Concepts | CST395

🧠

Symbiotic Thinking

This course is built on the Symbiotic Thinking framework—a structured approach to human-AI collaboration that keeps you in the driver's seat while leveraging AI as a cognitive partner.

The framework includes tools like UMPIRE (a problem-solving process), 3Cs (Context-Choices-Confirmation for AI interactions), and practice exercises in the Dojo.

Explore Symbiotic Thinking →

The Three Meta-Habits

These habits form the foundation of effective human-AI collaboration:

1. Slow Down

Resist the urge to immediately ask AI for answers. Think first. The Productive Reflection exercises train this habit—10 minutes of structured thinking before any AI interaction.

2. Know Yourself

Understand your own thinking patterns, biases, and knowledge gaps. The reflections and Human Value Statements help you recognize where your judgment matters most.

3. Take the Lead

Maintain agency and direction in AI interactions. You decide what problem to solve, what tradeoffs to make, and what "good enough" looks like. AI assists; you direct.

✨

Human Value Framework

Every sprint ends with a Human Value Statement where you articulate what YOU specifically contributed that AI couldn't. This isn't about competing with AI—it's about understanding where human judgment, taste, and direction are essential.

Questions to guide your reflection:

Direction: What decisions did I make that shaped the outcome?
Judgment: What tradeoffs did I navigate that required human values?
Taste: What quality or style choices did I make?
Connection: How did I understand the human context AI couldn't see?
Integration: How did I synthesize information across domains?

Quick Reference

Before AI Interaction

10 min productive reflection
Write down your hypothesis
Know what you want to learn

During AI Interaction

Use 3Cs pattern
Maintain your direction
Confirm before implementing

After AI Interaction

Log what you learned
Note your decisions
Identify your Human Value

Key Concepts