Skip to main content
Paul Welty, PhD AI, WORK, AND STAYING HUMAN

· business · technology

Is automation the key to organizational resilience?

Discover how automation enhances organizational resilience while emphasizing the vital role of human creativity in driving true innovation.

Automation as the backbone of resilience? This article argues it’s essential, but let’s not forget the human element. While automating routine tasks can indeed free up resources, it’s the strategic deployment of human creativity that drives true innovation. Think of automation as the scaffolding, not the structure. The author claims automation transforms efficiency, yet the real transformation happens when we align technology with human insight. So, are we building resilience or just a faster treadmill? Let’s ensure our focus remains on enriching human potential, not just replacing it.

The new resilience: automating to innovate

This essay first appeared in Philosopher at Large, a weekly newsletter on work, learning, and judgment.

Nobody takes you aside anymore

Print taught a generation when to stop. What we lose when the machines absorb the constraints that used to form us.

Your AI agents need a water cooler

Coordination is a property of the room, not the org chart. What that means when your coworkers are agents.

On the death of the author and the birth of the detector

Why worrying about AI authorship is lazier, and more prejudiced, than it looks.

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.

Memory is (almost) solved. time is next.

AI can't tell if a memory is two minutes or two weeks old. The fix isn't making models feel time — it's cache invalidation: an as-of stamp on every fact, a clock in the context, and a freshness window for anything volatile.

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.

Instapaper highlights to obsidian notes pipeline

Streamline your reading workflow by converting Instapaper highlights into organized notes in Obsidian. Boost your productivity today!

Reaction: Boredom is the new burnout, and it’’s quietly killing motivation at work

This article offers a fresh perspective on workplace dynamics, highlighting how boredom, often overlooked, can be as detrimental as burnout, and provides insights on redesigning work to enhance motivation and engagement.