A sharp tool cuts you back

A longer read but worth the journey. Captures some of my recent thinking about friction and how some friction is necessary, both in the design process but also in the process of a user learning a digital system. AI short circuits some processes, and some of that is valid and useful. But some of it short circuits the thinking process and reduces the value of our output, leaning on the middle, common denominator solutions.

This reminds me of the first Japanese chef’s knife I ever bought. It looked beautiful. Perfect balance and incredibly sharp. It cut through almost everything with no effort… including me.
One of the first things I did with it was slice my hand. The knife went through my skin with no resistance. I still have the scar.
The knife wasn’t the problem, it was doing exactly what it was designed to do. I just wasn’t ready to handle it.
AI feels powerful, easy to use, and only getting sharper. If you’re not careful, it lets you move so fast that you skip the moments where attention and judgment matter most.
So the question isn’t if AI is sharp enough for you to use it.
The real question is whether you’re paying enough attention to where and when you’re cutting.

The idea being that we are doing ourselves a disservice if we are not intentional and thoughtful about where AI fits into our design and thinking processes. And watch those fingers.