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The Neuroscience of AI Decision-Making: Insights for Executives in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

• Sahar the AI Whisperer | Neuroscience Expert in AI and Leadership • Season 2 • Episode 7

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Your brain faces a staggering 35,000 decisions every day, and artificial intelligence now stands ready to assist with roughly 10,000 of them. But there's a critical challenge nobody's discussing: our brains simply weren't designed for this collaborative decision-making approach.  This is part of AI coaching tools for executives 

Throughout this deeply insightful exploration of the neuroscience behind AI decision-making, we uncover how your prefrontal cortex—your brain's CEO—responds when artificial intelligence enters your decision processes. The fascinating interplay between your intuitive system (fast, emotional, pattern-based) and your analytical system (slow, logical, deliberate) creates either harmony or conflict depending on your neural flexibility.

Through compelling case studies of executives using identical AI tools with dramatically different results, we discover that success isn't about intelligence but about intentional neural rewiring. One executive fought the AI at every turn, experiencing decision fatigue and declining performance. Another trained her brain to work alongside AI, resulting in decision-making speeds three times faster with notably better outcomes. The difference? Neural pathways created through deliberate practice.

The dopamine decision loop reveals why AI decisions can become addictive—successful AI-assisted choices trigger not just dopamine but a full "neurotransmitter cocktail" including serotonin for confidence and norepinephrine for focus. This potent neurochemical reward system explains why many struggle to find balance between enhancement (AI amplifying decisions while maintaining control) and addiction (AI replacing judgment).

Most critically, we examine how cognitive blind spots—confirmation bias, anchoring bias, and availability heuristics—can be dangerously amplified by artificial intelligence, creating a bias multiplication effect. The solution? A three-step neural rewiring protocol that helps you categorize decisions appropriately and build AI intuition through deliberate practice.

Ready to transform how your brain works with AI? Take the 30-day challenge to rebuild your neural pathways. Those who successfully complete it and share their results will receive a free digital copy of "The Coach's Brain Meets AI." Subscribe now to continue training your brain for the AI age, one episode at a time.

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The book "A Coach's Brain Meet AI" with a free pre-sale until July 22nd is here 

https://www.saharandrade.com/ai-coaching-book-pre-order

There are bonuses for $594 value offered with the book till July 20, after that the book will be sold at full value and no bonuses.

 Because in a world of increasing technological noise, people follow what feels real. And that's something no AI can replicate.

Downloaded the free AI starter guide in the show notes and join me for this five-part "Pain to Power" series where we'll build your AI confidence without the technical overwhelm. Subscribe now – your brain is ready for this, even if your inner critic hasn't caught up yet.

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If you have any questions, please email me at: sahar@saharconsulting.com
 

Discover neuroscience-based AI strategies for executives and coaches. Sahar MB.BCh explores human-centered AI integration for leadership success.  

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Speaker 1:

Your brain makes 35,000 decisions every single day, from what coffee to drink to which strategic direction to take your company, and here's the thing AI wants to help you with about 10,000 of those decisions. But here is what nobody's talking about. Your brain was not designed for that. My name is Sahar Andrade. I am your AI whisperer, and before we dive into the neuroscience today, can we just acknowledge something hilarious? We are literally, literally at episode seven of this podcast Season two. Seven episodes, people, we are basically a baby in the podcast arena and yet, drum roll, we jumped 109,000 ranking positions in one day, not 109 109 000 ranking position. Based on pod seo, we are now sitting at 429 000 to 12 out of millions and millions of podcasts. We are beating established shows that have been around for years. How's that for neural network efficiency, right? The algorithms apparently loves neuroscience as much as we do.

Speaker 1:

Who knew that talking about brains would make the artificial brain take notice anyway? Three years ago, I made my first major business decision using ai. My gut said one thing, the data said another. My brain was literally at war with itself. I like the word literally. That's why I use it a lot.

Speaker 1:

Today we are going inside your brain's decision center. We're talking about the neuroscience of AI decision making. Why? Because understanding how your brain responds to AI isn't just interesting, it's survival Ready to rewire your decision-making neural pathways. Let's go, let's dive deep. So let's start by talking about the executive brain on AI. Let start with your pre-frontal cortex. The pre-frontal cortex is basically what you have right behind your forehead and this is where we do most of the logical thinking. This is what we call your brain's ceo. It sits right behind, like I said, your forehead and it's where all executive decisions happen. When you're faced with a choice, your prefrontal cortex fires up. It weighs options the good, the bad and the bad and the ugly it considers consequences and it makes the call. But here is where it gets fascinating. When AI enters the picture, your brain activates completely different neural pathways. Again, that word. Here it comes literally just kidding. So let's talk about the trust versus skepticism battle. And, by the way, I'm a gen x, so I'm very skeptical and very cynical, and those of you that are gen x know exactly what I mean.

Speaker 1:

Your brain has two competing systems. Brain has two competing systems. The first is your intuitive system. It's fast, emotional and pattern based. That's why it's fast survival right. The second is your analytical system. Slow, logical, deliberate ai recommendations trigger both systems, one after the other, simultaneously. Your intuitive brain says this feels right or this feels wrong. Your analytical brain says, hey, show me the data Cynical. Hey, show me the data Cynical.

Speaker 1:

So I'm going to share with you a case studies of two CEOs that I coached recently. So I worked with two executives between last year and the beginning of this year, 2025. Same industry, same AI tool, completely different outcomes. For privacy, I'm not mentioning names or places, so let's call them CEO one and co2 CEO one. I'm gonna give a fictional name. Let's call him John.

Speaker 1:

His brain fought the AI every single step he he had get a recommendation, then spent hours second guessing it. His prefrontal cortex was in constant conflict. Decision fatigue set in and the performance dropped. Ceo number two let's call her Sarah. Trained her brain to work with AI. She understood her neural patterns. She knew when to trust the AI and when to trust her gut. In my experience working with her, her decision-making speed increased dramatically we're talking three times faster on complex decisions. Her accuracy noticeably better outcomes across the board.

Speaker 1:

The neural difference the difference wasn't intelligence, it was neural flexibility. Sarah's brain created new pathways. The more we use something, the more we build neural pathways in our brain Neural pathways. This is part of neuroplasticity. Building these neural pathways is like basically creating new highways in your brain. The more you keep adding to it, the more you keep using it, the more it solidifies itself. It doesn't stay only foundation, but it becomes a full bridge highway. Going back to CEO number one, john, his brain stayed stuck in old patterns. Your brain is plastic. That's where the word neuroplasticity comes from. It can rewire itself, though for centuries they thought that the brain cannot regenerate or cannot rewire itself when actually it can. But you have to be intentional about it. You have to make sure that your intentions are set to want to rewire your brain exactly how Sarah did.

Speaker 1:

So I wanna talk now about the dopamine decision loop. I don't know if you ever heard that expression before, but let me go. What does it mean? Let's talk about your brain reward system. Every time you make a good decision, your brain releases dopamine. It's your natural high. It's what makes you want to keep making decisions, because your brain is getting rewarded. That's what we call the dopamine decision loop. Ai supercharges this system. So let's talk about what makes it really happen. We call that the neurotransmitter cocktail.

Speaker 1:

When AI helps you make a winning decision, your brain doesn't just release dopamine, it releases a full cocktail of neurotransmitters Dopamine for reward, serotonin for confidence boost, nor epinephrine for the focused attention. So you get the reward that makes you giddy and you want to make it. You want to feel that feeling over and over again and that's why you're getting into a loop of doing the same thing so you can get that reward. You get the confidence from the serotonin, so you are grounded and you want to make it more to happen. And you get a hugely laser-focused attention from the norepinephrine. So the cocktail is actually addictive. Your brain starts craving AI validation. I can tell you that I mean, I'm a big believer in that and I use that every day.

Speaker 1:

But it's important here to understand the difference between the enhancement and the addiction line. Here is the critical distinction. There is a difference between AI enhancement and AI addiction. Enhancement is AI amplifies your decision making. You stay in control. You use AI as a tool.

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Remember AI is not a strategy, it's a tool. The addiction AI is not a strategy, it's a tool. The addiction AI replaces your decision-making. You lose confidence in your own judgment. You can't decide without AI, and I've seen people just getting stuff, whatever that scratches the surface in a prompt copy and paste and go with it.

Speaker 1:

That's not what AI has been created for. It's your colleague, it's your collaborator and, believe me, even when I use AI, I keep pushing back. So, one of the things that you can do if you want to make sure that you are getting the right stuff push back. Ask AI to be your devil's advocate in whatever you just found out or whatever response it give you. Advocate in whatever you just found out or whatever response it give you. Ask it to push back on what you think, to tell you why they're pushing back and what could be a totally opposite opinion. Don't take whatever is there and copy and pasted people. That's not what it was created for. You still have your human intelligence, use it. So I'm going gonna give you another actually, uh, real example.

Speaker 1:

Right, uh, in a ceo transformation another ceo that I worked with and okay, I'm calling him david he was drowning in decisions. 200 emails a day sounds familiar, constant meetings, paralysis. We introduced AI decision support for him. Within weeks, his productivity skyrocketed, but then something very interesting happened His brain started expecting AI input for every decision, even simple ones what to eat for lunch, what trousers to take home, even what color to use as a pen. His prefrontal cortex was outsourcing everything. His decision-making muscles were atrophying Remember, you don't use you abuse and you don't get them anymore. So I was talking about the rewiring progress, or how to create neural pathways or new freeways in your brain, or this is happen or can happen by retraining a brain. So we had, or I had to actually retrain his brain to be rewired to new neural pathways. So I created decision categories for him. Number one AI-assisted decisions that are complex and data heavy. Number two gut decisions simple and time-sensitive. Number three hybrid decisions, where you can have an AI input plus your own human judgment. Within a month, his brain found its balance. He kept the AI enhancement without the addiction and you might ask what is my brain's sweet spot? So let's talk about that for a second.

Speaker 1:

The goal isn't to eliminate your decision making. You are the human. You are the one with the empathy. You are the one that looks at someone's face and read all the micro expressions on their faces. You are the one that reads actually the body language. So here we need to optimize that your decision making. Ai handles the data processing. Remember, ai doesn't read words. It looks for patterns and behaviors and give you the best result about that you, as the user. You handle the wisdom. Your brain handles the synthesis of that. Remember, that's the sweet spot of using ai.

Speaker 1:

I want to talk to you about some of the biases that we have, or shortcuts, or our blind spots. The first one is our cognitive blind spot sabotage. Your brain has blind spots. We do. This is how our brain was created for survival. Cognitive shortcuts or blind spots can trip you up. Ai can either amplify these shortcuts or help you overcome them. You know that on every big decision that I make, I go back and I ask AI what are my shortcomings here? What is it that I'm not seeing, what is it that I'm avoiding, what are my blind spots in there? And tell me why you are giving me those and what are the solutions so you can that's what I'm saying push back. Ai is a wonderful tool if you really know how to use it. So let's tackle the big three the confirmation blind spot or shortcut, the anchoring blind spot or shortcut, and the availability heuristics that I'm going to talk about in a second.

Speaker 1:

Let's go to the confirmation shortcut, or confirmation bias. When AI tells you what you want to hear and it makes you feel good and you want to take it home. But that's not what it was created for. Your brain loves being right. When AI confirms your existing beliefs, dopamine floods your system. You feel validated and you stop questioning. Sounds familiar. This is dangerous. Ai can become an echo chamber. This is not what AI was created for. So the brain hack number one always ask the AI exactly that word by word. What evidence contradicts this recommendation? Force it to show you the other side.

Speaker 1:

Number two the anchoring blind spot or anchoring bias getting stuck on AI's first suggestion, your brain grabs on the first piece of information it receives. If AI's first recommendation is increase budget by 20%, your brain anchors on that number. Everything else gets compared to it. Brain hack number two compared to it. Brain hack number two ask AI for multiple options before seeing any details, like, for example, say give me three different approaches before diving deep, or five. It can do that for you. The third one is the availability heuristics, or what we call availability shortcut or bias over waiting. Recent ai successes your brain remembers recent events more vividly, so if ai helped you nail a big decision last week, you will overestimate its reliability this week. Don't depend on that. So brain hack. Number three keep a decision journal, track your AI recommendations and outcomes over time.

Speaker 1:

Your brain needs data, not just memories. The bias or shortcut multiplication effect. Here is what's scary AI can amplify all of these shortcuts at the same time. So if you are confirmation biased, ai will find data to support your shortcut or your blind spot or your bias. If you are anchoring prone, ai will reinforce your anchors. But here is what's powerful Once you understand your biases and shortcuts, ai becomes your bias busting tool.

Speaker 1:

Like I said, push back, ask it to be your devil's advocate. Ask it to expose your shortcuts, your blind spots. A personal example, and I'm going to share my own example I'm a Libra, right, so I'm naturally optimistic. Confirmation bias is my weakness, though I want to believe good news. So I train my AI to be my skeptic. Each recommendation comes with the devil's advocate section, exactly what I was just telling you. My brain gets both sides automatically, being a Libra too the balance. In my own experience, this approach has led to noticeably better decision outcomes, less second guessing, more confidence in the choices I make.

Speaker 1:

Your brain is the most sophisticated decision making machine in the universe machine in the universe. Ai does not replace it. Ai amplifies, so if you're good, it will amplify that. If you're not that good, it will amplify that too. So there are three step neural rewiring protocol that you can actually do. Step number one understand your decision DNA. Track your decisions for one week. Note one which decisions drain your energy. Two which decision you make impulsively. Three which decisions you overthink. Step two create decision categories. One AI-first decisions, like data-heavy, complex. Two human-first decisions creative or relationship-based. Three hybrid decisions AI input plus human wisdom.

Speaker 1:

Step number three build AI intuition. Start small. Use AI for low-stakes decisions. Watch how your brain responds and build trust gradually. How to build AI intuition through practice. Your brain learns through repetition.

Speaker 1:

Every AI-assisted decision creates new neural pathways. The more you practice, the stronger these pathways become. But practice in a deliberate way. Don't just use AI randomly. Use it strategically. So this is I'm giving you a 30-day challenge. Here is what I want you to do Pick one decision category where you struggle.

Speaker 1:

Maybe it's prioritizing tasks, maybe it's resource allocation, maybe it's strategic planning. So for the next 30 days, use ai to support that decision type, not to replace your judgment, but to enhance it. Track the outcomes, notice how your brain changes, feel the new neural pathways forming. This is the future of your decision making. We are living through a decision-making revolution. Your brain is adapting to work with artificial intelligence, but this adaptation isn't automatic. It's intentional. The executives who master AI-assisted decision-making will have a massive advantage. Same goes for coaches. They will think faster, decide better and execute with precision. Your brain is ready for this upgrade. The question, the real question, is are you? If you do this challenge and send me a copy of how you did the challenge and what result did you get, I will send you a free digital form of my new book, the Coach's Brain.

Speaker 1:

Meet AI AI with the guys. I will send it to you complimentary, for free. Please make me happy and subscribe, like and share our podcast. That will help us a lot if this episode rewired your thinking about AI decision-making. Subscribe to make sure you don't miss future episodes. We are training brains for the AI age, one episode at a time. Share this with one person that needs to hear that. Make sure that you share it for us to help us, for someone that needs to understand the neuroscience behind their AI decisions. Your brain learned something today, help theirs learn too. Until next time, keep making decisions with both your natural intelligence and your artificial intelligence. Your brain will thank you for that. This was our episode for the day about AI and decision-making. This is your AI whisper, sahar Andrade. Please subscribe like love us. Show me some love in the comments. I would really appreciate it. Any questions or any subjects that you want me to go through, email me at sahar at sahar consulting dot com. Love you all. See you in the next one.