Lesson 85 of 1596
Debate Prep: Researching Both Sides Fast
Debate rewards knowing the other side's best argument better than they do. AI is built for exactly this kind of fast, balanced research.
Creators · AI Foundations · ~18 min read
Your Lincoln-Douglas resolution drops Saturday and you're Neg. You have 72 hours to build a case against a position you've never thought about. AI research tools cut that prep time in half, if you use them for breadth and verify for depth.
The steelman loop
- 1Ask Claude or ChatGPT for the five strongest arguments on your side
- 2Ask for the five strongest on the opposite side (steelman them)
- 3For each argument, ask for the strongest rebuttal
- 4Now find real-world evidence for the arguments you plan to use
- 5Verify the evidence yourself. AI cites badly.
Tools that pull their weight
- Perplexity: real-time research with clickable sources
- Claude: best at constructing a tight syllogism
- NotebookLM: dump all your research and ask for a case outline
- ChatGPT Deep Research: longer, cited reports for heavy rounds
- ElevenLabs or ChatGPT voice: practice delivering your case aloud
Use ChatGPT's voice mode to cross-examine yourself. Have it play the strongest version of your opponent. It's a surprisingly good sparring partner and available at 1am.
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