READY. FIRE. AIM.

Here’s a fundamental truth: better decisions create better outcomes. It is so obvious that we let it go unsaid, but like many things in our accelerationist age it bears re-examining. More and faster does not directly lead to better. So what does better decision making look like as today’s digital-first world evolves into tomorrow’s AI-first world? How should we think about partnering with AI to help us make the best decisions we can?

Our lived experience of decision making makes clear that the best decisions happen in collaboration. Having multiple POVs on a question illuminates the space of the possible, opening our eyes to choices that might otherwise go undiscovered or unexamined. For decisions that require very specific expertise we often hire experts to help us (health, legal, finance, etc.). For more general decisions we talk to friends and family, our teams and co-workers, mentors and coaches.

It seems natural then that we would turn to our newest tool - modern AI - for help with decision making. The recent OpenAI research findings confirm exactly this - the #1 use case for ChatGPT is helping users make better decisions, capturing about 70% of our time on the platform. People lean on it to brainstorm, weigh options, and think through hard calls. That isn’t a fringe use. It’s the center of gravity.

Modern AI models are incredibly powerful, but the chatbot experience is less than ideal for decision making. Decision making is a dynamic, non-linear process: exploratory, iterative, and deeply situational. Chatbots are linear thinkers, best at answering questions and generating text from world knowledge - they don’t understand us: our experiences, our preferences and our goals.

What would be the ideal digital decision making partner?

- Dynamic context: Understands you, your goals, and your organization — learning continuously from your connected sources

- Structured frameworks: Organizes information visually and clearly, guiding you through evolving decision processes

- Built for collaboration: A shared cognitive workspace where inputs, alternatives, and choices unfold over time

The move from single-user AI chat to dedicated decision making systems will finally drive the kind of productivity growth we’re all expecting from our AI investments. By embedding intelligent decision making directly in the flow of work we can dramatically improve how professionals understand, decide, and act together - driving better decisions and so better outcomes.

AI already has the raw intelligence to assist; what has been missing is the structure to make it truly useful for the work that matters most. Building that structure — dynamic context,  frameworks, and collaboration — is how we can close the gap between powerful models and the real needs of decision-makers.

Scott Wiener,  CEO and Founder at Hubs
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