How do I develop leaders who can think independently and make sound judgements when working with AI?

Q: How do I develop leaders who can think independently and make sound judgements when working with AI?

The risk of AI adoption isn't that leaders can't use it — it's that they stop thinking for themselves. Flame Centre® BRAIN™ framework, developed by Dr Wendy Tan and introduced in SMARTER: 5 Steps to True Human-AI Collaboration (2026), gives leaders a five-step model for staying in the driver's seat. The framework operates at the principle level — it doesn't teach tool features, it builds the thinking capabilities that outlast any tool.

Think Sharper.
Think with AI.

Most organisations are upskilling for AI adoption. Few are developing the thinking capabilities that make AI adoption actually work. This workshop equips your workforce to lead AI — not follow it — using the research-grounded Flame Centre® BRAIN™ framework by Dr Wendy Tan.

1-Day Workshop + 30-Day Application + 0.5-Day Integration

In-person | Virtual | In-house

SkillsFuture eligible

Grade 1 Training Provider 2025

Customizable

Enquire About In-house Workshop

Upcoming Workshop

22 Jul & 13 Aug 2026

✓ Research-grounded BRAIN™ Framework

✓ Author: Dr Wendy Tan —SMARTER (2026)

✓ TRAQOM Quality Rating 4.4/5.0

✓ Endorsed by Marshall Goldsmith & AI Singapore

✓ Validated in Financial, Healthcare & Public Sector

WHY THIS MATTERS NOW

Your Teams Are Using AI.
But Are They Thinking Better?

Generative AI has made it easier than ever to produce outputs. But the quality of outputs, thinking, and learning has diminished. And organisations are beginning to notice the gap.

A Lancet study found that even highly experienced doctors — each with more than 2,000 procedures — lost about 20% of their ability to detect cancer after just three months of using AI as a diagnostic aid. When the AI was removed, their accuracy didn't recover.

Our own research across industries confirms the pattern: over-reliance on AI erodes the very skills that make your organization differentiated, competitive, and successful in the long run.

Dr Wendy Tan's 15-month research study with experienced AI users across finance, healthcare, education, and the public sector identified four emerging risks that leaders need to address now:

Cognitive Sloth

AI makes it easy to bypass effortful thinking. Over time, this reduces clarity, originality, and independent reasoning.

"I noticed I wasn't thinking through problems the same way anymore."

Blind Trust in Outputs

Confident AI answers aren't always correct. Without verification habits, hallucinations get treated as fact.

"I trusted the response — until a client pointed out it was wrong."

Silent Thinking Shifts

As we prompt and generate, we lose touch with structured, strategic thinking — replacing depth with default.

"AI sped things up, but I stopped asking why."

Judgement by Habit

Repeated AI dependence dulls our ability to judge, critique, and sense-make — especially in complex situations.

"The output made sense — but not for our situation. I almost missed it."

r = −0.35

Significant negative correlation between AI tool usage and critical thinking skills (p < 0.01)

60%

of the variance in reduced critical thinking is explained by cognitive offloading from AI tools

Reversible

The good news: cognitive sloth is reversible — with the right thinking framework and deliberate practice

Source: Center for Strategic Corporate Foresight and Sustainability (2025)

Download the Executive Summary

What our research reveals about the hidden cognitive costs of AI — and how to stay ahead. Resource for HR, L&D, and AI transformation leaders.

Download Now

OUR SOLUTION

A Framework for True
Human-AI Collaboration

Most AI training teaches professionals what to type. Thinking with AI teaches professionals how to think — before, during, and after they engage with AI tools. It is built on 15 months of original research into how the best AI users actually work.

The result is the Flame Centre® BRAIN™ Thinking Framework — a proprietary five-step methodology that develops the thinking capabilities AI cannot replicate: big-picture thinking, process design, critical analysis, intuitive judgement, and meta-cognition.

Download Brochure

This workshop is not prompt engineering training. It does not teach participants which AI tools to use or how to write better prompts. It develops the five thinking capabilities that determine whether any AI tool produces genuinely useful output — or just confident-sounding noise.

BRAIN™ is a registered trademark of The Flame Centre Pte. Ltd. Validated with professionals across financial services, public sector, healthcare, and education.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

Is This Workshop Right for Your Team?

PROGRAMME STRUCTURE

A Learning Journey, Not a One-Day Event

Most AI training stops at the classroom. Thinking with AI is designed as a sustained learning experience — workshop, real-work application, and integration — to build lasting capability, not fleeting awareness.

DAY 1 WEEK 2-3 WEEK 5

LEARNING EXPERIENCE

Critical Thinking Skills in a Changing Tech World:

Skills to Use AI Tool to Increase Productivity and Effectiveness

TGS-2024050927

Enquire About In-house Workshop

Understand the fundamentals of critical thinking and its relevance in the context of AI tools.
Develop the ability to evaluate the reliability, accuracy, and potential biases of outputs generated by tech tools.
Ask the right questions in the right order to use AI tools effectively and safely.
Learn techniques for problem-solving, decision-making and planning for success using AI data and outputs.
Apply critical thinking strategies to harness AI tools effectively in their professional roles.

Public Workshop Fees

This programme is SkillsFuture-funded. Course reference: TGS-2024050927.

Inquire separately for in-house pricing.

Technical Skill Competency: Critical Thinking Skills · 1.5 Days · Face-to-Face

ELIGIBILITY	SUBSIDY	AMOUNT PAYABLE (w GST)	NETT FEE (w/o GST, AFTER FUNDING)
SC < 40 years old and PRs	Up to 50%	S$619.50	S$525.00

SC: Singapore Citizens I PR: Permanent Residents

With effect from 1 Jan 2022, SSG will introduce a fixed Absentee Payroll (AP) rate at $4.50 per hour.

*SkillsFuture Credit Claimable.

Payment can be made via PayNow or bank transfer.

Instructions on payment will be available after registration form submission.

MySkillsFuture Subsidies

Relevant Skills

Digital Fluency, Sense Making, Creative Thinking, Problem Solving, Adaptability, Learning Agility

Relevance to employment, upskilling and reskilling

Develop the ability to use a range of thinking skills to harness AI tools effectively, evaluate the reliability and accuracy of outputs generated by tech tools. Learn to ask the right questions and techniques for problem solving and decision making.

Minimum Entry Requirement

Polytechnic Diploma
IELTS 5.5 or equivalent (applicable for International learners)
A pass in TVI English Admission test
Possess basic information and communication technology (ICT) skills
Have been a people manager for at least six months and responsible for the engagement and retention of their employees

Registration Terms & Condition

Why the need for first principle thinking skills with new emerging tech tools?
Good and poor users of Al tools: differences in thinking patterns
Thinking Skills Profile™ to identify thinking strengths and gaps and where to improve
Flame Centre® BRAIN™ Framework to think with Al
Big picture thinking with context and strategy in guiding Al
Process thinking to get from point A to B with Al by asking the right questions in the right order
A CLEAR™ framework for analysis and fact-checking
Intuitive thinking to iterate and personalise outputs
When to maintain human thinking agency and avoid reliance on Al tools
Thinking habits to cultivate

Managers and executives who lead projects and want to improve their ability to make good judgement to deliver the results.
People who are already using some AI, but using it rather simplistically - single line, high level prompt.
People who want to develop more robust and detailed outputs like a personalised plan, strategy, and investments.

Our workshop is NOT to teach prompt engineering or to expose people to AI.

UPCOMING PUBLIC WORKSHOP DATES

22 Jul & 13 Aug 2026

WHY CHOOSE US

What Makes This
Programme Different

There are many AI workshops in the market. Most are tool-focused and technical. Here is what sets Thinking with AI apart.

100+ Chat Histories

Analysed

15 months of primary research with AI practitioners. Not adapted from popular business books — built from the ground up, validated with professionals across sectors.

Proprietary Framework

The BRAIN™ framework (trademark: The Flame Centre Pte. Ltd.) gives participants a shared, repeatable thinking process — not a tips-and-tricks list.

Measured Impact

Pre/post skills assessment. TRAQOM quality ratings. Growth-in-contribution data reported to L&D stakeholders. We track capability, not satisfaction.

Validated Across Sectors

Tested with PhD holders, AI developers, analysts, and executives in financial services, healthcare, education, and the Singapore public sector.

Amazon Bestseller

SMARTER: 5 Steps to True Human-AI Collaboration (Dr Wendy Tan, 2026) is the research text behind this programme. Endorsed by Marshall Goldsmith and Laurence Liew of AI Singapore.

Based on How Adults

Really Learn

Designed around adult learning principles — not slides and lectures. Participants apply the BRAIN™ framework to real work challenges during and after the workshop.

LEARNING IMPACT

Skills Growth After the Workshop

Participants rated their own capabilities before and after completing Thinking with AI. Here is what they reported after applying the BRAIN™ framework in their real work.

This workshop showed how I can use AI as a thinking partner to check blind spots and flaws in my thinking. It guided me on how to systematically apply critical thinking on AI output using the CLEAR approach. These skills enable me to quickly come out with an action plan.

Engineer

Financial industry

I learned to use the BRAIN framework to ask sharper, goal-driven questions and integrate AI-generated insights with my own. This helped me identify gaps, focus my efforts, and take clearer, more strategic action. As a result, my work is more effective and aligned—and this approach is valuable for learners across all generations.

Corporate Treasury Specialist

Financial Industry

I asked AI a very vague question, but when you use the proper framework, it actually gives you a more detailed answer, even a schedule you can follow. It’s very applicable to anyone —especially now that we’re really using AI, both at work and in our personal lives, or for anything else we want to use it for.

Assistant Relationship Manager

Financial Industry

PARTICIPANT'S PERSPECTIVE

What Ted Chen Says
After the Workshop

Ted Chen, Head of Investment Advisory at a leading financial institution, shares his key learnings from Thinking with AI — how the BRAIN™ framework changed his approach to complex decisions.

While the AI response may not always be all correct or be the final solution to my issues, it sets a reference for refinement and further analysis. People who will benefit most from this workshop will be those who have started to use AI for one shot questions, but are eager to develop a thinking framework to minimize the shortcomings and maximize the advantages of using AI.

Engineer, financial industry

PARTICIPANT'S PERSPECTIVE

What Kean Says
After the Workshop

EXPERT ENDORSEMENTS

What Global Thought Leaders
Say About This Work

We are living an earned life when our choices align with our purpose. In the age of AI, that means choosing to stay present, to think deeply, to grow—not simply be efficient. Smart, practical, and timely—Wendy Tan offers a framework for earning your thinking, one conversation with AI at a time.

Marshall Goldsmith

Thinkers50 Hall of Fame,
New York Times best-selling author of The Earned Life and What Got You Here Won't Get You There

At AI Singapore, we have trained 500+ AI engineers through our AI Apprenticeship Programme by teaching them to ask 'why,' not just 'how.' The BRAIN framework validates this approach beautifully. It moves professionals beyond mechanical prompting into genuine thinking disciplines — exactly the judgment-building philosophy we have championed for years. This book is a practical guide for anyone who wants to lead AI, not be led by it.

Laurence Liew

Director, AI Industry Innovation, AI Singapore
Author of AI-First Nation

Smarter is a rare gem. An enjoyable read that combines thought-provoking research with a practical, human centered framework for working with artificial intelligence. Wendy Tan shows how artificial intelligence can amplify, rather than replace, our human intelligence. This book is invaluable for anyone navigating today's modern workplace and a must read for professionals in HR, leadership development, or transformation.

Eric Halvorsen

Leadership Academy Director
Danone

FACULTY

Who Delivers This Programme

Our faculty bring both published research credibility and deep facilitation experience.

Dr Wendy Tan

Vidhya Logendran

Jael Chng

HOW WE WORK WITH YOU

From First Conversation
to Measurable Impact

We treat every engagement as a partnership. Whether you are exploring options or ready to deploy, here is how we work.

Ready to Build Genuine
Human-AI Thinking Capability?

Whether you're planning a single team workshop or an enterprise-wide rollout — start with a conversation. We respond within one business day.

Enquire About In-house Workshop

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Strategic decisions in uncertain environments require more than experience — they require structured thinking. Flame Centre develops leaders who can distinguish the type of problem they face (strategic vs operational, problem-solving vs decision-making), ask the right questions in the right order, and apply sound judgement under pressure. Our Critical Thinking Skills in a Changing Tech World workshop teaches a proven situation analysis and decision-making methodology. For leaders dealing with systemic complexity, our Advanced Systems Thinker workshop builds the ability to identify non-obvious root causes, map interconnections, and create strategies grounded in a more accurate picture of reality.

Flame Centre offers two complementary programmes: Critical Thinking Skills in a Changing Tech World — for managers and executives who need structured problem-solving, sound decision-making, and the ability to evaluate AI-generated outputs critically. Built on a proven framework. (1.5-day workshop with application and integration follow-up) The Advanced Systems Thinker — for senior managers and directors who need to make sense of complex, interconnected problems. Uses tools including the Iceberg Model, Causal Loop Diagrams, and Behaviour-over-Time Graphs. Based on Be Smarter Than Your Problem by Tan Hong Wee. (2-day workshop) Both are available face-to-face, with flexible in-house delivery options.

The risk of AI adoption isn't that leaders can't use it — it's that they stop thinking for themselves. Flame Centre® BRAIN™ framework, developed by Dr Wendy Tan and introduced in SMARTER: 5 Steps to True Human-AI Collaboration (2026), gives leaders a five-step model for staying in the driver's seat. The framework operates at the principle level — it doesn't teach tool features, it builds the thinking capabilities that outlast any tool.

Flame Centre is a Singapore-based human skills development organisation founded in 2004, specialising in uniquely human capabilities for a thriving workforce. We are SkillsFuture-accredited, IBF-accredited, and have achieved a high grade in Singapore's Training Provider Quality Assessment (TRAQOM, 2025). Our programmes span learning agility, critical thinking, leadership development, stakeholder management, employee engagement, career development, and thinking with AI — all delivered through a research-backed, practically grounded approach. We serve multinational corporations, government agencies, and financial institutions across Asia Pacific, Europe and the United States. Our Managing Partner, Dr Wendy Tan, is a published researcher and practitioner recognised internationally for her work on learning agility and human-AI collaboration.

Flame Centre offers three programmes that directly address these skills: Lifelong Learning (ARCS™ model) — builds learning agility and metacognitive habits; SkillsFuture-funded Critical Thinking Skills in a Changing Tech World — structured problem-solving and decision-making for managers using AI tools Whole Person | Whole Leader — resilience and well-being for leaders under pressure, using the ABC pathways (Anchor, Balance, Clear) All are available face-to-face or virtually, with sustained follow-up sessions. Train-the-trainer options available.

As AI automates routine tasks, the skills that create lasting competitive advantage are the ones machines cannot replicate: learning agility, critical thinking, stakeholder influence, and leadership effectiveness. At Flame Centre, we call these uniquely human capabilities. Organisations that invest in these capabilities now are building a workforce that can adapt, solve complex problems, and lead through uncertainty — regardless of how AI continues to evolve. Our research and practice point to four capability clusters that matter most: the ability to learn continuously, to think clearly in complexity, to influence and partner effectively, and to lead with purpose and wholeness.

Last updated on 3 Jul 2026

Our Expertise

Think Sharper.
Think with AI.