The Old Times

https://simple.ai/p/the-ai-trick-i-learned-from-my-14-year-old

Synopsis
Dharmesh Shah, HubSpot’s CTO, shares a lesson learned from his 14-year-old son about using AI with a “blank slate” mindset. His son treats AI as a creative simulation engine, crafting fictional worlds and testing ideas without assuming limitations. Inspired by this, Shah began using AI to simulate business decisions, feeding it contextual data about HubSpot and exploring scenarios from multiple perspectives. He calls this approach “simulation thinking,” where AI becomes a tool for exploring possibilities, not just finding answers. Shah argues that embracing this experimental mindset will be the key skill separating future innovators from passive users.

Executive Summary

• A 14-year-old’s open, assumption-free use of AI inspired Shah’s new approach.
• The “blank slate advantage” helps uncover untapped AI capabilities through curiosity.
• Shah uses AI to simulate business decisions and gather cross-disciplinary insights quickly.
• This approach strengthens creativity and decision-making before engaging real teams.
• “Simulation thinking” — using AI to explore possibilities — is emerging as the essential skill for thriving in the AI era.

Citations:
[1] You to the Power of AI: Dharmesh Shah on Building a Human … https://www.inbound.com/blog/you-to-the-power-of-ai-dharmesh-shah-on-building-a-human-centered-ai-future
[2] You To The Power of AI with Dharmesh Shah | INBOUND 2025 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPQngmSEIe0&list=WL
[3] You To The Power of AI: What I Learned From a Tech Billionaire … https://gregdoig.com/you-to-the-power-of-ai-what-i-learned-from-a-tech-billionaire-about-chatgpt/
[4] Most people get this question wrong. | Mario Lucero https://www.linkedin.com/posts/luceromet_how-to-compete-with-ai-and-win-dharmesh-activity-7346991195362877442-GGyD
[5] HubSpot’s Dharmesh Shah on AI mastery: Why prompts, context, and experimentation matter most https://venturebeat.com/ai/hubspots-dharmesh-shah-on-ai-mastery-why-prompts-context-and-experimentation
[6] simple.ai by @dharmesh https://simple.ai/archive?page=1
[7] Archive | simple.ai by @dharmesh https://simple.ai/archive?page=4
[8] Archive https://simple.ai/archive
[9] AI for Software Development | Dharmesh Shah: The Future of Software, GitKon 2023 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqdNtad-Dzo