📘 AI-Assisted Learning Workbook #5
Wisdom, Ethics, and Long-Term Thinking in the Age of AI
By Laurence “Lars” Svekis
Just because you can think faster doesn’t mean you should act faster.
The highest skill is knowing when, why, and whether to act at all.
🎯 Who This Workbook Is For
This workbook is for:
- Senior professionals
- Educators shaping future learners
- Leaders making high-impact decisions
- AI power users
- Anyone asking: “What kind of thinker am I becoming?”
📌 Core Shift:
From capability → character
From speed → judgment over time
From what works → what’s right and sustainable
🧠 Workbook Philosophy
AI magnifies intention.
Wisdom determines whether that amplification helps or harms.
This workbook teaches learners to:
- Pause before acting
- Evaluate second- and third-order consequences
- Think in decades, not days
- Use AI ethically without becoming passive or reckless
- Preserve human judgment as a core advantage
🧩 Workbook Structure (12 Issues)
Each issue includes:
- A wisdom principle
- Reflection-driven exercises
- Real-world scenarios
- AI prompts with ethical guardrails
- Long-term thinking tools
1️⃣ THE POWER PROBLEM
Goal: Understand the responsibility of amplified intelligence.
Exercise 1 — Capability Audit
Prompt
What can I do now with AI that I couldn’t do before?
What new risks come with that power?
Exercise 2 — Impact Radius
Who could be affected by my decisions — directly or indirectly?
📌 Power without reflection creates unintended harm.
2️⃣ SPEED VS WISDOM
Goal: Resist urgency bias.
Exercise 1 — Slow Decision Filter
Which parts of this decision benefit from slowing down?
Exercise 2 — The “Why Now?” Test
Why does this need to happen now?
What happens if it waits?
📌 Speed is a tool — not a virtue.
3️⃣ ETHICAL THINKING WITH AI
Goal: Move beyond “allowed” to “responsible.”
Exercise 1 — Ethical Lens
Is this legal, ethical, and aligned with my values?
Which one is weakest?
Exercise 2 — Consent & Transparency
Who deserves to know how AI is being used here?
📌 Ethics start where rules end.
4️⃣ SECOND-ORDER CONSEQUENCES
Goal: Think beyond immediate results.
Exercise 1 — Ripple Mapping
If this works perfectly, what new problems might it create?
Exercise 2 — Incentive Analysis
What behavior does this decision encourage?
📌 Most damage comes from ignored downstream effects.
5️⃣ BIAS, BLIND SPOTS, AND AI MIRRORS
Goal: Recognize amplified bias.
Exercise 1 — Bias Reflection
What assumptions might AI be reinforcing for me?
Exercise 2 — Perspective Injection
Generate an opposing viewpoint I would normally dismiss.
📌 AI reflects us — it does not correct us.
6️⃣ HUMAN SKILLS AI SHOULD NOT REPLACE
Goal: Protect uniquely human strengths.
Exercise 1 — No-Automation List
Which decisions should always involve human judgment?
Exercise 2 — Presence Audit
Where does speed reduce empathy or understanding?
📌 Not everything that can be automated should be.
7️⃣ LONG-TERM THINKING
Goal: Choose actions that age well.
Exercise 1 — Time Horizon Test
How will I feel about this decision in 1, 5, and 10 years?
Exercise 2 — Reputation Lens
If this decision were public later, would I stand by it?
📌 Short-term wins can create long-term regret.
8️⃣ DEPENDENCY & AGENCY
Goal: Preserve personal responsibility.
Exercise 1 — Agency Check
Am I delegating thinking or execution?
Exercise 2 — Skill Atrophy Warning
What skill might weaken if I rely on AI here?
📌 Convenience can quietly erode capability.
9️⃣ TEACHING ETHICS & THINKING TO OTHERS
Goal: Model responsibility.
Exercise 1 — Role Modeling
What behavior am I normalizing for others?
Exercise 2 — Teaching Boundaries
How should AI be framed for learners or teams?
📌 People learn ethics by observation, not instruction.
🔟 WISDOM UNDER PRESSURE
Goal: Make good decisions when it’s hard.
Exercise 1 — Stress Simulation
How might fear, ego, or fatigue distort this decision?
Exercise 2 — Default Safeguards
What rule should I follow when under pressure?
📌 Pressure reveals character.
1️⃣1️⃣ ALIGNMENT WITH IDENTITY
Goal: Act consistently with values.
Exercise 1 — Identity Statement
What kind of thinker and leader do I want to be?
Exercise 2 — Integrity Check
Does this decision move me closer or farther from that identity?
📌 Wisdom is alignment over time.
1️⃣2️⃣ THE WISDOM PLAYBOOK
Goal: Create a personal ethical operating system.
Exercise 1 — Personal Guardrails
What rules guide my use of AI?
Exercise 2 — Final Statement
I use AI to…
I refuse to use AI to…
I take responsibility for…
🔗 How Workbook #5 Completes the Arc
| Workbook | Focus |
|---|---|
| #1 | Learning systems |
| #2 | Independent thinking |
| #3 | Judgment & action |
| #4 | Teaching & scaling |
| #5 | Wisdom & responsibility |
Together:
Skill → Judgment → Leadership → Wisdom
🚀 Ideal Uses
- Executive education
- University ethics modules
- Leadership development
- AI governance discussions
- Capstone learning
- Thought leadership content