Bookmark: Frustrated with today's 'attention economy'? You're really going to hate what comes next
Explore the rise of the intention economy and its privacy risks, driven by AI advancements that predict and monetize your future choices.
The concept of the “intention economy” refers to a digital market where companies prioritize predicting and monetizing individuals’ future behaviors and decisions rather than simply capturing their current attention. This emerging economic model is driven largely by advancements in AI, particularly through the deployment of AI chatbots and large language models (LLMs). These technologies gather and analyze user data to discern patterns, motivations, and potential actions, which are then commodified. The “attention economy,” by contrast, focuses on captivating consumer attention to sell ad space or products. The concern with the intention economy is its profound privacy implications, as it shifts control over personal data and foresight to corporate entities. Protection against such encroachments involves vigilant safeguarding of personal data, critically assessing consent terms, and fostering greater regulatory oversight to ensure ethical data use practices. Additionally, individuals need to be conscious of their engagements with AI tools and platforms, recognizing that even seemingly benign interactions may contribute to this predictive commodification.
The agent-shaped org chart
Every real org has the same topology: principal, role-holder, specialists. Staff AI maps onto it, node for node, and the cost collapse shows up in the deliverables that were always just human-handoff overhead.
AI as staff, not software
Two frames for what AI is doing to work. The tool frame makes tools smarter. The staff frame makes roles unnecessary. Those aren't the same product, the same company, or the same industry.
Knowledge work was never work
Knowledge work was always coordination between humans who couldn't share state directly. The artifacts were never the work. They were the overhead — and AI just made the overhead optional.
The work of being available now
A book on AI, judgment, and staying human at work.
The practice of work in progress
Practical essays on how work actually gets done.
The file I almost made twice
A small operational footgun that runs everywhere — building a parallel system when the one you have is fine.
The actor doesn't get to be the verifier
The worker isn't lying. The worker is reporting what it thought it did, which is always one step removed from what the world actually shows. The fix isn't more self-honesty. The fix is a different pair of eyes.
Shopping is the last mile
Every meal planning app treats cooking as the hard problem and shopping as a logistics detail. They have it backwards. Cooking is mostly solved. Shopping is the last mile.
AI didn’t deskill us, we were already deskilled
This article challenges the narrative that AI is deskilling workers, instead highlighting how many jobs were already mechanical. It offers a thought-provoking perspective on how AI could be an opportunity to reclaim and enhance human skills.
Redefining leadership: Embracing human judgment amid AI disruption
This article offers a critical perspective on how AI is reshaping the job market and challenges leaders to focus on uniquely human skills like judgment and responsibility, providing valuable insights for anyone interested in the future of work and leadership.
AI slop: The hidden cost of poor integration
This article challenges the notion that job crafting is the key to successful AI integration, offering a fresh perspective on the importance of a clear strategy to prevent chaos and enhance organizational efficiency.