How AI Might Change the Way We Think

The Cultural Optimist’s Vision

Feb 02, 2025

In the last issue, I gave an overview of the nine perspectives on AI. This time, I’m diving into the one I find myself holding the most: the cultural optimist. It’s the perspective I think I understand best which makes it the perfect place to start!

One example I often share is imagining you're reading an article online when a chatbot connects it to something you read weeks ago, something you’d completely forgotten. It pulls up the old article, highlights the key section, and suddenly the two ideas click in a way you never expected.

That’s not just convenience. That’s AI expanding how you think.

This is the kind of future that Cultural Optimists—people who see AI as a tool for enhancing human understanding—believe is possible. Unlike those who focus on AI replacing human work or solving big global problems, Cultural Optimists are interested in how AI might change how we learn, create, and understand the world.

What Is a Cultural Optimist?

A Cultural Optimist believes AI is more than just a helpful tool—it’s something that could reshape human thinking, creativity, and culture in ways we’ve never seen before.

Unlike the typical "AI optimist," who sees AI as a way to solve humanity’s big problems, Cultural Optimists focus on AI’s ability to:

Help people see new connections between ideas
Expand creativity by suggesting things they wouldn’t have thought of
Challenge assumptions and encourage deeper thinking
Make learning more interactive and personal

Think of it this way:

Techno-Optimists believe AI will make human life easier by solving big problems (curing diseases, fixing traffic, making businesses more efficient).
Cultural Optimists believe AI will make life richer by helping us think in new ways, make surprising connections, and explore ideas more deeply.

They see AI not as a replacement for human intelligence, but as something that can stretch and enhance it.

How AI is Already Expanding Human Understanding

You might already be experiencing AI’s potential in small ways without realizing it. Here are a few examples:

1. AI as a Thought Partner

I’ve written about the idea of AI as a collaborator in the past, but it’s worth reiterating: AI can be a delightful thought partner.

Break Through Creative Blocks: AI can help overcome writer’s block by generating ideas, refining drafts, or suggesting alternative perspectives, making it easier to get started and keep momentum.
Make Unexpected Connections: AI can surface patterns across different topics, linking ideas from diverse fields to spark innovation and provide fresh insights.
Enhance Iteration & Refinement: AI accelerates brainstorming by quickly generating variations, reorganizing thoughts, or offering constructive feedback, allowing for faster and more effective idea development.

2. AI in Creativity

Expand Creative Exploration: AI can generate new melodies, artistic styles, or writing prompts, helping creators explore ideas they might not have considered on their own.
Refine and Iterate Quickly: Whether it’s adjusting an image, reworking a melody, or suggesting alternative storylines, AI speeds up the creative process by offering rapid variations to build upon.
Combine Unexpected Elements: AI can merge styles, themes, or concepts from different disciplines, inspiring unique artistic expressions and unlocking new creative possibilities.

3. AI in Learning & Curiosity

Personalized Learning Paths: AI adapts to your learning style, breaking down complex topics in ways that make the most sense for you—whether through analogies, step-by-step explanations, or interactive exercises.
Interactive Exploration: AI can answer follow-up questions, suggest related topics, and provide diverse perspectives, turning passive learning into an engaging, curiosity-driven experience.
Connecting the Dots: AI helps surface patterns across subjects, linking ideas from different disciplines to give you a deeper, more interconnected understanding of the world.

These aren’t just conveniences. They’re small shifts in how we interact with knowledge and creativity, and they hint at a bigger change on the horizon.

Is This Really a Good Thing?

Of course, not everyone is convinced that AI will improve our understanding. Some common concerns include:

❌ “AI isn’t actually thinking—it’s just predicting words.”
True! But that doesn’t mean it can’t help us think better. Just like a calculator doesn’t “understand” math but still helps us solve problems, AI can surface insights we might not have seen on our own.

❌ “Won’t AI just make people lazy?”
It depends on how we use it (I’m going to be addressing this in a future Podcast! 👀). If we rely on AI to think for us, that’s a problem. But if we use AI to expand how we think, it becomes a powerful tool.

❌ “AI will just flood the world with junk information.”
That’s a real risk! That’s why it’s important to be thoughtful about how we use AI. Cultural Optimists believe AI should be designed in ways that encourage depth and curiosity, not just endless content.

What This Means for Everyday Life

If AI really does have the potential to reshape how we understand the world, what does that mean for you?

In Work: Instead of just automating tasks (not that this is bad, I think AI is great for certain task automation), AI could help you think more clearly, organize ideas, and improve decision-making.
In Learning: AI could personalize education so that everyone learns in the way that works best for them.
In Creativity: AI could spark new ideas, offering unexpected perspectives that lead to breakthroughs in art, music, and storytelling.
In Conversations: AI could help people see different viewpoints, making discussions deeper and more productive.

In other words, AI isn’t just about making things easier. It’s about making things richer.

Looking Ahead: What’s Next?

Cultural Optimists see a future where AI is seamlessly integrated into our daily lives—not as something that replaces human intelligence, but as something that helps it grow. But they also recognize that this vision isn’t guaranteed. It depends on how we choose to use AI and whether we design it in ways that encourage exploration rather than just efficiency.

So here’s something to think about:

Have you had an experience where AI helped you see something differently?
Do you think AI will expand human understanding, or could it have the opposite effect?
How would you want AI to help you think in your daily life?

The way AI develops will depend, in part, on how we interact with it. The question isn’t just what AI can do—it’s what we want it to do for us.

And that’s where things get really interesting.

A Plumb (AI automation) Workflow

You may recall that this time last year my team pivoted to build an AI automation platform (Plumb).

My co-founder Aaron built a meal planner inside of Plumb and it’s a game-changer.

It creates personalized meal plans based on your preferences, complete with recipes, grocery lists, and even emails the list to you. It’s just an example of the power of Plumb!

Check out the video and let me know if this kind of automation is interesting.

You can also see this video on Loom if you want to leave comments/emoji!

More Midjourney Image Exploration

As I mentioned previously, I’ve been experimenting with MidJourney to create these miniature dioramas of space—tiny, detailed worlds that feel like a mix of cosmic wonder and handcrafted art.

These are perfect as Notion covers or just a source of inspiration, these images capture the vastness of space in a playful, scaled-down way. Take a look and let your imagination wander!