Public preview

Using AI as Your Plan's Devil's Advocate

Before executing a major decision, ask AI to attack your plan with the strongest possible arguments — not politely agree with it.

12 min Intermediate

Goal

Surface plan weaknesses before execution through structured opposition, instead of settling for the model's default polite agreement.

Steps

1

Explain your full plan to AI neutrally, without asking for an opinion yet.

4 more steps locked

Expected Outcome

Immediate

You get 3-5 serious objections you hadn't considered, instead of instant polite agreement.

Evidence base

School: Decision Making / Structured Dissent

Founders: Irving Janis (Groupthink) · Anthropic Research Team (1972)

Irving Janis's "Groupthink" 1972 recommends a formal devil's-advocate role to break false consensus. Anthropic's research on sycophancy shows models default toward agreement, requiring an explicit opposing prompt.

Frequently asked questions

How long does "Using AI as Your Plan's Devil's Advocate" take?

This exercise takes about 12 minutes, practiced solo in a Inner dialogue format.

When will I notice the effect of "Using AI as Your Plan's Devil's Advocate"?

You get 3-5 serious objections you hadn't considered, instead of instant polite agreement. In the short term: You make sturdier decisions because they survived real opposition before execution.

Is "Using AI as Your Plan's Devil's Advocate" evidence-based?

Yes — it draws on Decision Making / Structured Dissent (Irving Janis (Groupthink), Anthropic Research Team (1972)). Irving Janis's "Groupthink" 1972 recommends a formal devil's-advocate role to break false consensus. Anthropic's research on sycophancy shows models default toward agreement, requiring an explicit opposing prompt.

Is "Using AI as Your Plan's Devil's Advocate" suitable for beginners?

Its difficulty level is: Intermediate. No external tools required — it can be practiced directly inside the app.

Subscribe for full access

Subscribe to Plus for full access to this practice and the whole catalogue, or try first — free, no sign-in, no commitment.

Interactive practice locked · 4 more steps locked

7 complete practices (one per domain) are free forever, no sign-in.