How to Create In the Age of Mysterious Algorithms

If AI is a black box, then we have to be the lightbulb ...

Large language models are dazzling, weird, and often a little baffling. I'm enjoying learning about them, adapting to them, and exploring the new frontiers in business they seem to be offering.

(And I'm deep into it - currently creating tools that integrate AI, storytelling, and business education.)

But I've always assumed that the people who built them understand them and could tell exactly why they do what they do.

But actually, they can't fully explain them.

(which is sorta scary, but let's move on).

A 2023 paper by Bearman and Ajjawi explains how AI systems function as “black boxes,” even to their own creators:

Rather than seeking to explain ‘black boxes’, we argue that a pedagogy for an AI‐mediated world involves learning to work with opaque, partial and ambiguous situations, which reflect the entangled relationships between people and technologies.

Yikes! "Opaque" and "ambiguous" are not something business executives or funders really like to see. So if you're a startup relying on AI tools to build on or to support your core business functions, it's time for a strategic reality check:

What do you do when your tech co-founder is essentially a very fast, very confident mystery machine?

You don’t panic. You get intentional. Here’s how:

🚀 1. Use AI Boldly—But Don’t Outsource Your Brain

AI can help you draft your pitch deck, synthesize user feedback, or generate ad copy in minutes. Fantastic. But don’t confuse acceleration with direction.

You're still the one in charge of the destination—and the consequences.

Just ask the team that launched an AI chatbot without guardrails—only to have it spiral into offensive content within hours. Speed is tempting, but discernment is everything.

👉 AI is your co-pilot, not your compass.

🔍 2. Build Trust Into the Blueprint

If your product uses AI, your users will eventually ask, "Why did it do that?" And that question isn’t just about user experience—it’s about liability, brand trust, and the values behind your tech.

That means transparency isn’t optional. From day one, think: explainability, audit trails, and good old-fashioned human oversight. (Even the big accounting firms screwed this up when they first implemented AI.)

👉 Govern AI, don't just deploy.

Context, care, and vision build trust.

✨ 3. Double Down on the Human Stuff

In a sea of AI-generated sameness, you are the differentiator. Your lived experience, your storytelling chops, your intuition about what your customers really need—that’s your moat.

If you build your story, your brand, your investor pitch entirely with AI, you may look slick but you may also leave people feeling cold. No vision, no why, no hook. You can be technically perfect and emotionally vacant. In the age of AI, getting your story right is your competitive advantage.

In other words, context, care, and long-term thinking aren’t extras. They’re your secret weapons.

👉 Stand out by going where machines can’t: nuance, empathy, and vision.

🧭 4. Don’t Let Uncertainty Break You

You don’t have to know exactly how a neural net functions under the hood. What matters is understanding how it behaves in your use case—and building systems that can monitor, test, and tweak accordingly.

Lead with curiosity, not control. Build teams that are resilient, fast-learning, and ambiguity-friendly.

👉 Clarity beats control in complex systems.

🧠 5. Invest in First-Principles Thinking

The murkier your tools, the sharper your thinking has to be. Don’t start with what the AI can do. Start with what your customers (or investors) actually need—and why.

AI can pump out answers. But only you can ask the right questions. And here's a meta-level thought - you, being human, may even be biased in what tools you are using or questions you are asking AI.

How do you get out of this very-human limitation?

Be a continuous learner and build/maintain relationships with real human mentors who can help you focus on first principles thinking.

👉 Your clarity—not the AI’s cleverness—is what wins trust (and funding).

🗺️ Be The One Holding the Map

In a world where even the engineers can’t fully explain the engine, the founder who leads with clarity, ethics, and insight becomes the real competitive advantage. Let AI be the horsepower. You’re the one holding the map.

You may never know inside the 'black box' of your AI systems/tools, but be the lightbulb that lights up understanding - so you can see clearly what it is doing and why.

👉 Lead with your values and your insight.

Ready to turn black-box uncertainty into clear-eyed leadership? Share this with a fellow founder who could use a little strategic sunshine. 🌞