I Asked AI to Argue Against the Idea I Was Most Excited About

I had a few app ideas in my mind.

One was for productivity. One was for finance. There were other ideas too. But the productivity app was the one I was most excited about.

I wanted to build something that suited the way I work. I thought maybe there were other people like me who would want the same thing.

So I was ready to move ahead with it.

Before I started development, I did one simple thing. I asked AI to argue against my idea.

Not to tell me that it was bad. Not to make the final decision for me. I wanted it to ask the questions I was avoiding because I was already excited about the answer.

The questions changed the way I saw the idea

AI kept asking me: how would this be different from the many productivity apps already out there?

What type of productivity app would it be?
Would it use AI?
Would it use gamification?
Would it be minimal?
What would make someone choose it instead of using the app they already have?

Then came the harder question: what is the actual reason for this product to exist?

I had an answer in my head: I wanted everything in one place. But when I looked at it properly, that answer was not enough.

The things I wanted to bring together were already available across different platforms. If I put all of them into one app, I could create too many choices for the user. A simple productivity app could become another complicated app where people have ten different ways to do the same thing.

That is not what I wanted to build.

The conversation also made me think about the cost of doing it well. Adding AI in a useful way is not just one button. It needs thought, development time, and money.

I was not at the right stage for that product.

I did not need AI to tell me, “Do not build this.”

I needed it to make me argue with my own thoughts.

The point was not to kill the idea

The productivity app might still make sense later. But for now, I put it on pause.

That was a useful decision. I stopped treating the idea as something I had to build just because I liked it. I started looking at what it would need, who it would help, and whether it had a clear place in the market.

There is a simple decision practice called a pre-mortem. Before starting, you imagine what could go wrong and plan for it.I was not doing a formal exercise. I was using AI as a way to bring those difficult questions into the conversation.

For me, the useful part was not the answer AI gave. It was the questions it created.

I used the same process for another app

After pausing the productivity idea, I started looking at another app idea.

I used the same process again. I answered the questions: who is it for, why is it needed now, what problem does it solve, and does it have a clear place?

This time, the picture was clearer. We set ten criteria for the app and could meet at least eight of them. That did not mean it was guaranteed to work. It meant I could see a useful reason to start development instead of building something randomly.

The app is now under review and should be ready soon.

The important change was not that AI picked the second idea for me. It did not. I made the decision. But the discussion gave me a better way to look at it.

How I would use this before starting anything

If you have an idea you are excited about, do not only ask AI to improve it. Ask it to challenge it.

Then do not accept every point it gives you. Some questions may be generic. Some may not apply to your situation. Your job is to decide which ones matter.

You can also set your own criteria. For example:

• What problem does this solve?
• Who is it really for?
• What are they doing instead today?
• Why would they choose this?
• Can I explain the first useful version simply?
• What will it cost me to build and maintain?
• What would make me pause before starting?

AI can help you look at an idea from another side. It can help you find the questions. But it does not know your situation better than you do. You still make the decision.

The best result is not always a better version of the idea you started with.

It can be the confidence to pause, choose another direction, and build something with a clearer reason to exist.