Jason §The Fickle Futurist

Designing Trustworthy AI Experiences Lead AI-augmented projects end to end—from Discover to Deploy—with a repeatable, explainable method. https://maven.com/cranford-teague/trustworthy-ai-xd

Are you in favor of a ban on cellphones in K-12? About three-quarters of U.S. adults (77%) support in-class cellphone bans for middle and high school students. This finding marks the second consecutive year of rising support for the policy, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted May 26-June 1, 2026. Just 18% say they oppose such a ban, while 6% are unsure." READ MORE → https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/07/29/more-americans-now-support-than-oppose-all-day-school-cellphone-bans/

Four habits for better human decision making with AI Decide who decides before the work starts, not after. This one has evidence behind it. In a follow-up study, the same researchers found that telling people in advance they’d be accountable for the accuracy of their decision measurably reduced automation bias. Knowing beforehand that it’s yours changes how you engage. Finding out afterward isn’t accountability — it’s just blame. Ask for options, not an answer. This is possibly the easiest yet most important habit to adopt when working with AI. One answer invites agreement. Two or three options with honest trade-offs force you to actually weigh them, which is the real work. If the AI hands you a single path, ask what it ruled out and why. Write down why not just what. If your only reason is “the AI suggested it and it sounded right,” you haven’t decided. You’ve delegated, and kept the liability. A decision you can’t explain is one you can’t defend, teach, or repeat. Ask yourself what would change your mind. If the honest answer is nothing, you weren’t deciding. You were confirming. It’s the cheapest test I know and it takes about eight seconds. READ → https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/unsophisticated-decision-making-machine-jason-cranford-teague-ravze/

Communication is compression; the listener’s assumptions are the decompression algorithm. Read more → https://createmindfully.substack.com/p/a-sophisticated-assumption-making

Slop Was Never About AI "Then the researchers did something that should have made everyone stop and pay attention. They gave the TOEFL essays to ChatGPT and asked it to improve the word choices so, they sounded more like those of a native speaker. The false positive rate dropped from 61% to 11.77%. Enshitification defined." READ MORE → https://substack.com/home/post/p-209000768

An Unsophisticated Decision-Making Machine Your AI always has an opinion. It has never, not once, had a stake in what happens to you. Don’t confuse the two, especially not on the days when its opinion is better than yours. That will happen. That’s exactly when the AI decision making costume fits best. The decision is always yours. https://substack.com/home/post/p-209134335

Four habits for better human decision making with AI Decide who decides before the work starts, not after. This one has evidence behind it. In a follow-up study, the same researchers found that telling people in advance they’d be accountable for the accuracy of their decision measurably reduced automation bias. Knowing beforehand that it’s yours changes how you engage. Finding out afterward isn’t accountability — it’s just blame. Ask for options, not an answer. This is possibly the easiest yet most important habit to adopt when working with AI. One answer invites agreement. Two or three options with honest trade-offs force you to actually weigh them, which is the real work. If the AI hands you a single path, ask what it ruled out and why. Write down why not just what. If your only reason is “the AI suggested it and it sounded right,” you haven’t decided. You’ve delegated, and kept the liability. A decision you can’t explain is one you can’t defend, teach, or repeat. Ask yourself what would change your mind. If the honest answer is nothing, you weren’t deciding. You were confirming. It’s the cheapest test I know and it takes about eight seconds. READ → https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/unsophisticated-decision-making-machine-jason-cranford-teague-ravze/

The Space Between People 69% of leaders spend more than half their time influencing others without direct authority. Why? Because managers are expected to produce billable hours while also managing people. They don't have time to do both. More info → https://www.ccl.org/guides/the-space-between-people/

North Carolinians standing against the fascist Republican Party that controls our legislature Republicans have NO honor https://youtube.com/watch?v=V-x96DCUxYs

North Carolinians standing against the fascist Republican Party that controls our legislature Republicans have NO honor https://youtube.com/watch?v=V-x96DCUxYs

Communication is compression; the listener’s assumptions are the decompression algorithm. Read more → https://createmindfully.substack.com/p/a-sophisticated-assumption-making

The Space Between People 69% of leaders spend more than half their time influencing others without direct authority. Why? Because managers are expected to produce billable hours while also managing people. They don't have time to do both. More info → https://www.ccl.org/guides/the-space-between-people/

An Unsophisticated Decision-Making Machine Ask for options, not an answer. This is possibly the easiest yet most important habit to adopt when working with AI. One answer invites agreement. Two or three options with honest trade-offs force you to actually weigh them, which is the real work. If the AI hands you a single path, ask what it ruled out and why. READ MORE → https://ficklefutures.substack.com/p/an-unsophisticated-decision-making

80% of employees globally are disengaged at work, costing an estimated $10 trillion in lost productivity. Why? Because they know their company is disengaged from them. Get the report -> https://www.ccl.org/guides/the-space-between-people/

"I had a fantastic session with Jason, who demonstrated amazing communication and subject knowledge. He provided valuable insights into the industry's challenges, helping me identify areas for improvement. His motivation and problem-solving skills were truly inspiring. I highly recommend booking a session with him if you're looking for guidance." — Evan, Front End Developer Get Guidance → https://adplist.org/mentors/jason-cranford-teague

An Unsophisticated Decision-Making Machine Ask for options, not an answer. This is possibly the easiest yet most important habit to adopt when working with AI. One answer invites agreement. Two or three options with honest trade-offs force you to actually weigh them, which is the real work. If the AI hands you a single path, ask what it ruled out and why. READ MORE → https://ficklefutures.substack.com/p/an-unsophisticated-decision-making

Slop Was Never About AI "Then the researchers did something that should have made everyone stop and pay attention. They gave the TOEFL essays to ChatGPT and asked it to improve the word choices so, they sounded more like those of a native speaker. The false positive rate dropped from 61% to 11.77%. Enshitification defined." READ MORE → https://substack.com/home/post/p-209000768