By skyforbes 
Why teaching people to write pretty sentences with AI completely misses the point
“You’re charging way too little for this.”
I wasn’t expecting to hear that.
Last week, I ran a small ChatGPT workshop here in Kanazawa, a historic city on Japan’s west coast where I work as an IT consultant for small and medium-sized businesses. Only two people signed up — a veteran instructor with 30 years of experience and an office administrator.
Two participants. That’s it.
Most people would cancel. But I never do. Small groups are exactly what I want. When it’s just a handful of people, we can really dig in. We can get our hands dirty with the work.
After the session ended, the veteran instructor — someone who trains employees at major corporations across Japan — looked at me and said: “Ishihara-san, 5,000 yen (about $33 USD) feels too cheap for what you just taught us.”
I was flattered, honestly. But more than that, I found myself asking: Why did he feel that way?
Anyone Can Write Pretty Sentences with AI
Here’s the thing about ChatGPT: it makes creating polished text ridiculously easy.
“Write this in a professional tone.”
“Make it sound friendly but formal.”
“Explain this concept simply.”
Type in a prompt like that, and boom — instant professional copy.
But that’s not what I teach in my workshops. Not even close.
What I’m really teaching is this: How do you slip generative AI into the cracks of human relationships and organizational resistance?
Because that, I believe, is the actual survival skill for the AI era.
Reading the Psychology of Resistance — Before the Meeting Even Starts
Let me give you an example.
Say you’re planning a new company initiative or event. Most people would ask ChatGPT: “Create an agenda for this meeting.”
Fair enough. But I teach my clients to ask something different:
“What objections and problems are likely to come up in this meeting?”
In other words: predict the resistance before it happens.
Because we all know what’s coming, right?
“The budget’s too tight.”
“We don’t have enough people.”
“We’ve never done it this way before.”
These objections always surface. They’re like clockwork in Japanese organizations — and probably everywhere else too.
So why not use ChatGPT to anticipate them? Then prepare your counterarguments in advance.
I call this “psychological warfare with AI.”
It’s not about outsmarting people. It’s about being ready. It’s about respecting the resistance enough to actually address it head-on.
Adding the Voices That Aren’t in the Room
During the workshop, I also introduced persona design and customer journey mapping. But here’s where it gets interesting.
The real power isn’t just in creating personas. It’s in combining perspectives from people who aren’t physically present.
Think about a typical meeting at a Japanese SME. You’ve got veteran employees, mid-career staff, and younger team members sitting around a table. Standard mix.
But what if you added someone from outside that room?
What if an American intern joined your team — even hypothetically? What would they find weird about your workflows? What questions would they ask that you’ve stopped asking because “that’s just how we do things here”?
In Japan, we have so many unspoken rules and assumptions baked into our work culture. Sometimes it takes an outsider’s perspective to see them clearly.
So I teach people to ask ChatGPT:
“If an American intern saw this process, what would confuse them?”
“What would a German business student suggest we improve?”
Suddenly, you’re not trapped in groupthink anymore. You’re seeing your own business through fresh eyes — eyes that challenge the “common sense” that might actually be holding you back.
Why “Too Cheap”?
The veteran instructor took notes during this entire section.
He wasn’t impressed because I taught him how to generate text with AI. He was impressed because I showed him how to use AI to move people and navigate organizational politics.
That’s the difference.
In a room with 50 people, you can’t have this kind of conversation. But with just two participants? We could go deep. We could wrestle with the real challenges they face in their work.
One participant said something I’ll never forget: “Generative AI isn’t optional anymore. The way we work — the way we live — everything is changing.”
That’s exactly it. And having that realization together, in a small room in Kanazawa, meant more to me than any large-scale seminar ever could.
Small Groups, Big Impact
I prefer small workshops over packed lecture halls. Always have.
Why?
Because “understanding” and “being able to do” are completely different things.
You can understand a concept by watching a YouTube video. You can nod along and think, “Yeah, that makes sense.”
But actually doing it — rolling up your sleeves, making mistakes, adapting it to your specific situation — that only happens when you’re hands-on.
That’s when knowledge becomes useful. That’s when it becomes yours.
Final Thoughts: AI as a Weapon for Change
Generative AI isn’t just a convenient tool.
It’s a weapon for moving hearts, transforming organizations, and carving out new futures.
I guarantee there are people in your workplace right now who resist change.
“I don’t want to try something new.”
“The old way works fine.”
“We don’t need AI.”
Sound familiar?
The question isn’t if you’ll face this resistance. The question is: How will you navigate it?
Maybe ChatGPT can help you find the answer.
Because in the end, it’s not about the AI. It’s about understanding people — their fears, their motivations, their unspoken objections.
And from my little consulting office here in Kanazawa, helping one or two businesses at a time become self-sufficient with technology? That’s the work that matters most to me.
Not the elite stuff. Just real people, real problems, real solutions.
That’s my kind of digital transformation.
If you are interested in my work or have any questions, please feel free to contact me at https://linkbio.co/solobizjourney