The octagon-shaped professional doesn’t work alone with AI—they work in partnership with AI. This requires understanding what to delegate, what to own, and how to orchestrate the collaboration.
Domain Selection. Choosing which eight domains to pursue is fundamentally human.
Intersection Sensing. Recognizing where domains connect valuably requires intuition developed through deep engagement.
Quality Judgment. Knowing what “good” looks like in each domain is essential for evaluating AI output.
Relationship Building. Trust networks across domains are human infrastructure.
Strategic Direction. Deciding where to invest attention requires judgment about values and priorities.
Novel Synthesis. Creating genuinely new combinations remains human territory.
AI Handles:
Knowledge Maintenance. Staying current across all eight domains.
Pattern Detection. Finding connections in large datasets, identifying trends.
Research Synthesis. Summarizing domain developments, comparing perspectives.
Execution at Scale. Working on multiple domain problems simultaneously.
First Drafts. Starting points for documents, analyses, designs, and plans.
Translation. Moving between domain languages.
Four Modes of AI Collaboration
1. Scout Mode: AI explores, you direct
Use when you need to survey a domain, understand what’s happening, or identify opportunities. AI does the scanning and synthesis; you decide what matters.
Example prompt: “What are the three most significant developments in [domain X] over the past month that would affect [your work]?”
2. Sparring Mode: AI challenges, you refine
Use when you have an idea and need to stress-test it. AI takes adversarial positions, identifies weaknesses, and challenges assumptions from multiple domain perspectives.
Example prompt: “I’m thinking about [idea]. Challenge this from a [domain Y] perspective—what would experts say is wrong?”
3. Draft Mode: AI creates, you elevate
Use when you need to produce output and want a starting point. AI generates first versions; you apply domain judgment to refine, correct, and elevate.
Example prompt: “Draft a [deliverable] that applies [domain Z] principles to [problem]. I’ll refine it.”
4. Bridge Mode: AI translates, you connect
Use when you need to move between domains—explaining one field’s concepts in another field’s language.
Example prompt: “Explain [concept from domain A] using frameworks from [domain B].”
The mastery pattern: Scout to explore → Spar to test → Draft to produce → Bridge to translate.
Gennaro is the creator of FourWeekMBA, which reached about four million business people, comprising C-level executives, investors, analysts, product managers, and aspiring digital entrepreneurs in 2022 alone | He is also Director of Sales for a high-tech scaleup in the AI Industry | In 2012, Gennaro earned an International MBA with emphasis on Corporate Finance and Business Strategy.
