AI Literacy – Cycle 5

How to Use This Page

1. Run the guided experiment with the instructor.
2. Watch how the conversation expands, challenges, and reshapes the original thinking.
3. Notice that the goal is not simply a better answer. The goal is better thinking.
4. Then choose a real situation of your own and use AI as a thinking partner.

Guided Experiment

Scenario: A Major Customer Wants an Exception

Situation: You are a manager at a mid-sized manufacturer. One of your largest customers has asked you to accept a rush order that does not meet your normal lead-time requirements.

The customer says the order is important and has hinted that helping them could lead to additional business. Your initial inclination is to accept the order because you do not want to damage the relationship.

You know:

• The customer represents about 15% of annual sales.
• They want the order delivered in 3 weeks instead of the normal 6 weeks.
• Operations believes it can be done, but other scheduled work would probably have to be moved.
• Two other customers could experience delays as a result.
• Overtime would likely be required.
• Sales strongly supports accepting the order.
• Operations is concerned about disruption.
• The customer has made similar urgent requests twice in the past year.
• Leadership has not established a clear policy for handling exceptions like this.
• Your current position: We should probably find a way to say yes.

My initial inclination is to accept the rush order. What important considerations might I be overlooking?

Make the strongest argument against accepting the order. Challenge my current thinking rather than agreeing with me.

Look at this from the perspectives of sales, operations, finance, our other customers, and the requesting customer. What does each see that I might not?

We have been treating this like a yes-or-no decision. What other approaches could satisfy some of the customer's needs without simply accepting or rejecting the request?

Compare the strongest options we've identified. What do we gain, risk, or give up with each?

Help me organize where we've landed. Summarize the decision we appear to be leaning toward, the reasoning behind it, the major risks, and anything we should resolve before acting.

Compare / Reflect

• Did the conversation change how you thought about the situation?
• What did AI surface that you had not considered at the beginning?
• At what point did the interaction stop feeling like a request for an answer and start feeling more like a collaboration?
• How much of the final direction came from AI, and how much came from the way you steered the conversation?

Independent Experiment – Think With AI

Choose a real situation, problem, decision, or idea that you understand and actually care about.

Tell the AI what you are working through and give it the information you think it needs. Then have a conversation with it.

Use AI to help you explore the situation, challenge your thinking, identify things you may be overlooking, consider alternatives, and evaluate your options.

Do not follow a formula. Respond to what AI gives you and decide where the conversation should go next.

This course was developed through a collaborative effort to advance AI literacy across organizations in Iowa.