About the Author

Photo of Michael Borck, the author

Photo of Michael Borck

Michael Borck is a software developer and educator working at the intersection of human expertise and artificial intelligence. He teaches applied AI and AI-driven knowledge systems, and the question that started this book (what is a human practitioner actually for when a machine can build the demo?) is the one he asks in every class he runs.

His earlier book, Conversation, Not Delegation, argues that AI is most valuable not as a tool you delegate to, but as a thinking partner you converse with. Prove, Don’t Persuade is the discipline that pairs with that craft: it is about what a practitioner must prove (not persuade, not demo) once the building is done. The two books are companions: one on how to work with the machine, one on how to know the work actually holds up. It has a sibling in Substantiate, Don’t Assume, which teaches the same proof-instinct on the auditor’s desk.

The thesis grew out of a realisation that surfaced again and again in his classroom: a polished AI prototype is easy to produce and almost impossible to trust on its face. The real skill, and the durable one, is evaluation: stating what “good enough” means, measuring honestly, naming who a solution fails, and deciding how much a human must stay in the loop. That skill does not expire when the next model arrives, and it cannot be delegated to the model itself.

Michael builds educational software and resources, and writes about the 80/20 principle in learning and professional judgement.

Connect

Other Books in This Series

AI-Collaboration & Applied-AI Track:

Python Track:

Web Track: