The Language of AI: E15 - The 4Ws Framework

Fellow Educators,

Now That You’ve Made It This Far Down the Rabbit Hole…

Let’s talk about a structured process that will take you from start to finish when integrating AI into your workflow. Much like prompt templates that help guide interactions with AI, the 4W’s Framework serves as a structured template for understanding AI’s impact on your productivity and skill development.

I developed this framework out of a continual need for a clear explanation of the impact that AI has on anyone using it. Over many conversations to a variety of stakeholders from colleagues to students to educators and even my family, I continually came back to the 4W’s.

Writing with AI is operationally simple but its versatility and contextual expertise supercharge your creative and analytical processes. To make the most of AI in any field whether writing a case study, drafting a research paper, brainstorming marketing strategies, or refining business processes you need to ask yourself four critical questions:

The 4W’s Framework: What You Gain, What You Lose, What You Don’t Practice, What You Access

When faced with AI’s seemingly simple interface whether on ChatGPT, Claude, or other platforms the real challenge is extracting value from it. Instead of blindly using AI, applying the 4W’s Framework helps contextualize its role in your workflow.

Step 1: Understanding the 4W’s Before Using AI

Before applying AI to any task, first, understand AI’s role in your process by answering these four key questions:

1. What Are You Gaining?

AI’s value lies in its ability to generate insights, refine ideas, and enhance efficiency. Depending on your domain, what tangible benefits are you gaining?

• A well-structured case concept (for writers and researchers)

• More refined marketing copy or ad concepts (for marketers)

• Accelerated brainstorming for new product ideas (for entrepreneurs)

• Automated documentation for business workflows (for professionals)

This is the easiest of the 4W’s to articulate, as it directly reflects the immediate improvements, change, value or benefits AI brings to your process.

2. What Are You Losing?

While AI enhances efficiency, it may also introduce dependencies that can weaken foundational skills. This question is more nuanced than just identifying unpracticed skills it’s about recognizing where AI may be a crutch rather than a tool.

For example:

• In writing, AI can structure narratives, but over-reliance may lead to a decline in critical storytelling abilities.

• In business, AI can generate reports, but excessive dependence may weaken data analysis skills.

• In creative fields, AI can suggest ideas, but it may limit original thought and exploration.

Understanding what you’re losing is key to maintaining expertise while leveraging AI’s strengths.

3. What Are You Not Practicing?

Beyond losses, this question encourages critical self-reflection. AI can complete tasks, but it doesn’t ensure that you are developing the underlying skills.

For example:

• AI can write a research paper, but are you practicing academic structuring and argumentation?

• AI can suggest business strategies, but are you honing your ability to analyze market trends?

• AI can summarize legal documents, but are you developing a deeper understanding of contracts?

To make the most of AI, be aware of the skills you are skipping and find ways to integrate deliberate practice alongside AI’s capabilities.

4. What New Skill or Skillset Are You Now Accessing?

This final question is about opportunity. AI enables new possibilities, but it also raises an essential distinction:

• Are you gaining a skill (learning and retaining it)?

• Or are you merely accessing it (using AI without mastering the skill itself)?

For instance:

• AI can generate complex data analyses. Are you learning how to interpret them, or just using the results?

• AI can mimic different writing styles. Are you improving your own writing, or just leveraging its output?

• AI can automate customer service responses. Are you developing better communication skills, or just delegating them?

Recognizing this distinction helps define AI’s role in your workflow and long-term skill development.

AI as an Accelerator, Not a Replacement

The 4W’s Framework isn’t just a checklist, it’s a mindset shift. It’s about taking ownership of your use of this amazing tool and being critical in what it is doing to your process and abilities. By applying it, you ensure that AI is not just a tool for convenience, but a lever for strategic growth. AI should enhance your expertise, not replace it.

So next time you sit down to integrate AI into your work whether you’re writing, strategizing, designing, or analyzing start with these four questions. What are you gaining, losing, not practicing, and accessing? Your answers will define how AI fits into your learning journey.

Thanks for taking the time to be part of a positive change in education compared to simply burying your heads in the sand.

Cheers,
Matthew