Why AI keeps giving you garbage (it's not AI's fault)

A gardener asked some monkeys to water his plants while he partied.

"Give each plant the right amount of water," he said.

"Check the roots to see how much they need."

The monkeys followed his instructions... to the word.

They pulled up every plant, checked the roots, then left them to die in the sun.

The gardener's mistake?

Assuming the monkeys understood nuance.

This is exactly what happens when you use AI without knowing how to guide it properly.

Most AI users bang in prompts like “make my emails better."

ChatGPT will rewrite the email in corporate-speak.

Bland. Generic. Soulless.

The same thing happened when I asked it to "analyze this video" without context. It gave me surface-level observations a toddler could make.

But when I used a proper framework?

"You're an expert video editor. Analyze this screenshot for lighting issues. I'm using a Canon R5 with an Elgato keylight. The footage looks washed out and pale. Identify technical problems and suggest budget-friendly fixes."

Boom. Detailed analysis. Specific solutions. Actionable steps.

AI is like those well-meaning monkeys. It'll do exactly what you ask... but it won't understand WHY unless you teach it.

Here's the thing, though: before you can even prompt AI effectively, you need organized ideas to work with.

That's where my two systems come in:

The Zettelkästen Method helps you capture and organize ideas so you actually have something valuable to give AI.

Prompt Writing Studio teaches you how to communicate those ideas to AI without getting monkey-level garbage back.

Both are 50% off until Monday midnight.