# Should you use AI for a task? Here’s a simple way to decide | Bruce Schneier > Source: > Published: 2026-07-24 12:00:14+00:00 # Should you use AI for a task? Here’s a simple way to decide | Bruce Schneier By Bruce SchneierSource: [The Guardian Technology](https://www.theguardian.com/us/technology)Sometimes, what matters isn’t your output but what you put into the process. Think of it like work v the gym I teach public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School and the Munk School at the University of Toronto. And it will come at no surprise to you that my students regularly [use AI](https://www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty/learning-assessment/2026/07/08/brown-professor-suspects-most-his-class-used-ai-cheat) to complete their writing assignments. Doing so is a waste of their tuition money. But if their entire career is going to include AI writing assistants, why shouldn’t they embrace their future? The best way I’ve found to explain the dilemma [comes from](https://danielmiessler.com/blog/keep-the-robots-out-of-the-gym) the AI researcher Daniel Meissler: it’s the difference between work and the gym. [Continue reading...](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jul/24/should-you-use-ai) Get AI news in your inbox Daily digest of what matters in AI.