November 2025
To accomplish any kind of task or indulge a whim, AI is there. Available, abundant, ready to be plucked.
We often use it like a Joker card: a fabulous way to do the “dirty work” when energy runs low. Unlike a deck of cards that holds no more than three Jokers, its rarity forces us to save it for big occasions. Its use should be thoughtful. It’s systemic. But in our case, AI whispers in our ear: “use me infinitely, let me spare you those nasty efforts.”
Isn’t it human to give in?
There is another difference. In a card game, the Joker is an obvious competitive advantage: if you have one in your deck, others lack it. But in the new world of work, every hand is full of them. We all possess incredible power of action. Capability to execute is in fact completely decoupled from the level of involvement of the initiator, and from the time they spend on it.
So what happens when we’re all “one sentence and two clicks away” from doing everything?
Curiously, not much.
At least, that’s what I observe on my scale. LLMs are broadly used by all, but nothing seems to change. I witness neither leap, nor progress, nor noteworthy improvement. In no domain. Nothing. The workflows have changed, but not the effects. Or perhaps, if I had to pick one, it would be negative.
The emails I receive are generally longer, emptier, sometimes even devoid of all meaning. Chatter dressed in its best suit, its finest makeup.
Do the math: unlimited power of action + instant execution = nothing special, perhaps even worse than before.
How to explain it?
Well, what remains to make a difference when everyone can do everything?
We are forced to move up a level to escape “doing” and return to its cause: intention.
It’s the intention that gives substance to the final result. It’s what initiates the action, what gives direction. It’s what allows us to be content with the first outcome—or, on the contrary, what drives us to pursue our journey until a result worthy of our ambition.
Intention is the dial of accomplishment. It alone is now responsible for the quality of what is produced.
In the age of AI‑assisted work, we no longer judge work because it is “done,” but more than ever by its correctness, its relevance, its quality. Every execution today is betrayed by its creator’s intention. It is more than ever VISIBLE. A long email that sidesteps the topic is strictly equivalent to shouting “I DON’T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT ANY OF THIS.” And that’s new.
Before, at least one could respect the gesture of having tried, of having done something. Now, a deliverable of that level is a cynical insult to its recipient.
And you can feel it.
Conversely, AI allows anyone with good intention to reach unprecedented levels of quality. We’ll generously revisit that in upcoming newsletters!
I believe an irreconcilable fracture has occurred. The gap is widening faster. And now, only our real intentions will decide our fate.
So I invite you to ask yourselves: in a world of work where pretense is no longer possible, how long do you think you can keep up the act?