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July 16, 2025 23 mins

Your brain faces a staggering 35,000 decisions every day, and artificial intelligence now stands ready to assist with roughly 10,000 of them. But there's a critical challenge nobody's discussing: our brains simply weren't designed for this collaborative decision-making approach.  This is part of AI coaching tools for executives 

Throughout this deeply insightful exploration of the neuroscience behind AI decision-making, we uncover how your prefrontal cortex—your brain's CEO—responds when artificial intelligence enters your decision processes. The fascinating interplay between your intuitive system (fast, emotional, pattern-based) and your analytical system (slow, logical, deliberate) creates either harmony or conflict depending on your neural flexibility.

Through compelling case studies of executives using identical AI tools with dramatically different results, we discover that success isn't about intelligence but about intentional neural rewiring. One executive fought the AI at every turn, experiencing decision fatigue and declining performance. Another trained her brain to work alongside AI, resulting in decision-making speeds three times faster with notably better outcomes. The difference? Neural pathways created through deliberate practice.

The dopamine decision loop reveals why AI decisions can become addictive—successful AI-assisted choices trigger not just dopamine but a full "neurotransmitter cocktail" including serotonin for confidence and norepinephrine for focus. This potent neurochemical reward system explains why many struggle to find balance between enhancement (AI amplifying decisions while maintaining control) and addiction (AI replacing judgment).

Most critically, we examine how cognitive blind spots—confirmation bias, anchoring bias, and availability heuristics—can be dangerously amplified by artificial intelligence, creating a bias multiplication effect. The solution? A three-step neural rewiring protocol that helps you categorize decisions appropriately and build AI intuition through deliberate practice.

Ready to transform how your brain works with AI? Take the 30-day challenge to rebuild your neural pathways. Those who successfully complete it and share their results will receive a free digital copy of "The Coach's Brain Meets AI." Subscribe now to continue training your brain for the AI age, one episode at a time.

Ready to evolve your leadership approach? Grab the free 10-minute AI setup guide in the show notes,

The book "A Coach's Brain Meet AI" with a free pre-sale until July 22nd is here 

https://www.saharandrade.com/ai-coaching-book-pre-order

There are bonuses for $594 value offered with the book till July 20, after that the book will be sold at full value and no bonuses.

 Because in a world of increasing technological noise, people follow what feels real. And that's something no AI can replicate.

Downloaded the free AI starter guide in the show notes and join me for this five-part "Pain to Power" series where we'll build your AI confidence without the technical overwhelm. Subscribe now – your brain is ready for this, even if your inner critic hasn't caught up yet.

Please comment, like and share the podcast

If you have any questions, please email me at: sahar@saharconsulting.com
 

Discover neuroscience-based AI strategies for executives and coaches. Sahar MB.BCh explores human-centered AI integration for leadership success.  

#AI #Artificialintelligence #learningpodcast #DailyAI #leadershipcoach #executivepresence #BrainvsAI #neuroleadership #neuroscienceinleadership #Futureofwork #techtalk #innovation #AIpodcast #AIcafe #AIforeveryone

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Episode Transcript

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Speaker 1 (00:13):
Your brain makes 35,000 decisions every single
day, from what coffee to drinkto which strategic direction to
take your company, and here'sthe thing AI wants to help you
with about 10,000 of thosedecisions.
But here is what nobody'stalking about.

(00:38):
Your brain was not designed forthat.
My name is Sahar Andrade.
I am your AI whisperer, andbefore we dive into the
neuroscience today, can we justacknowledge something hilarious?
We are literally, literally atepisode seven of this podcast

(01:03):
Season two.
Seven episodes, people, we arebasically a baby in the podcast
arena and yet, drum roll, wejumped 109,000 ranking positions
in one day, not 109 109 000ranking position.

(01:30):
Based on pod seo, we are nowsitting at 429 000 to 12 out of
millions and millions ofpodcasts.
We are beating establishedshows that have been around for
years.
How's that for neural networkefficiency, right?

(01:56):
The algorithms apparently lovesneuroscience as much as we do.
Who knew that talking aboutbrains would make the artificial
brain take notice anyway?
Three years ago, I made myfirst major business decision

(02:16):
using ai.
My gut said one thing, the datasaid another.
My brain was literally at warwith itself.
I like the word literally.
That's why I use it a lot.
Today we are going inside yourbrain's decision center.
We're talking about theneuroscience of AI decision

(02:38):
making.
Why?
Because understanding how yourbrain responds to AI isn't just
interesting, it's survival Readyto rewire your decision-making
neural pathways.
Let's go, let's dive deep.
So let's start by talking aboutthe executive brain on AI.

(03:02):
Let start with your pre-frontalcortex.
The pre-frontal cortex isbasically what you have right
behind your forehead and this iswhere we do most of the logical
thinking.
This is what we call yourbrain's ceo.

(03:22):
It sits right behind, like Isaid, your forehead and it's
where all executive decisionshappen.
When you're faced with a choice, your prefrontal cortex fires
up.
It weighs options the good, thebad and the bad and the ugly it
considers consequences and itmakes the call.

(03:46):
But here is where it getsfascinating.
When AI enters the picture,your brain activates completely
different neural pathways.
Again, that word.
Here it comes literally justkidding.
So let's talk about the trustversus skepticism battle.

(04:12):
And, by the way, I'm a gen x,so I'm very skeptical and very
cynical, and those of you thatare gen x know exactly what I
mean.
Your brain has two competingsystems.
Brain has two competing systems.
The first is your intuitivesystem.
It's fast, emotional andpattern based.
That's why it's fast survivalright.

(04:32):
The second is your analyticalsystem.
Slow, logical, deliberate airecommendations trigger both
systems, one after the other,simultaneously.
Your intuitive brain says thisfeels right or this feels wrong.

(04:56):
Your analytical brain says, hey, show me the data Cynical.
Hey, show me the data Cynical.
So I'm going to share with you acase studies of two CEOs that I
coached recently.
So I worked with two executivesbetween last year and the

(05:17):
beginning of this year, 2025.
Same industry, same AI tool,completely different outcomes.
For privacy, I'm not mentioningnames or places, so let's call
them CEO one and co2 CEO one.
I'm gonna give a fictional name.
Let's call him John.

(05:39):
His brain fought the AI everysingle step he he had get a
recommendation, then spent hourssecond guessing it.
His prefrontal cortex was inconstant conflict.
Decision fatigue set in and theperformance dropped.

(06:01):
Ceo number two let's call herSarah.
Trained her brain to work withAI.
She understood her neuralpatterns.
She knew when to trust the AIand when to trust her gut.
In my experience working withher, her decision-making speed

(06:25):
increased dramatically we'retalking three times faster on
complex decisions.
Her accuracy noticeably betteroutcomes across the board.
The neural difference thedifference wasn't intelligence,

(06:52):
it was neural flexibility.
Sarah's brain created newpathways.
The more we use something, themore we build neural pathways in
our brain Neural pathways.
This is part of neuroplasticity.
Building these neural pathwaysis like basically creating new
highways in your brain.

(07:13):
The more you keep adding to it,the more you keep using it, the
more it solidifies itself.
It doesn't stay only foundation, but it becomes a full bridge
highway.
Going back to CEO number one,john, his brain stayed stuck in
old patterns.
Your brain is plastic.

(07:35):
That's where the wordneuroplasticity comes from.
It can rewire itself, thoughfor centuries they thought that
the brain cannot regenerate orcannot rewire itself when
actually it can.
But you have to be intentionalabout it.
You have to make sure that yourintentions are set to want to

(08:01):
rewire your brain exactly howSarah did.
So I wanna talk now about thedopamine decision loop.
I don't know if you ever heardthat expression before, but let
me go.
What does it mean?
Let's talk about your brainreward system.
Every time you make a gooddecision, your brain releases
dopamine.

(08:21):
It's your natural high.
It's what makes you want tokeep making decisions, because
your brain is getting rewarded.
That's what we call thedopamine decision loop.
Ai supercharges this system.
So let's talk about what makesit really happen.
We call that theneurotransmitter cocktail.

(08:45):
When AI helps you make a winningdecision, your brain doesn't
just release dopamine, itreleases a full cocktail of
neurotransmitters Dopamine forreward, serotonin for confidence
boost, nor epinephrine for thefocused attention.

(09:07):
So you get the reward thatmakes you giddy and you want to
make it.
You want to feel that feelingover and over again and that's
why you're getting into a loopof doing the same thing so you
can get that reward.
You get the confidence from theserotonin, so you are grounded
and you want to make it more tohappen.
And you get a hugelylaser-focused attention from the

(09:29):
norepinephrine.
So the cocktail is actuallyaddictive.
Your brain starts craving AIvalidation.
I can tell you that I mean, I'ma big believer in that and I
use that every day.
But it's important here tounderstand the difference
between the enhancement and theaddiction line.

(09:51):
Here is the criticaldistinction.
There is a difference betweenAI enhancement and AI addiction.
Enhancement is AI amplifiesyour decision making.
You stay in control.
You use AI as a tool.
Remember AI is not a strategy,it's a tool.
The addiction AI is not astrategy, it's a tool.

(10:12):
The addiction AI replaces yourdecision-making.
You lose confidence in your ownjudgment.
You can't decide without AI,and I've seen people just
getting stuff, whatever thatscratches the surface in a
prompt copy and paste and gowith it.
That's not what AI has beencreated for.
It's your colleague, it's yourcollaborator and, believe me,

(10:35):
even when I use AI, I keeppushing back.
So, one of the things that youcan do if you want to make sure
that you are getting the rightstuff push back.
Ask AI to be your devil'sadvocate in whatever you just
found out or whatever responseit give you.
Advocate in whatever you justfound out or whatever response
it give you.
Ask it to push back on what youthink, to tell you why they're
pushing back and what could be atotally opposite opinion.

(10:57):
Don't take whatever is thereand copy and pasted people.
That's not what it was createdfor.
You still have your humanintelligence, use it.
So I'm going gonna give youanother actually, uh, real

(11:17):
example.
Right, uh, in a ceotransformation another ceo that
I worked with and okay, I'mcalling him david he was
drowning in decisions.
200 emails a day soundsfamiliar, constant meetings,
paralysis.
We introduced AI decisionsupport for him.
Within weeks, his productivityskyrocketed, but then something

(11:40):
very interesting happened Hisbrain started expecting AI input
for every decision, even simpleones what to eat for lunch,
what trousers to take home, evenwhat color to use as a pen.
His prefrontal cortex wasoutsourcing everything.

(12:04):
His decision-making muscleswere atrophying Remember, you
don't use you abuse and youdon't get them anymore.
So I was talking about therewiring progress, or how to
create neural pathways or newfreeways in your brain, or this

(12:25):
is happen or can happen byretraining a brain.
So we had, or I had to actuallyretrain his brain to be rewired
to new neural pathways.
So I created decisioncategories for him.
Number one AI-assisteddecisions that are complex and

(12:49):
data heavy.
Number two gut decisions simpleand time-sensitive.
Number three hybrid decisions,where you can have an AI input
plus your own human judgment.
Within a month, his brain foundits balance.
He kept the AI enhancementwithout the addiction and you

(13:14):
might ask what is my brain'ssweet spot?
So let's talk about that for asecond.
The goal isn't to eliminate yourdecision making.
You are the human.
You are the one with theempathy.
You are the one that looks atsomeone's face and read all the
micro expressions on their faces.
You are the one that readsactually the body language.

(13:37):
So here we need to optimizethat your decision making.
Ai handles the data processing.
Remember, ai doesn't read words.
It looks for patterns andbehaviors and give you the best

(13:58):
result about that you, as theuser.
You handle the wisdom.
Your brain handles thesynthesis of that.
Remember, that's the sweet spotof using ai.
I want to talk to you about someof the biases that we have, or
shortcuts, or our blind spots.

(14:19):
The first one is our cognitiveblind spot sabotage.
Your brain has blind spots.
We do.
This is how our brain wascreated for survival.
Cognitive shortcuts or blindspots can trip you up.

(14:40):
Ai can either amplify theseshortcuts or help you overcome
them.
You know that on every bigdecision that I make, I go back
and I ask AI what are myshortcomings here?
What is it that I'm not seeing,what is it that I'm avoiding,

(15:02):
what are my blind spots in there?
And tell me why you are givingme those and what are the
solutions so you can that's whatI'm saying push back.
Ai is a wonderful tool if youreally know how to use it.
So let's tackle the big threethe confirmation blind spot or

(15:25):
shortcut, the anchoring blindspot or shortcut, and the
availability heuristics that I'mgoing to talk about in a second
.
Let's go to the confirmationshortcut, or confirmation bias.
When AI tells you what you wantto hear and it makes you feel
good and you want to take ithome.

(15:45):
But that's not what it wascreated for.
Your brain loves being right.
When AI confirms your existingbeliefs, dopamine floods your
system.
You feel validated and you stopquestioning.
Sounds familiar.
This is dangerous.
Ai can become an echo chamber.

(16:06):
This is not what AI was createdfor.
So the brain hack number onealways ask the AI exactly that
word by word.
What evidence contradicts thisrecommendation?
Force it to show you the otherside.
Number two the anchoring blindspot or anchoring bias getting

(16:29):
stuck on AI's first suggestion,your brain grabs on the first
piece of information it receives.
If AI's first recommendation isincrease budget by 20%, your
brain anchors on that number.
Everything else gets comparedto it.
Brain hack number two comparedto it.

(16:54):
Brain hack number two ask AIfor multiple options before
seeing any details, like, forexample, say give me three
different approaches beforediving deep, or five.
It can do that for you.
The third one is theavailability heuristics, or what
we call availability shortcutor bias over waiting.
Recent ai successes your brainremembers recent events more

(17:19):
vividly, so if ai helped younail a big decision last week,
you will overestimate itsreliability this week.
Don't depend on that.
So brain hack.
Number three keep a decisionjournal, track your AI
recommendations and outcomesover time.
Your brain needs data, not justmemories.

(17:41):
The bias or shortcutmultiplication effect.
Here is what's scary AI canamplify all of these shortcuts
at the same time.
So if you are confirmationbiased, ai will find data to
support your shortcut or yourblind spot or your bias.
If you are anchoring prone, aiwill reinforce your anchors.

(18:04):
But here is what's powerfulOnce you understand your biases
and shortcuts, ai becomes yourbias busting tool.
Like I said, push back, ask itto be your devil's advocate.
Ask it to expose your shortcuts, your blind spots.
A personal example, and I'mgoing to share my own example

(18:26):
I'm a Libra, right, so I'mnaturally optimistic.
Confirmation bias is myweakness, though I want to
believe good news.
So I train my AI to be myskeptic.
Each recommendation comes withthe devil's advocate section,
exactly what I was just tellingyou.
My brain gets both sidesautomatically, being a Libra too

(18:46):
the balance.
In my own experience, thisapproach has led to noticeably
better decision outcomes, lesssecond guessing, more confidence
in the choices I make.
Your brain is the mostsophisticated decision making

(19:06):
machine in the universe machinein the universe.
Ai does not replace it.
Ai amplifies, so if you're good, it will amplify that.
If you're not that good, itwill amplify that too.
So there are three step neuralrewiring protocol that you can
actually do.
Step number one understand yourdecision DNA.

(19:30):
Track your decisions for oneweek.
Note one which decisions drainyour energy.
Two which decision you makeimpulsively.
Three which decisions youoverthink.
Step two create decisioncategories.
One AI-first decisions, likedata-heavy, complex.

(19:53):
Two human-first decisionscreative or relationship-based.
Three hybrid decisions AI inputplus human wisdom.
Step number three build AIintuition.
Start small.
Use AI for low-stakes decisions.
Watch how your brain respondsand build trust gradually.

(20:16):
How to build AI intuitionthrough practice.
Your brain learns throughrepetition.
Every AI-assisted decisioncreates new neural pathways.
The more you practice, thestronger these pathways become.
But practice in a deliberateway.

(20:36):
Don't just use AI randomly.
Use it strategically.
So this is I'm giving you a30-day challenge.
Here is what I want you to doPick one decision category where
you struggle.

(20:57):
Maybe it's prioritizing tasks,maybe it's resource allocation,
maybe it's strategic planning.
So for the next 30 days, use aito support that decision type,
not to replace your judgment,but to enhance it.
Track the outcomes, notice howyour brain changes, feel the new
neural pathways forming.

(21:18):
This is the future of yourdecision making.
We are living through adecision-making revolution.
Your brain is adapting to workwith artificial intelligence,
but this adaptation isn'tautomatic.
It's intentional.
The executives who masterAI-assisted decision-making will

(21:41):
have a massive advantage.
Same goes for coaches.
They will think faster, decidebetter and execute with
precision.
Your brain is ready for thisupgrade.
The question, the real question, is are you?
If you do this challenge andsend me a copy of how you did
the challenge and what resultdid you get, I will send you a

(22:05):
free digital form of my new book, the Coach's Brain.
Meet AI AI with the guys.
I will send it to youcomplimentary, for free.
Please make me happy andsubscribe, like and share our
podcast.
That will help us a lot if thisepisode rewired your thinking
about AI decision-making.

(22:26):
Subscribe to make sure youdon't miss future episodes.
We are training brains for theAI age, one episode at a time.
Share this with one person thatneeds to hear that.
Make sure that you share it forus to help us, for someone that

(22:52):
needs to understand theneuroscience behind their AI
decisions.
Your brain learned somethingtoday, help theirs learn too.
Until next time, keep makingdecisions with both your natural
intelligence and yourartificial intelligence.
Your brain will thank you forthat.

(23:12):
This was our episode for theday about AI and decision-making
.
This is your AI whisper, saharAndrade.
Please subscribe like love us.
Show me some love in thecomments.
I would really appreciate it.
Any questions or any subjectsthat you want me to go through,
email me at sahar at saharconsulting dot com.

(23:35):
Love you all.
See you in the next one.
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