ChatGPT is a mirror, not a pleaser

I’ve been thinking about how people use ChatGPT. Most see it as a tool that gives answers. But it’s not really built for truth — it’s built to please. It fills the silence, tries to be helpful, and gives you something even when it’s not sure. That makes it sound smart, but it can also make it wrong.

When you’re just exploring ideas, that’s fine. You can bounce thoughts, play around, get inspired. But when you actually need something real — when you’re trying to solve a problem or make a decision — this “pleasing mode” can get in the way. Because what you really need then isn’t an answer. It’s clarity.

That’s why I’ve started to see ChatGPT less as an assistant and more as a mirror. It reflects what I already think. It helps me structure my thoughts, test ideas, and see where I’m uncertain. The quality of what I get out of it depends completely on the honesty of what I put in.

If I come with half-truths, it gives me polished half-truths back. If I bring the raw stuff — confusion, frustration, unfiltered thoughts — it starts to make sense of it. That’s when it becomes powerful.

So I guess the key isn’t to ask ChatGPT for answers. It’s to ask better questions. To use it not as someone who knows, but as something that helps you know yourself a bit better.

And by the way - written by me, with ChatGPT as my thinking partner.