When Thinking Becomes Optional

Minutes into teaching my business school class, I asked what seemed like an innocent question:

What is one word that describes how you feel about AI right now?

One word. That’s it.

My students looked up, looked down, looked anywhere to avoid eye contact. Silence.

“I promise,” I said, “this is a safe space.” Something I’d repeat throughout the course—and I meant it.

Then the answers came quickly, and the energy in the room shifted as they arrived. You could feel the sheen of performance dropping away. They had permission to tell the truth.