Identifying biases in your thinking using generative AI

- You're on the brink of making an important decision. Let's say you're deciding whether it's time to launch your next gen trading card game. I've been playing a bit of "Magic, The Gathering" lately, so this example is fun for me. In the last video, we talked about how AI can be biased. Now let's check out how our own biases might creep in and how you can use GenAI to expose and challenge these pesky brain bugs. Your data is in, it strongly supports your decision to launch your game and you and your team are hyped. But here's the deal. No matter what it seems like, it's hard to know if you have a clear picture or if cloudy influences from your own cognitive biases could be leading you astray. We'll use three of the most common cognitive biases that impact decisions to show you exactly how GenAI can be your trusted ally to expose and challenge these biases. Let's start out by rooting out confirmation bias. Your research shows strong demand for your game and play tests were off the chart, sales projections are through the roof. Great, but wait, could it be that you only found data that confirmed what you already believe because that was the only data you really look for? You're a critical thinker so you know about the pull of confirmation bias that entices us to seek only information that confirms our existing beliefs and ignore evidence to the contrary. Use GenAI to show you data or perspectives that challenge your decision to root out confirmation bias. Explain in detail all the compelling evidence that suggests that you should launch your game, and then ask GenAI can you please provide negative feedback or contrasting views about our game that we may have overlooked or dismissed? Can you please provide data and analyses that show we're unintentionally favoring positive outcomes? This should arm you with useful disconfirming evidence giving you a clearer picture of the evidence. Now it's time to look out for availability bias, which is when you're relying too heavily on recent examples that easily come to mind. For example, articles about the exciting launch of a new series from a popular trading card game, like "Magic, the Gathering," or a viral video about a Pokemon trading card fanboy sensation can make it seem like everyone's excited about trading card games. Use GenAI to test that assumption and root out availability bias. Share details about your decision and the current events and trends that seem to support your decision to launch your game, and then ask GenAI, what long-term data and less recent events should we consider for this decision? Help me understand not just what's hot now, but the life cycle of similar trends historically. The answer will help you expand your view beyond what's trending now and give you a more holistic view. Once you've used GenAI to help you root out confirmation and availability biases, it's time to check for authority bias to make sure you're not accepting or valuing opinions from authority figures in the absence of good supporting evidence. Your game got endorsements from big names, but even experts don't get it right every time. GenAI isn't starstruck or easily offended, let it objectively scrutinize those industry giants. Ask, can you please analyze and compare the track records of the following analysts in predicting the success of previous trading card games, highlighting any disparities or inaccuracies in their past judgments? Please share the names of authority figures you're relying on. Please share examples where widely recognized experts in gaming missed emerging trends or shifts in the trading card game market. Again, ask for names. Now, if the authorities you're relying on are not public figures, you can still ask GenAI, how might our game be susceptible to market dynamics that are unforeseen by industry experts? Critical thinking requires challenging your gut and making sure that the evidence you use to make your decisions are as free from biases as humanly possible, which makes rooting out our biases a great task for non-human intelligence.