Why Simple Wins: Strategic Planning with AI

Over a drink with one of my favorite futurists, Garry Golden futurethink.com/garry-golden, we marveled at the mind-bending ways that AI is revolutionizing tasks like annual strategic planning. Garry predicted the rise of predictive-language models 15 years ago and delivers future-focused keynotes all over the world, so when he talks…I’m all in.

One of his pro tips for strategic planning with AI? Generate hundreds of potential scenarios or strategic-planning elements with a single prompt on ChatGPT, Bard, or other AI-powered platforms. Sample scenarios could range from a “stricter government regulation of your best-selling product” or “a natural disaster in China disrupts your supply chain” to “breakthroughs in AI lead to innovations that render your service irrelevant.”

When I pressed Garry for the prompt used to deliver these scenarios, he gave me gold: “Generate 10 scenarios that could negatively impact our ability to accomplish the goals in this strategic plan.”

And just like that, it’s a Hot Goal Summer!