“AI is the biggest leap since the invention of electricity”  —Seth Godin

Seth Godin started studying artificial intelligence with Douglas “Doug” Lenat at Stanford in 1983.

He worked with the science and science fiction writer Arthur C Clark, who co-wrote the screenplay for the most influential films of all time 2001: A Space Odyssey

Ray Bradbury, screenwriter and author “most responsible for bringing modern science fiction into the literary mainstream”.

Seth Godin, a visionary marketer and writer, has been thinking about AI long before it entered mainstream discussions.

His journey began in 1983, studying AI with Douglas Lenat at Stanford.

He worked with the science and science fiction writer Arthur C Clark, who co-wrote the screenplay for the most influential films of all time 2001: A Space Odyssey

Oter science fiction luminaries like Ray Bradbury, screenwriter and author “most responsible for bringing modern science fiction into the literary mainstream”, and Michael Crichton. Crichton coined one of the biases that I find myself referring to very often, the Gell-Mann amnesia effect, especially when it comes to asking myself about thinking gaps gaps and “what ifs” and insight, for which generative AI helps splendidly with—not the only thing Seth Godin and I agree with each other.

“For a long time,” he says, “AI was simply everything a computer couldn’t do yet.” But with the arrival of GPT-3, even skeptics have come to recognize that AI is not just a gimmick—it’s here to stay.

Now, with the rise of tools like Claude, he believes AI is poised to reshape how we assess and refine our own intentions and actions.

Seth Godin prefers Claude over ChatGPT

In his recent experiences publishing his new book This Is Strategy: Make Better Plans, Godin found the AI tool Claude to be a transformational resource. “ChatGPT can sometimes be annoying and arrogant,” he admits, “but with Claude, I found it does exactly what it’s good at.”

Godin uses Claude daily, particularly for ideation, analyzing complex documents, and challenging his own thinking.

“And what I have found is that if you ask it good questions, giving it a lot of data, then it will give you provocative answers that will open the door to you being able to question your own assumptions.” —Seth Godin

One example of Claude’s impact was its analysis of a 40-page business plan drafted by multiple authors over months. When Godin uploaded it to Claude, asking it to highlight inconsistencies and challenge any illogical points, it provided a thorough, MBA-level summary in less than 30 seconds. “It was more accurate than most people would be,” he notes, recognizing Claude’s ability to provoke questions and inspire fresh perspectives.

Please read this, highlight the inconsistencies, and challenge me on five things that don't make sense to you.

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Please read this, highlight the inconsistencies, and challenge me on five things that don't make sense to you.

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AI as a Tool for Self-Reflection and Insight

For Godin, Claude is an enabler of deep thinking. “If you ask it good questions and feed it rich data, it will give you provocative answers,” he says, “opening doors to question your own assumptions.”

In his latest book This Is Strategy: Make Better Plans (get it here), Godin encourages readers to consult Claude about their own business ideas and plans, using it as a mirror to reflect their strategies and goals.

“And so what I’m trying to do in the book is say ‘go ahead and ask Claude about this topic when it relates to you and your business plan.’ And it will give you a very thoughtful analysis of whether what you say you’re doing is what you’re actually doing.” —Seth Godin

AI as an Impartial Lens for Self-assessment

Unlike traditional forms of feedback, which can be limited by human biases and social barriers, AI offers an impartial lens for self-assessment.

He believes that AI can foster the habit of asking difficult questions—conversations that might otherwise be challenging with another person.

What sets AI apart in Godin’s view is its role as a nonjudgmental “conversation partner” that invites introspection. “It’s much easier to have these conversations with an AI than with a person,” he explains.

And it’s much easier to have these conversations with an AI than it is with a person, but if we get in the habit we can start having these conversations with people too.” —Seth Godin

The AI provides an unbiased, honest reflection, enabling users to evaluate their intentions versus their outcomes. Godin hopes that by normalizing this habit of self-assessment with AI, we might eventually have these candid, reflective conversations with others, too—cultivating a culture of transparency and honesty in human interactions.

Using AI to Bridge Thinking Gaps and Generate Ideas

With the goal of “Generative Ideation and Closing Gaps” for Godin using generative AI goes beyond mere brainstorming.

One of Claude’s most valuable abilities, according to Godin, is its capacity for idea generation.

“If I give it a list of five things and ask for ten more, it’s off the charts,” he says. This level of ideation has helped him identify gaps and inspire new directions in his projects.

Claude’s ability to expand on initial ideas or identify overlooked elements has made it a go-to tool for Godin’s creative process.

“and that was its [Claude’s] contribution to the book where I would say “here are you know five elements of something” and it would say “well you left out these two”. And I would think about it and say “yeah I did”. —Seth Godin

I, too find this surfacing the gaps and “what ifs” are what generative AI helps drive deeper thinking and insight.

“Let’s celebrate what people are still good at,” he concludes, urging companies to leverage AI thoughtfully. If companies employ AI to mimic humans too closely, they risk alienating customers, who prefer clear distinctions between human and machine roles. “There’s value in transparency,” he argues, “and companies should avoid the lazy, cheap shortcut of pretending AI is human.”

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