Stop asking AI simple questions. If you want to drive real innovation, you must start provoking it. At the latest Booster of Innovation webinar, I showed how to avoid the “AI Trap” — a common mistake that leads to bland responses and blocks creative thinking.
In this article, I’ll break down that challenge and show you a practical, strategic prompt that can shift your entire mindset around technology. You’ll see how your imagination can become a competitive advantage — and discover a development path that takes you from one spark of an idea to a complete innovation strategy.
Stop asking. Start provoking.
This isn’t just a catchy phrase—it’s a core idea that shaped our recent session in the #AIpoTwojemu webinar series: “Strategic Thinking with GenAI.” The title alone sparked curiosity and drew in many attendees. Thank you to everyone who joined us, even with the long weekend approaching. I was also genuinely glad to receive personal messages from those who couldn’t attend live. That kind of engagement tells me one thing: this topic truly matters.
That’s why I’ve put together this summary.
We keep hearing about the so-called future skills—things like critical and analytical thinking, creativity, or the ability to solve complex problems. Reports mention them. Leaders talk about them. But the real question I asked during the webinar was this: How do we actually develop these skills in a fast-changing world?
The answer is right at our fingertips, but most people aren’t using it correctly.
For those of you who joined us live, let this be a way to reinforce the key ideas we explored together. For those who couldn’t make it — this article brings you the essence of what we discussed, and it may well change how you think about working with AI.
Buckle up — we’re about to take a journey from simple questions to strategic provocations.
Future-Ready Skills 2025: The Must-Have List Everyone Is Looking For — and the Illusion of an Easy AI Answer
This is no longer just a trend or a discussion. Hard data backs it up. Leading global institutions—including the World Economic Forum—clearly show in their reports that the job market is undergoing a fundamental transformation. The ability to adapt is no longer a nice to have. It’s essential for survival.
During our webinar, I highlighted that at the heart of this change is a new type of currency — a set of essential skills that will define the value of professionals and the competitive edge of businesses. At the top of this list are:
- Analytical thinking
— the ability to logically assess strengths and weaknesses across various solutions.
- Creativity
— the skill to generate fresh, unexpected ideas and approach problems in new ways.
- Complex problem-solving
— the capacity to handle ambiguous, high-stakes challenges in real-world environments.
- Systems thinking
— seeing the bigger picture and understanding how different parts of a business or market are connected.
- Cognitive flexibility
— switching smoothly between different ways of thinking and adapting quickly to new ideas.
It’s an impressive list. But here comes the million-pound question I raised during our session:
How do we move from simply knowing these skills to developing them in practice?
And that’s when generative AI steps into the spotlight.
Tools like ChatGPT, Gemini or Copilot seem to offer an almost magical solution — type your question, and answers appear instantly. That’s all it takes.
Well… not exactly.
This is where the real challenge begins — the one we’ve called the “AI Trap.”
Exposing the “AI Trap”: Why a Simple Interface Can Limit Your Creative Thinking
At first glance, generative AI seems easy and inviting. A clean chat window, a blinking cursor, and the ability to type a question—simple, right?
But its simplicity makes it deceptive, so I called it the “AI Trap” during our webinar.
Here’s the problem: the simplicity of the interface leads people to ask simple questions. Simple, shallow questions almost always produce simple, generic answers that lack depth, insight, or strategic value.
You fall into a cycle where AI becomes just a slightly faster, more articulate search engine — rather than a trustworthy partner for innovation.
The key takeaway from our session was a brutally honest one:
Without understanding how AI works and its true potential, we’ll never use it properly.
Instead of treating it as a powerful strategic tool, we reduce it to a task-completer—a glorified assistant for everyday requests.
But generative AI is something else entirely. It’s a future simulator, a generator of new possibilities, and an endless brainstorming partner.
The real power of GenAI doesn’t lie in how well it answers your question. It lies in how far it can take your thinking — when you ask the kind of question that unlocks bold, unexpected outcomes.
That’s why we need to change the rules of the game.
Don’t just be a “question-asker.” Be a provoker.
And that’s where the magic starts.
That’s the first real step towards meaningful innovation.
Imagination + AI = Competitive Advantage. One Prompt That Redefines the Game
So, how do we move beyond generic responses and start using AI to create real, lasting value?
The answer is both simple and powerful:
Stop using AI like a search engine — and start using it as an amplifier for your imagination.
In our latest Innovation Briefing report, we highlighted one of the key trends for 2025:
“Imagination as the Gateway to the Tech World.”
Human intelligence, curiosity, and the ability to imagine new concepts are the true fuels that GenAI needs to demonstrate its capabilities.
It all starts with a shift in perspective.
From asking, “What is?”
To ask, “What if?”
To show what this looks like in practice, I shared a real example during the webinar — a type of strategic prompt we call a “Map of Unmet Needs.” Here’s how it’s structured:
“Identify a user group consistently overlooked in market analysis (for example, people aged 60+ in gaming).
What hidden needs might they have?
Propose a product or service that doesn’t compete with existing solutions — but redefines the playing field.”
What differentiates this prompt from the usual “give me business ideas”?
It doesn’t ask for recycled knowledge.
It challenges AI to:
- Search for market blind spots — areas everyone else is ignoring.
- Dive deep into psychological insights — revealing unspoken, unmet needs.
- Think in Blue Ocean terms — creating new value, not just competing in crowded markets.
This is what strategic thinking looks like in action.
It’s the skill that enables you to use technology to automate what you already know and to explore what you don’t know yet.
It’s a mindset shift, a creative leap, and the step that separates leaders from followers in the age of artificial intelligence.
From One Prompt to a Full Strategy: Level Up with the AI Academy
One brilliant prompt is a powerful starting point.
But true competitive advantage doesn’t come from a single moment of insight — it comes from consistent practice and developing strong thinking habits.
So, where do you find your next strategic provocation?
How do you build a complete innovation process powered by AI?
That’s precisely why we created the AI Academy—the natural next step after our AI po Twojemu webinars.
It’s a comprehensive programme designed to help you move from being a passive “chat user” to an active solution architect who uses AI purposefully and strategically to achieve breakthrough results.
The Academy is built on four core pillars, each designed to develop a key part of your potential:
- Module 1: Solution Architecture
Learn how to use AI to strengthen your analytical thinking, problem-solving abilities and systems mindset.
- Module 2: Imagination Horizons
Unlock your creativity, curiosity and imagination to generate ideas others wouldn’t even consider.
- Module 3: Agility Compass
Develop strategic thinking in a fast-changing environment, improve cognitive flexibility and build a lifelong learning habit.
- Module 4: Explorer’s Mindset
Gain the confidence to experiment, proactively identify hidden challenges, and turn your insights into real innovation.
I personally lead each session to ensure that we don’t just discuss theory but also work through real, practical applications.
The difference between those who engage actively with GenAI and those who use it surface-levelly is already evident and growing.
At the AI Academy, I’ll guide you through a proven process that shows how generative AI can accelerate your personal growth.
You’ll learn how to strengthen analytical skills, break through creative blocks, and build a long-term vision—all supported by strategic thinking and clear information synthesis.
This isn’t about learning buttons.
This is about building a new mindset for modern leadership.
Your Future Starts Now – Reserve Your Place at the AI Academy [Special Offer]
The AI Academy was created for real change-makers — people who don’t just want to keep up with the future but actively shape it.
If you are:
- a manager or team leader who wants to make stronger strategic decisions and build an authentic culture of innovation,
- a specialist or expert looking to move beyond the obvious and become a key player in your organisation’s growth,
- an entrepreneur or business owner who needs agility and a strategic outlook to create lasting competitive advantage…
…then this programme is designed for you.
If you see yourself in one of these descriptions — and feel it’s time to work smarter, not harder — we invite you to join our growing community of future-focused thinkers.
AI Academy: Future Skills with AI
Edition: July 2025
Programme start: 10 July 2025 (live sessions on Thursdays: 10.07, 17.07, 24.07, 31.07)
Standard price: 890 PLN
Early Bird price: 790 PLN (valid until 4 July 2025 or while tickets last)
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