Mind the Gap – Why Frustration, Not Fast Lanes, Fuels Innovation

Recently, I led a masterclass in trend forecasting for professionals. To demonstrate the rigorous process of scanning, analysing and implementing trends, the students built an evidence wall. It quickly filled with signals of change from across industries, ranging from utopian visions to dystopian fears. The energy was electric. But then, the real work began - making sense of the chaos. Faced with an overwhelming flood of signals, faces shifted from eager curiosity to sheer frustration. Overwhelm took hold. Eyes sighed, “We’ll never get our heads around this.”

But then (pause for dramatic effect), the magic happened. They pitched ideas, clustered signals, and killed their darlings. They persisted. And slowly, through that process, the red thread emerged. The story began to unfold. That moment of clarity, born from chaos and resistance, was electric.

Frustration Is Not a Flaw, It’s Fantastic

What we experienced was a journey through the “learning space” - that gnarly, bumpy terrain between ‘I don’t know’ and ‘A-haaa.’ As Dr. Becky Kennedy explains, this is the messy and uncomfortable space where real growth happens. We’ve all been there - that sickening feeling right before giving up, followed by the thrill of the breakthrough. Getting comfortable in this space is not optional; it’s essential. Because frustration isn’t a flaw - it’s a sign you’re learning. My concern, is that AI is tapping into our “need for speed” and that we’re starting to undervalue what happens in the learning space.

Before I continue, let me just say that I see enormous potential in the AI. However, when your business is understanding what makes people tick,- obsession with speed is a trap. Today’s relentless demand for efficiency raises a tough question: what does it mean to be a qualitative researcher or cultural strategist or creative when insights, ideas, and images can appear within seconds? What’s left of craftsmanship? And more importantly, what happens to our sense of achievement when we can just skip the learning pit?

The Struggle is Real. Good - It Should Be.

Research in cognitive psychology shows that struggle leads to deeper learning and more durable skills. So, the next time you’re grappling with a difficult task just remember that feeling frustrated is not only natural - it’s beneficial (Bjork, R.A., 1994). The goal then shifts from rushing to clarity to lingering, exploring, making mistakes and discovering nuance. But what if AI erodes that vital space? Will we ever feel the same sense of achievement from crafting a carefully constructed prompt as we do from crawling out of a deep, frustrating learning pit?

You may have seen the click-bait headings about how AI is causing brainrot. The bottom-line is more complicated, as further research needs to be done. But MIT researchers recently found that using ChatGPT can lead to cognitive debt. Over four months, 54 adults to wrote three essays, using either ChatGPT, a search engine, or “just” their own brains. Those who used AI showed significantly lower cognitive engagement, struggled more to recall quotes from their own essays and felt less ownership over what they’d written. The point about ownership is key. Because ownership, in my experience, is often born from frustration. From wrestling with ideas, rather than prompting them and generating them with swiftness and ease.

This isn’t the first time we’ve faced a tech leap. Remember the 1970s, when calculators first hit classrooms? Instead of banning them, educators raised the bar. Exams became more complex. Students still had to think - just differently. The tool didn’t replace the challenge; it reshaped it. With AI, we haven’t done that yet.  We’re still asking for the same output, just faster. The bar hasn’t moved - only the clock has.

For the record, speed isn’t the enemy, undervaluing the frustration that comes with original thinking is. So maybe the real conversation isn’t about how fast we can go. It’s about how we can go deeper. How we can use AI to elevate thinking, not outsource it.

Get uncomfortable

When we learn something new, our brain undergoes neuroplasticity, which refers to its amazing ability to reorganize. Each new concept creates neural pathways, initially weak but strengthened through practice. This is why learning takes time, - we’re literally rewiring the brain. Yet AI often reduces complex skills to quick tasks. Writing, designing, strategizing, mining for insights - all risk becoming about volume and velocity, not depth and nuance.

Erik Brynjolfsson, a Stanford professor whose work on AI’s impact is essential reading, calls this the Turing Trap: technology that mimics human labour without enriching it. It offers a shiny façade (schijnproductiviteit), producing rapid output with little real value. We shift from creators to content supervisors, from deep thinkers to bureaucratic correctors. Engagement wanes. Meaning gets lost. Learning erodes.

In his TED Talk, Walking the AI Tightrope in Education, teacher Erik Winerö points out that “enhancement” can create a false sense of progress. Without that uncomfortable, challenging frustration, real growth stalls. It’s tough to accept because human instinct craves shortcuts, quick wins, and efficiency. But that instinct is a trap in disguise.

Embrace the Learning Space

The solution? Accept that obstacles are not just unavoidable, they’re essential. Without resistance, genuine growth stalls. In the day to day, small shifts can make a massive difference: do it yourself then ask AI for feedback. Or, better yet, flip the process: Draft initial ideas in AI, then deepen the dialogue with peers, colleagues or clients. Collaboration is the secret weapon. The latter turns the learning pit into a bonding, co-creative experience. Cracking a complex challenge together is powerfully unifying.

There’s a quote attributed to the Chinese Confucian philosopher Xun Kuang that serves as a great reminder in this context: Tell me and I’ll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I’ll understand. Indeed, don’t we feel more engaged when we’re acutely aware of all the decisions we had to make,- and maybe even fight for, - before reaching the result? Don’t you feel more ownership over ideas, when you’ve been involved in the process of crafting them? Come to think of it, I often receive briefs in which creating traction and fostering ownership amongst stakeholders is an unstated but crucial objective. So, when working towards a new brand positioning for example, we make sure to involve stakeholders, preferably throughout an organization all the way from a to z.

Again, I’m all for AI (warning I’m going to quote Spider Man now) but, with great power comes great responsibility. It’s up to us to bring a growth mindset to the table to ensure that AI serves as an opportunity, not a threat. That means levelling up the playing field, not just speeding it up. Whether you’re a researcher, consultant, strategist, creative: check yourself at the door and bring emotional intelligence, empathy, and nuance to your craft. Cultivate patience. And collaborate with your stakeholders. Because experiencing the learning space together amps up a sense of ownership.

Mind the gap, or should I say the Turing Trap: using AI to churn out shallow, superficial content faster and cheaper. That’s a shortcut to mediocrity and a loss of strategic integrity. Meaningful insights and strategic breakthroughs happen when we embrace a growth mindset, allow for friction, and give ourselves the space to wrestle with complexity. Just think of your favourite book, artwork, or even advertising campaign. You can sense the messy, process that preceded the outcome, right? Frustration - not fast lanes - fuels innovation.