He Called From College

The call I didn't expect

For years, my son wanted nothing to do with AI. That's a little awkward when your dad leads an AI practice for a living. Then he called from college, I was glad to hear his voice (I always am), but ended up even more excited about the conversation we had.

When I dropped Declan off at Texas State in August, I wrote about what I hoped college would be for him. I wanted him to learn to think critically, to engage civilly, and to find something worth being absorbed in, then give himself fully to it. So far, he's been giving himself fully to his gaming guild. Warhammer and DnD have his devotion and attention; I remain hopeful he'll find something more meaningful. But I'll take the commitment as a sign the capacity is there.

Then, a few weeks ago, he called me. Not about money or laundry or when he was coming home. He wanted to talk about how he was using Copilot.

The kid who'd resisted AI for years, despite (or maybe because of) what his dad does, had found his way there on his own. And he had real questions.

What we talked about

We talked through the different models and what each is best at right now, knowing that "right now" changes every few months. We talked about how to prompt better: giving context, being specific about what you want, and pushing back when the first answer isn't good enough. We talked about how the quality of what you get out depends on the quality of what you put in.

Most of all, we talked about using it as a thinking partner, not a thinking replacement.

That distinction is everything. In August, I wrote that the rarest skill I know is the ability to think, to hold a real position and still listen to someone who holds the opposite one. AI doesn't make that skill obsolete. Used badly, it lets the skill wither. You hand over the hard part and accept whatever comes back. Used well, it makes you sharper. It challenges your first draft, shows you the counterargument you missed, and makes you defend your reasoning.

The same questions in the boardroom

What struck me afterward was how familiar the conversation felt. It's almost exactly the one I've been having with executives across the board. The questions a college freshman asks aren't so different from the ones a leadership team asks. Which tool do I use? How do I get better results? How do I make sure it makes me better instead of lazier?

The answers are the same too. This isn't optional anymore. It's not a trend to wait out or a pilot to run someday. It's here and real, and it's changing how work gets done in classrooms and boardrooms alike.

What to do

The job for all of us, whether we're 19 or 50, is the same: learn to use it for our best outcomes, without outsourcing the thinking that makes us who we are.

Declan, if you're reading this: keep calling. And maybe ask Copilot what else might be worth giving yourself to.