Chasing "perfect prompts" with AI resembles addictive behavior.

Intermittent reinforcement in AI can lead to compulsive dependence.

Recognize AI usage patterns to avoid compulsive dependency.

The promise of AI is everywhere, but that promise also portends peril. The problem with AI is that it doesn’t always give us what we want because of the way it’s applied. It’s a tool, not a panacea for everything, everywhere, all the time.

Most people use AI as an answer engine—asking questions, generating lists, filling the gaps in research, and the like. Used properly, generative AI prompts are a series of instructions that build upon one another to create an outcome. Therein lies the issue at hand.

Enter Intermittent Reinforcement

To review, intermittent reinforcement is when an action receives a reward, but that reward is random, not guaranteed. In the case of AI, we often fall into the trap of putting something out there—what, in........

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