What happens when AI replaces not just labor, but meaning?

What happens when AI replaces not just labor, but meaning?

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been exploring a series of thoughts that have been building in the background for years, through my work in UX, strategy, and systems design.

This isn’t about dialing up the AI hype, or fear-mongering, but rather it’s about understanding the current transition we’re all going through.

We’re not just automating workflows anymore, we’re actively reshaping value. As that happens, I think we need to talk, openly and intentionally, about:

• AI as the new steam engine
• Work as identity, control, and displacement
• Burnout as a feature, not a bug
• Human connection as our last true scarcity
• Meaning as the final advantage

These aren’t polished takes on my end - and I don’t know where or how these series of posts will end. Let’s call them signals, patterns, or a map in progress.

If you’ve been thinking about this too, I’d love to hear from you!