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Mike Randolph's avatar

Rohit, your friction analysis connects to patterns I've been exploring around system persistence and constraint satisfaction. What strikes me is how each technological "solution" displaces constraints rather than eliminating them.

Your AI coding example perfectly illustrates this - and I see it in my own work. AI has removed the friction of generating text, but now I spend enormous time reviewing LLM output for accuracy, coherence, and alignment with my actual thinking. The constraint moved from "time to write" to "capacity to validate and refine AI-generated content."

This pattern repeats across history. When the printing press removed friction from copying texts in the 1500s, scholars complained about "the confusing abundance of books" - suddenly they could access more information than they could meaningfully evaluate. Same displacement: easier creation, harder curation.

What's remarkable is how quickly this is changing. I retired 25 years ago and had basically forgotten how to type. But only in the last month have AI models become sophisticated enough to understand my cognitive load limitations and adapt accordingly. When I push back, these newest systems don't just generate faster - they actually recognize when I'm getting overwhelmed and adjust their communication style.

This suggests we might be moving beyond the historical pattern where new technologies create problems humans must solve through adaptation. Instead, we're developing systems that can adapt to individual human needs rather than forcing uniform interaction styles.

The critical questions remain: Are we confusing efficiency with effectiveness?

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Nathan Lambert's avatar

I’m worried about removing friction to super intelligent and hyper persuasive AI. Didn’t see your post before I wrote the conclusion to my piece today!

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