Large Language Model AIs Are Tools, Not Thinkers

Reading time: ~4.5 minutes

Summary

• What most people call “AI” today are large language models that predict the next word, not systems that reason or verify truth
• They can sound confident while being wrong
• I treat them as assistants for language and thinking support, never as decision-makers
• You should always hold the “second nuclear activation key” when using them for anything that matters

Large language models (LLMs), what most people mean by “AI” right now, are systems that predict the next word in a sentence based on patterns learned from massive amounts of text.

They do not reason.
They do not verify facts.
They do not actually understand context in the way humans do.

They generate words. Based on a statistical guess.

That means they can produce answers that sound fluent, confident, and convincing, while still being wrong. LLMs can hallucinate.

Even thinking models lack metacognition and cannot judge their own correctness.

That distinction shapes how I use them.

I treat LLMs as tools, an assistant, for working with words and ideas, not as sources of truth or authority.

If I use an LLM for anything that has real consequences, I make sure I hold what I think of as the second nuclear activation key.

Either:

• I give it a pre-thought-out foundation and check the output carefully, or
• I let it explore ideas, but I do the verification and final judgment myself.

The model never gets the single key.

I must be the second checker. I must be the second sign-off.

Reasonable ways I use AI

Language

• Editing for clarity
• Reducing wordiness
• Reordering sentences for flow

Search and small problems

• Quick answers for low-stakes questions
• Checking or correcting simple Excel formulas

Learning and thinking

• Identifying gaps in my thinking For example, when I’m designing something complex like an investment portfolio, I’ll ask it to critique my assumptions. It lists possible weaknesses. I then decide which ones are actually relevant and research them properly myself. I also use multiple models when I do this, to get more fresh pairs of eyes and to help surface weaknesses or considerations that other models may not have identified.
• Surfacing new ideas It can mention theories, concepts, or references I might not have encountered yet. I treat these as pointers, not conclusions.
• As a second (or third) set of eyes It catches things I might overlook. It is not the original thinker. I must still follow-up and verify.

What AI should not do

• Make decisions for you
• Replace judgment in complex, context-dependent situations
• Be trusted blindly just because the answer sounds confident

Don’t give the LLM the single nuclear key.
You need to be the second keyholder.

Misc. notes:

Things I’ve seen in real life

People trusting AI blindly.

I say X. They respond with “AI says Y.”
Okay. Is Y relevant to your specific situation, body, or local laws? Often, no.

People telling me an AI said a particular medicine is suitable for them.
No verification. No guideline check. No consideration that it might be unsafe or illegal for their circumstances.

People quoting AI answers about complicated travel visa questions.
Without checking the issuing authority or official sources.

Open questions

People and companies keep saying AI is “changing the world.”

It certainly has “changed” daily life arrangements that require a lot of words, i.e. homework and workplace reports. To what benefit exactly?

The global education system is now completely broken (well, it was already less important with the internet and search engines, but now it’s completely shattered with AI LLMs).

The global workplace is now broken with fake hiring processes (AI-generated applications, resumes, and interviews, followed by AI scanning, interviewing, and interpreting the application) and low-quality work (that can be made to look “amazing” with an LLM despite being of low substance).

A lot of people are completely offloading thinking and common sense to LLMs and deriving frankly nonsensical answers without first checking, verifying, or simply using their brain to think.

I genuinely want to know:
What real, practical benefits has the average person gained from AI in daily life, beyond word-heavy tasks like writing and summarising?

Cheating at school and at work?

I really want to know. My guestbook is open.
Thank you. I wish you a pleasant day.