Smarter Decisions in the Age of AI

Sue Bethanis welcomed back Cheryl Strauss Einhorn, founder and CEO of Decisive and author of four books on decision-making, including her latest, The Human Edge: Smarter Decisions in the Age of AI (May 2026). Cheryl is also a longtime educator at Cornell University and Columbia Business School, and an award-winning investigative journalist whose work has appeared in The New York Times, Barron’s, and Harvard Business Review. She first joined WiseTalk in 2017 to discuss Problem Solved, and returned this month to address one of the most pressing challenges facing senior leaders today: how to use AI as a tool for better decision-making without ceding human judgment in the process.

In this conversation, Sue and Cheryl explored:

• The AREA Method and AI — How Cheryl’s evidence-based decision-making framework (Absolute, Relative, Exploration & Exploitation, Analysis) applies to working with generative AI, and why structured problem-solving matters more, not less, in an AI-enabled environment
• Two modes of AI use — Cheryl’s distinction between “the surgeon” (targeted, precise queries) and “the Lamborghini driver” (navigating complex, multi-step problems), and how each requires a different approach to maintaining human oversight
• How cognitive offloading/surrender can be overcome — The difference between using AI to expand your thinking and allowing it to replace it, and why turning to yourself first is the single most important habit leaders can develop
• A real-world example — How a CEO of a multinational company used the AREA Method alongside AI to rethink a hiring decision, ultimately arriving at a solution she would not have reached otherwise
• Human judgment in AI-assisted decisions — Why AI is built around patterns, not purpose, and why leaders must actively input their values, context, and goals to get results that reflect their actual priorities
• AI in education — What Cheryl observed teaching an AI and decision-making course at the University of Miami, and the implications for developing critical thinking skills in the next generation of leaders
• Human connection in an AI world — The limits of what AI can offer in terms of relationships and companionship, and why staying the “chief decider” in your own life remains essential

Listeners will come away with a clearer understanding of where human judgment is irreplaceable in AI-assisted decision-making, and practical ways to protect and strengthen that judgment. Cheryl’s core message — that leaders must bring their purpose, values, and context to every AI interaction — offers a useful reframe for anyone who has wondered whether they are using AI well or simply using it more. The conversation also raised important questions about how organizations can build cultures where AI fluency and critical thinking develop together, rather than at each other’s expense.