Stop Treating AI Like a Search Engine
Most people are using AI wrong.
They log into ChatGPT or Claude and they treat it like an encyclopedia. They ask it questions like “What is the capital of Peru?” or “Who won the 1986 World Series?”
This is a waste of technology. It is like buying a Ferrari to drive 10 miles per hour in a school zone.
If you want facts, use Google. If you want specific data, use a database.
If you want to unlock the power of the 55/35 Protocol, you need to stop treating AI like a retrieval tool and start treating it like a Reasoning Engine.
The Shift
Google retrieves information that already exists. AI creates information that has never existed before.
When you ask AI a fact, you are gambling. It might hallucinate. It might “lie.”
But when you ask AI to think, you are leveraging its true power.
I don’t use AI to tell me things I can look up myself. I use it as an exoskeleton for my mind. I use it to argue, to strategize, and to critique.
The Difference in Action
Here is the difference between a “Search” mindset and a “Sentient” mindset.
The Search Mindset (Wrong):
“What are the best marketing strategies for a newsletter?”
This is lazy. You will get generic B.S. that looks like a Wikipedia entry.
The Sentient Mindset (Right):
“I am launching a digital magazine for multi-passionate entrepreneurs. I want to grow to 1,000 subscribers in 30 days without paid ads. Act as a veteran marketing director. Critique my goal and give me three unconventional growth tactics that rely on community building.”
Do you see the difference?
The first prompt asks for information. The second prompt asks for reasoning.
Stop Asking “What”
If you want to get value out of this column, you need to change your default behavior.
Stop asking the AI
“What is…”
Start asking the AI
“How would you…” or “Why did this fail…”
Use it to simulate a debate partner. Use it to find holes in your logic. Use it to speed up your execution. Double and triple check its output.
This is the core of the protocol. I provide the wisdom and the direction. The AI provides the speed and the structure.
Stop searching. Start building.
Venga!
Mark (VengaDragon)
The Ask
Status Update: As of this morning (Nov 29), we are at 13 subscribers. (Yes, thirteen. We could all fit in a minivan).
The Mission: I have a wildly ambitious goal to hit 500 by January 1st.
I am building this in public, starting from zero. No ads, no tricks. Just this lab report.
The Ask: I don’t want your money today. I want your network. If you believe this project has legs, please forward this to just one person who would vibe with it.
If we double the minivan today, we fill a bus tomorrow.