Technovation with Peter High (CIO, CTO, CDO, CXO Interviews) How to AI: WSJ Columnist Christopher Mims on Productivity & Disruption
Jan 29, 2026
Christopher Mims, Wall Street Journal technology columnist and author of How to AI, offers a clear take on AI’s effects on productivity and work. He discusses why experts gain most from AI. He warns against over-anchoring on AI, explains hallucinations and the need for oversight, and explores agentic systems, coding shifts, data as a strategic asset, and everyday habits like walking meetings.
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Turn Meetings Into AI-Powered Walking Sessions
- Turn meetings into walking, recorded conversations and use AI transcription to avoid manual note-taking.
- Ask the transcript follow-up questions to extract insights and save time on research.
Bring Back Handwritten Notes
- Take handwritten notes during interviews to improve retention and deeper thinking.
- Combine handwriting with AI transcripts to get richer, higher-quality outputs.
AI Pushes Toward The Median
- Large language models tend to push toward the median of ideas, which can constrain creativity.
- Use AI to reduce cognitive load but preserve practices that spark original thinking.
