Designing AI Tools That Think With You | Dimitri Glazkov

22 snips

Oct 21, 2025

Dmitri Glazkov, Strategy Lead at Google Labs and creator of the Breadboard project, dives into how AI tools can enhance creativity. He explains how Breadboard and Opal allow users to build systems that think alongside them. The conversation highlights the significance of capturing tacit knowledge through AI and the contrasting growth strategies of 'dandelions' and 'elephants'. Dmitri also discusses 'lensical thinking', which embraces diverse perspectives for innovation, and emphasizes the need for uniqueness in an increasingly automated world.

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ADVICE

Design LLMs To Transfer Tacit Knowledge

Treat LLMs as tools to transfer tacit knowledge, not mere search or averaging devices.
Build workflows that deliberately surface and preserve rare human expertise.

INSIGHT

Clarity And Uniqueness Become Scarce Assets

In a world of abundant information, clarity and uniqueness become the scarce, valuable assets.
Education and work will shift to amplify individual distinctiveness over average output.

ADVICE

Switch Lenses To Gain Clarity

Apply 'lensical thinking' by switching frameworks to view problems from multiple angles.
Keep a bag of lenses and flip them to gain clarity and spot hidden opportunities.

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The tools we use shape how we work, what we see, and how we think. Dmitri Glazkov, Strategy Lead at Google Labs, initiated Breadboard and helped launch Opal—tools that let people connect prompts into systems that think together like Tinkertoys for the mind. His passion is building technology that makes creativity easier and more human. In this episode, Dart and Dmitri explore how AI can capture tacit knowledge, why strategy gets embedded in culture, and how to design “tiny brains” that think with us, not for us.

Dmitri Glazkov is Strategy Lead at Google Labs and the initiator of Breadboard, the open-source foundation for Google’s Opal project. He is a longtime Google engineer and an early contributor to Chrome and Web Components.

In this episode, Dart and Dmitri discuss:
- How AI tools reshape the experience of work
- Why Breadboard and Opal make creativity easier
- How AI can help capture and share tacit knowledge
- The difference between dandelion and elephant growth strategies
- How strategy becomes embodied in company culture
- What “lensical thinking” means and how to use it
- Why Dmitri calls Opal a cognitive WYSIWYG
- How chains of prompts can act as “tiny brains”
- And other topics…

Dmitri Glazkov is the Strategy Lead at Google Labs and the initiator of Breadboard, the open-source project that underpins Google’s Opal tool for creative AI experimentation. Over nearly two decades at Google, Dmitri has shaped how people interact with technology—from helping build Chrome and pioneering Web Components to exploring how artificial intelligence can amplify human thought. His work focuses on designing systems that think with us, not for us, making creativity more accessible to everyone.

Resources Mentioned:
Opal: https://opal.withgoogle.com
Dmitri’s Blog: https://glazkov.com
Dart and Dmitri’s article, “The Unvarying Infrastructure of Variation”: https://read.fluxcollective.org/p/69

Connect with Dmitri:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dglazkov

Work with Dart:
Dart is the CEO and co-founder of the work design firm 11fold. Build work that makes employees feel alive, connected to their work, and focused on what’s most important to the business. Book a call at 11fold.com.