Lateral Thinking + AI is a five-part Make Anything Thursday series exploring how artificial intelligence is reshaping not just the tools we use, but the way we think. From systems-level insight to the power of lateral thinking, the series connects AI with the human imagination — showing how creators, leaders, and future makers can thrive in a world where machines accelerate the work and our thinking elevates it. Drawing on ideas from Autodesk’s leadership and the pioneering work of Edward de Bono, this series examines the skills, mindsets, and creative approaches that will define the future of making. (Image above from the book ‘Ars Magna Lucis Et Umbrae’ which was published in 1646 by the Jesuit scientist and inventor, Athanasius Kircher (1602-1680). Credit: SSPL/Getty Images)
Part I — From Code to Creation: Why AI Belongs to ‘the lateral thinkers’ (13 Nov 2025)
Part II — The New Creative Advantage: System Thinkers, Not Specialists (20 Nov 2025)
Part III — Lateral Thinking for the Next Generation (26 Nov 2025)
Part IV — How Adults Break Patterns, Challenge Assumptions, and Innovate in the AI Era (4 Dec 2025)
Part V — Why AI (and RELEVANCE) Demands Lateral Thinking Now (coming on 11 Dec 2025)
AI isn’t a tech project—it’s a thinking project. Discover why AI transformation belongs to leaders and makers, not just engineers. Part I of a five-part Make Anything Thursday series on AI, systems thinking, and the future of making.
In the AI era, specialists move fast—but systems thinkers win. Part II explores why zooming out, connecting ideas, and embracing polymathy gives leaders and makers a creative advantage that AI can’t replicate.
Make Anything Thursday – AI Transformation (Part III of IV) Last week, we ended on a simple truth. Children think laterally by instinct. Adults need to remember how. [NOTE: This Make Anything Thursday nugget is being released on Wednesday, ahead of the US Thanksgiving holiday.] So today — in Part
Adults often lose the creative habits they had as kids. In the AI era, leaders and makers must reclaim them. Part IV explores de Bono’s most powerful ideas for breaking patterns, reframing problems, and leading with creativity in a world shaped by AI.
Discover why creativity is no longer optional in the age of AI — and how lateral thinking keeps adults relevant, awake, and fully alive in their own story.
