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Wendy Smith's Rule for AI: It Is Not Allowed to Just Agree With Her
Wendy Smith is the CEO and owner of The Soomitz Group, where she helps business owners take the ideas and goals spinning around in their heads and turn them into something structured enough to actually finish. The hook of her story is a simple rule she set for her own AI tools: they are not allowed to just agree with her.
3 minute read
An interview with Wendy Smith ยท The Soomitz Group
visit The Soomitz GroupNo yes robot allowed
She uses AI as a sounding board, but only on the condition that it pushes back. When she starts drifting off on a tangent, the AI pulls her back to what she is actually trying to accomplish. It is a small rule with a big effect: it keeps her honest with herself and keeps her work moving instead of circling.
Get into as many rooms as you can
Her advice for women just starting out is just as direct. Get into as many rooms as you can. Even if you are scared to say hi, walk up and ask someone what they do. People are far more willing to help a new founder than most of us expect, and the only way to find that out is to ask.
Curiosity that keeps working
What comes through in Wendy's story is a kind of curiosity that keeps working even when it would be easier to settle for agreement. She built a tool that tells her the truth, and she built a habit of showing up in rooms where she might hear it from people too.
In practice
- Tell your AI to challenge you, not agree with you
- Use it to pull you back from tangents to the real goal
- Walk up and ask people what they do, even when it is scary