Have you ever felt confused about using AI tools while designing learning experiences? 
Have you ever caught yourself overthinking whether you should ask a chatbot for help, how much help is too much, and where to draw the line? 

I have. 

For a while, I was obsessed with using chatbots. They felt fast and helpful. Whenever I needed an idea, a structure, or even a starting point, I would go to a chatbot first. It made the work feel easier for a while. But after some time, I started to feel uncomfortable. I began to wonder: if I keep using it nonstop, will I slowly stop trusting my own thoughts? Will I lose the ability to think deeply or create freely and design from my own experience? These questions pushed me to rethink my relationship with AI. 

I realized that the real value of chatbots is not in letting them do our work. It is in using them in a way that helps us think better. Instead of replacing our thinking, they should strengthen it. Instead of becoming the source of every answer, they should become a tool that supports exploration and reflection. 

This has been especially challenging for us as instructional designers. Since chatbots became part of everyday work, many people have started to believe that learning content can be created instantly, and that using AI alone is enough. At the same time, learners’ expectations have become higher. They are exposed to AI-generated content everywhere, and many of them can quickly recognize when something feels generic, repetitive, or lacking a human touch. They want to see something different. They want relevance, originality, interaction, and meaning. 

That is why instructional design cannot be reduced to content generation. 

Our job is not only to produce content. Our job is to understand learners, solve performance problems, create meaningful experiences, and make learning practical and engaging. A chatbot can support that work, but it cannot replace the thinking behind it. It cannot fully understand the emotions in a room, the culture of an organization, the hidden reasons behind poor performance, or the small design decisions that make a learning experience feel real and impactful. 

Used well, chatbots can still add real value. They can help us brainstorm faster, organize messy ideas, create first drafts, generate alternatives, and challenge our usual ways of thinking. They can save time on repetitive tasks and help us move past the pressure of the blank page. But they become harmful when we stop questioning what they give us. The danger is not in using chatbots. The danger is in using them passively. 

I have learned that I need limits. Sometimes that means thinking on my own first before opening any AI tool. Sometimes it means drafting rough ideas myself, then using a chatbot to expand them. Sometimes it means asking for options but never accepting the first output as the final answer. These small habits help me stay in control of the design process. They remind me that I am still the designer, and the tool is only there to support me. 

For me, one of the most important mindset shifts was this: use AI to sharpen your thinking, not to avoid it. 

Tips on how to use AI tools in instructional design:  

Ask for sources, references, and copyright guidance. When using a chatbot, do not only take the information it gives you. Ask it to include references, original sources, or notes on where the ideas came from so you know what needs to be checked before using it in your learning material. 

Use it to screen long content faster. Chatbots can help summarize long research papers, articles, or case studies before you read them fully. This helps you quickly decide whether the content is relevant enough to explore in depth. 

Brainstorm outlines, but do not copy them directly. AI can be useful for generating learning outlines and giving you a starting structure, but the outline should not be taken as final. Review it, reshape it, and do your own research to make sure it is accurate, relevant, and suitable for your learners. 

Use it to strengthen activity ideas. Whether you already have an activity in mind or need help generating one, chatbots can help organize the steps, suggest improvements, and make the activity easier to apply in the classroom. 

Use it to improve your writing. Chatbots can be very helpful in rephrasing paragraphs to sound more professional, more accurate, or simpler depending on the audience. This is especially useful when adjusting tone, clarity, or level of English. 

Let it support your thinking, not replace it. The most effective use of AI in instructional design is when it helps you think better, faster, and more clearly, while you remain the one making the final design decisions. 

Instructional design is now evolving, and AI is now part of that evolution. The goal is not to reject chatbots or depend on them completely, but to learn how to use them wisely. As instructional designers, our value does not come from how fast we can generate content. It comes from how well we understand learners, ask the right questions, and design experiences that feel relevant, thoughtful, and human. AI can make our work faster and sometimes easier, but it should never replace our judgment, creativity, or purpose. The more we learn to use chatbots as thinking partners rather than thinking substitutes, the more we can benefit from them without losing the skills that make us good designers in the first place.