Log in or create a free Rosenverse account to watch this video.
Log in Create free account100s of community videos are available to free members. Conference talks are generally available to Gold members.
AI as Thought Partner: How to Use LLMs to Transform Your Notes (3rd of 3 seminars)
Summary
There is a lot of hype around AI. But in many ways, AI’s potential for augmenting your cognitive abilities has been undersold. Learn how tools such as ChatGPT can become valuable collaborators that expand and refine your thinking. This seminar by Duly Noted author Jorge Arango shows you how to augment your notes using popular AI tools. Watch Part 1 Watch Part 2
Key Insights
-
•
Generative AI models like GPT-4 are best viewed as powerful symbol manipulation tools, not sentient intelligences.
-
•
Digital notes serve as cognitive augmentation devices that expand our thinking abilities.
-
•
Having direct control over note data enables better integration with AI tools compared to cloud-locked systems.
-
•
AI can effectively assist with summarizing, translating (including to domain-specific jargon), synthesizing, and connecting ideas.
-
•
Using AI as an amanuensis—a kind of super secretary—is a practical middle ground for augmenting cognition.
-
•
Uploading documents like PDFs into AI chat interfaces allows jargon simplification, e.g., explaining academic papers to a 10-year-old.
-
•
Transparency about which content is AI-generated is essential to avoid confusion or mistaken ownership of ideas.
-
•
API access to AI models offers more privacy and customization than chat interfaces, which may use data for training.
-
•
AI tends to produce middle-of-the-road feedback, requiring user expertise to detect inaccuracies or hallucinations.
-
•
Plugins like Smart Connections in Obsidian use local models to find non-linked related notes safely without sending data externally.
Notable Quotes
"Thinking is something that happens as the brain interacts with the world, not just inside our heads."
"These tools are the most powerful symbol manipulation tools ever created, like spreadsheets for language."
"Notes are preeminent things for thinking with because they expand our cognitive abilities."
"I think of AI models as amanuenses, like super secretaries aiding scholars in the early modern period."
"Uploading a paper and asking the AI to explain it as if I was a bright 10-year-old helps break through jargon."
"You want to be very clear about what was generated by AI and what is your own stuff in your notes."
"If you use these chat interfaces, your data might be used for training, but API access can preserve privacy."
"AI gives feedback that’s generally conventional and middle-of-the-road, so you need to verify its output."
"I wouldn’t want AI to think for me; these tools are to help me grow, not replace my thinking."
"The ultimate purpose with AI-augmented note-taking is to think more effectively, not to outsource thought."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"The estuary is highly resilient but also very sensitive to industrial waste—creative collaboration areas in organizations are similar."
John CutlerOxbows, Rivers, and Estuaries: How to navigate the currents of change (without burning out)
December 3, 2024
"By observing Jeff's concerns and asking questions, I was able to show empathy and distract myself from getting defensive."
Darian DavisLessons from a Toxic Work Relationship
January 8, 2024
"One of the biggest challenges is balancing freedom for creative work with necessary consistency and governance, as Dave Kronin pointed out."
Dave GrayGroup Activity: Making Sense of DesignOps
November 7, 2017
"The subtle art of taking care of yourself and giving a f in ways that generally encourage coherent behaviors."
John CutlerThe Alignment Trap
November 29, 2023
"Diagrams are life rafts crossing the sea of volatility, helping to get everyone on the same page."
Abby CovertStuck? Diagrams Help
October 27, 2022
"Making issues visible, sharing models, and iterating versions of workflows helps uncover blockages and solutions."
Mark InterranteCollaboration Flows in Product Development
June 9, 2017
"We can’t just think technology or innovation will solve our problems; we have to embrace and work with those problems."
Devon PowersImagining Better Futures
March 9, 2022
"Good designers understand you can’t design what you don’t understand."
Prayag NarulaHow to Empower Your Designers to Do Good Research – And Why You Want To
June 10, 2022
"Trust the user and trust the model are the two lessons I’m getting over time."
Peter Van DijckHands on AI #3: Claude Code for UX people
October 22, 2025
