№ 04 — FIELD LESSON · 38s
“Act like an expert” does nothing
"Act like a world-class expert" does nothing. Wharton tested that line on six AI tools, 25 tries each: zero boost, and on some it made the answers worse.
The job-title opener is a costume, not a brain upgrade. What actually works is giving it the real job: what you need, who it is for, and the shape of the answer.
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▸ 0:59The agent that deleted a company's database in 9 seconds
An AI agent wiped a company's entire database, and the backups, in nine seconds.
▸ 0:49Left alone for 90 minutes, the agent burned $1,400
An AI agent left alone for 90 minutes burned $1,400.
▸ 0:56Filmed at your own desk: when the AI proctor accuses you
A university told students to buy a mirror big enough to show their whole desk and film themselves during the test, just to prove to a machine they were not cheating. Others had to sit through exams with their arms crossed. AI cheating accusations are exploding, and the detectors doing the judging are guessing.
▸ 1:0023 invented court cases, a $110,000 fine
Two lawyers let an AI write their court filing. It invented 23 cases that do not exist, and the judge fined them $110,000.