think, design, and decide—with it.

More soon.
— JM