INTERVIEW | Make Money by Making Better Decisions in the Age of AI with Cheryl Strauss Einhorn

In an era where AI can generate flawless content, Cheryl Strauss Einhorn warns that the real danger isn't job displacement—it's cognitive atrophy. In her new book, *The Human Edge*, she argues that the most valuable skill isn't using AI, but knowing when *not* to. Drawing from her decades of teaching decision science at Columbia and Cornell, Einhorn identifies eight uniquely human moments in decision-making—like defining the real problem, understanding your motivation, and anticipating failure—that AI cannot replicate. She reveals that the most dangerous use of AI isn't in copying work, but in outsourcing the entire thinking process, which erodes critical judgment. Her solution? Use AI as a tool only after you've done the hard human work of framing the problem, grounding it in context, and confronting bias. The result isn't just better decisions—it's a return to human agency in a world that increasingly wants to automate it. Einhorn’s framework is not about resisting AI, but about reclaiming the human edge: the ability to reflect, question, and integrate personal meaning into every choice. She shares a chilling example of AI fabricating a fake research study that sounded so credible it fooled her—proof that speed and polish don’t equal truth. The takeaway? Every time AI saves you time, you must reinvest that time in verification, reflection, and deeper understanding. In a world where perfection is just one prompt away, the most radical act may be to embrace imperfection—and the messy, irreplaceable process of thinking for yourself.