FreeThought
A set of apps designed to
support thinking techniques.
- Help tools
- Coach tools
- Storyteller explainers
The Adventure Begins
Dr Peter EH Smee.
FreeThought was created by Dr Peter Smee,
who has spent more than thirty years studying how
people think, learn, decide, create, and solve problems.
His work spans artificial intelligence, neuropsychology,
educational technology, corporate consultancy, university teaching,
learning strategy, workshop facilitation, and global educational initiatives.
Throughout that time,
one question kept returning:
How can people think more
clearly, make better decisions and
continue developing their own judgment?
FreeThought brings together
the methods, ideas and practical
experience developed during that journey.
To help professionals build a deeper
and more effective relationship with AI -
one that strengthens human thinking rather
than weakening, subverting, or replacing it.
The Adventure's Highlights
Existing Websites by Peter.
Circle-of-Excellence
A set of apps designed to
help teachers of mindfulness.
- Help tools
- Coach tools
- Scientific explainers
- Storyteller explainers
The Adventure Continues
My Fascination With...
Modes Of Thought
A thread running through much of my work is a fascination with why people think differently.
In 2010, I had the opportunity to build a practical training course for Tony McCarthy, a senior business analyst. Tony wanted a course that explored the ‘why’ behind different techniques. With a focus on stories of what it is like being an analyst. This was very different from most courses, which focus mainly on the ‘how’ and are 'technique heavy'.
We started by exploring contrasting modes of thought: Quantitative, Qualitative, Quirky - and very Quirky:
- Quantitative thinking is logical, analytical and scientific;
- Qualitative thinking is analogical, imaginative and visual;
- Quirky thinking is unconventional, associative and experiential; and
- Very quirky thinking comes from deeper, visceral and motivational parts of the mind.
Over time, this work developed into eight personas representing different ways of thinking, shaped by cognitive habits and philosophy of life.
The practical aim being to help people understand why others may see the same situation differently, and to work with those differences more effectively.
AvatarDNA
AvatarDNA grew as a natural extension of the eight personas.
The eight personas can become avatars with distinctive personalities, communication styles and ways of responding, creating opportunities for resonance, rapport and role-play.
This opens up the possibility of not just describing different kinds of people, but experiencing what it is like to interact with them.
It is not to say that there are only eight ways of seeing the world. Rather the avatars are eight deliberately extreme lenses that help make other differences easier to see.
Cognitive Agility
A third strand looks at the kinds of situations in which thinking takes place.
We do not live in a purely logical world.
Many situations can only be modelled by the concepts developed by the fields of Complexity, Chaos and Fractal Mathematics.
Indeed, much of our world cannot be measured at all...and relies on intuition, narrative and myths to make sense of what happens.
As you might expect, different modes of thinking have different strengths and weaknesses in each of these domains.
This has led me increasingly towards the idea of cognitive agility - understanding how you think, recognising how others think, reading the kind of situation you are in, and deliberately adapting your thinking when the situation demands it.
That has a lot of applicability to AI.
If you use the wrong kind of AI for the kind of problem you are facing, you can set yourself up for an expensive failure.
Consciousness Lenses
A final strand of my work has explored the nature of consciousness itself.
At one end is the materialist view: consciousness emerges from activity in the brain and nervous system. Full stop. Which makes a compelling case that a simulation is conscious.
A broader, more holistic view considers consciousness as something shaped not just by the brain, but by the whole body — including measurable biofields around the brain and heart, molecules of emotion, and colonies of organisms in the gut. Some of the interpretations attached to these phenomena remain controversial. I find that controversy useful, because it forces us to ask where measurement ends, interpretation begins, and what we actually mean when we call something conscious.
Beyond that are more speculative possibilities. One is the receiver model: the idea that the brain may not generate the whole of consciousness, but may act partly like a television or radio receiver, filtering or accessing something that exists beyond it. Rather difficult to say a simulation is conscious.
The philosophy of life and the epistemology attached to each AvatarDNA tends to change the lens that a person is drawn towards. Hence, my interest is less in declaring one of these views correct than in exploring what changes when you adopt a lens.
The Adventure Takes Shape
Application of Modes of Thought
My fascination with human modes of thought led me to the following 7 principles for using AI.
1. Thinking partner.
Use AI to become better at thinking, learning, questioning and deciding. AI can act as a teacher, trainer, coach, mentor, facilitator, buddy, and sparring partner...and many more. Basically, AI can emulate anyone you wish.
2. Curiosity discovers.
A better prompt may improve an answer. A better question can change the direction of your thinking, expose assumptions and reveal that you may be solving the wrong problem. Get into the habit of asking the question that opens up the thinking.
3. Creativity generates.
AI often provides a plausible answer. But question it, challenge it, refine it and use the conversation to develop the thinking further. AI can help us move beyond the obvious by generating alternatives, making new connections and exploring possibilities we may not have considered. Use it to expand your thinking, not just complete the task in front of you.
4. Connection gives meaning.
Thinking becomes richer when we connect ideas, experiences and different perspectives. AI can help us see relationships we may have missed, explore how one idea influences another and understand a problem in its wider context. Use it to make connections that turn information into insight and insight into understanding.
5. Recognise that people think differently.
There is no single human way of thinking. Different people favour different cognitive styles, perspectives and philosophies of life. These can be explored through eight distinct thinking personas, which broadly span quantitative, qualitative and more unconventional or quirky ways of making sense of the world. AI can help us move between these perspectives rather than remaining trapped within our own preferred way of thinking.
6. Match the way of thinking to the nature of the problem.
Not every situation can be understood in the same way. Some can be modelled logically; others are better understood holistically and visually. Complex environments require approaches drawn from complexity theory, while chaotic environments may require chaos theory and, where appropriate, fractal approaches. Some situations involve such deep uncertainty that they cannot currently be modelled reliably at all. Good thinking begins by recognising what kind of situation we are dealing with.
7. It is important to keep an open mind about consciousness.
Consciousness is still not well understood, and no single model has yet provided a complete explanation. The dominant scientific approach tends to locate consciousness primarily in processes of the brain, but other possibilities deserve exploration. These include models in which different neurological or cognitive systems contribute distinct forms of awareness; embodied models in which consciousness emerges through interactions involving the brain, nervous system and wider body; and more holistic or non-local models in which the brain is conceived less as the sole producer of consciousness and more as part of a wider receiving, filtering or organising system.
The Adventure Becomes Practical
Application of AvatarDNA
My work with AvatarDNA led me to the following 7 AI roles that may be beneficial.
1. Task Partner
DescriptionFor many people, this is the main way they use AI. AI can help you get work done by researching, organising, summarising, drafting, comparing and analysing information quickly. But it will make mistakes. You still need to know what good looks like, check its work and be prepared to go through several interactions.
Possible rolesAI might act as a researcher, analyst, editor, project assistant or subject specialist, with each role changing the way it approaches the task.
Professional useAI can draft reports and emails, summarise meetings, structure documents, compare options and prepare first versions of presentations. The professional remains responsible for judgement, quality and the final decision.
Educational useAI can summarise material, organise notes, create revision resources, generate examples and help structure assignments. Used well, it frees learners to spend more time understanding, questioning and applying what they learn.
2. Critical Partner
DescriptionAI can examine what you have produced and help you improve it. It can identify weaknesses, suggest improvements, question assumptions and provide another perspective before you make a decision.
Possible rolesAI can play many different roles, rather than simply critique a piece of work. For example, you will get different kinds of feedback depending on whether it is asked to act as a sounding board, advisor, reviewer, friendly buddy, sparring partner or even an evil nemesis whose job is to find every weakness in your thinking.
Professional useAI can review proposals, challenge strategies, critique presentations, test arguments and help prepare for difficult meetings.
Educational useLearners can ask AI to review an argument, question their reasoning, challenge an explanation or give feedback on a presentation. This makes repeated practice and improvement much easier.
3. Thinking Partner
DescriptionAI can help you structure problems, generate alternatives, make connections, challenge assumptions and use sophisticated thinking techniques. It can support creativity, problem solving, decision making, strategic thinking, scenario planning and risk analysis. There are many different ways of thinking, from the highly logical and analytical, through more holistic and visual approaches, to narrative and imaginative techniques. AI can work across these different approaches, helping people develop new ways of thinking and become more skilful in how they use them.
Possible rolesAI can take on different roles depending on what kind of support is needed. It can act as a consultant and apply a technique to the problem; a facilitator who guides you through the process step by step; a coach who helps you become more skilful at using the technique yourself; a mentor who helps you see new possibilities; or a narrator who brings ideas to life through stories, examples and case studies.
Professional useIndividuals and teams can use AI-supported thinking techniques to explore real-world problems, generate alternatives, challenge assumptions and improve the quality of their decisions.
Educational useThe same techniques can support problem-based learning. Students can work through real or simulated problems while AI guides the process, asks questions and introduces different perspectives.
4. Learning Partner
DescriptionAI can help you learn by explaining difficult ideas, asking questions, testing understanding and adapting the level as you improve. It can become a personalised learning environment that responds to what you already know.
Possible rolesAI can act as a teacher, trainer, tutor, coach, mentor, study partner, examiner or practice partner. Each role gives a different emphasis, which is why it is important to understand what the role actually means. For example, a teacher and a trainer may both help someone learn, but they can differ significantly in what they focus on and how they work.
Professional useAI can support continuous professional development by helping people learn new subjects, prepare for new responsibilities and practise workplace skills. It is particularly useful for just-in-time learning, providing advice, explanation or guidance at the moment it is needed.
Educational useLearners can ask AI to explain complex ideas, quiz them, identify gaps in understanding or ask them to teach a topic back. It can also provide repeated opportunities to practise.
5. Teaching Partner
DescriptionAI can help teachers, trainers and facilitators design, deliver and improve learning experiences. It can create explanations, examples, exercises, questions, stories, simulations and case studies, and adapt them for different audiences. It can also help make learning more responsive by changing the level, style or format of an activity to suit different learners and situations.
Possible rolesAI can take on many different roles within a learning experience. It can act as a co-teacher and help explain a subject; a facilitator who guides a discussion or activity; an assessor who asks questions and tests understanding; or a coach who gives feedback and encourages improvement. It can also play characters with whom learners interact, such as a customer, patient, manager, colleague, stakeholder or fictional character. The role chosen changes the nature of the experience, so it is important to be clear about what the AI is being asked to do and how that role contributes to the learning.
Professional useTrainers, coaches and facilitators can use AI to create materials, develop scenarios and role plays, adapt content for different audiences and explore new ways of teaching a subject. It is particularly useful when learning needs to be created or adapted quickly, for example when introducing a new process, preparing people for a change in responsibilities, or providing just-in-time support.
Educational useTeachers can use AI to plan lessons, create differentiated activities, generate assessment questions and provide students with interactive characters and situations through which they can learn. It can also support more active forms of learning, where students question, discuss, practise, make decisions and receive feedback rather than simply consume information.
6. Peacemaker Partner
DescriptionAI can help people understand disagreement, explore different points of view and prepare for difficult conversations, negotiations and disputes. It can help uncover misunderstandings, identify common ground and consider different ways of responding.
Possible rolesAI can act as a mediator, moderator, negotiator or adjudicator. It can also play the other party in a disagreement or represent different stakeholders and perspectives.
Professional usePeople can rehearse difficult conversations, explore a dispute from several viewpoints and test different approaches before entering a real negotiation or meeting.
Educational useLearners can practise negotiation, mediation, debate and conflict resolution through role play. AI can respond to what they say, change the situation and provide feedback afterwards.
7. Crisis Response Partner
DescriptionAI can help develop the knowledge, judgement and skills needed in emergency, crisis and high-pressure environments. It can present information, introduce unexpected developments, challenge decisions and help people review what happened afterwards.
Possible rolesAI can play colleagues, commanders, casualties, members of the public, witnesses, adversaries or other people involved in a developing situation.
Professional useAI can support training for emergency services, military personnel, security professionals and crisis managers through realistic and repeatable simulations.
Educational useLearners can work through evolving scenarios, decide what to do next and experience the consequences of their choices. Afterwards, AI can help them reflect on their decisions and consider alternative responses.