The Rise of the Empty Value Problem
The Cost of Cheap Knowledge
I spend time considering how cheap knowledge becomes daily. You can spin up a strategy or a design pitch in minutes using artificial intelligence. It looks valuable immediately. I teach people the same steps and prompts yet they fail to see the same results. Their workflows differ from mine.
They lack the experience to shape the output into something that works. That specific element makes the difference.
Experience Serves as the Multiplier
AI offers you shortcuts but shortcuts never replace lived experience. A polished deck guarantees nothing regarding a winning pitch. A generated campaign provides no assurance of customers. Tools amplify the experience you actually possess. They do not create it for you.
I see this clearly in my own work. AI helps me move fast because I know exactly where to use it and when to ignore it. The output feels flat to everyone else when you strip away that context.
This represents the trap of empty value. Outputs look impressive but fail to move the needle without experience. The real power of AI lies in acceleration for those who already know what matters.
How You Avoid the Trap
You need a shift in perspective if you want AI to create more than surface gloss.
-Anchor yourself in context
Clarify your actual goal before you run a prompt. Democratise the specific outcome you need.
-Layer your experience
Add the critical judgment you built from past wins and mistakes. AI drafts the content but your experience decides what sticks.
-Test in the real world
Put the work into action to see how it holds up against reality.
-Iterate with intent
Refine your approach based on the specific results you see.
Start Multiplying Your Experience
The strongest results appear when you treat AI as an amplifier rather than a source of answers. The prompt tells only half the story. The real spotlight belongs to the context and instincts you bring into the room.
I offer a simple way to make this tangible. Write down one piece of experience you earned that others in your field lack before you use AI. Feed that detail into your process. Watch how much sharper the output becomes.
AI makes knowledge cheap but experience keeps it valuable. The work holds weight when you put your context and scars into the process. Start small and keep layering to see the multiplier effect show.
All the Zest 🍋