I can't stop thinking about that 1924 NYT article about the man who finally got a telephone. It describes a transformation that I believe we can’t overlook.
When telephones first arrived, some warned they would destroy the buffer between work and home. That it would turn every interruption into an obligation and make us slaves to constant availability.
Within a generation, not having a phone meant being unreachable and unemployable. And now we can't imagine coordinating modern life without instant communication. Yet, we romanticize being unplugged, or a time when being unreachable was perfectly acceptable.
It feels like we're facing the exact same transformation when it comes to AI right now.
Every transformative technology follows the same arc:
- Initial resistance from thoughtful people who see the tradeoffs
- Gradual adoption as benefits become undeniable
- Full integration where opting out becomes impossible
- Acceptance of this better way (how did we live without it?!)
- Optional: Nostalgic longing for what we lost
Take cars for example.
When cars first appeared, thoughtful people warned they would destroy walkable communities and create dangerous roads.
But, convenience won. Cars were faster, more private, and more flexible than trains or horses, so we built our entire infrastructure around them.
Today, not having access to transportation in most of America means being stranded. Without it, we’re unable to work or access basic services, yet we yearn for the pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods and spontaneous street life we paved over.
The NYT article got it right:
"Each of us must have some point of reserve and some refusal; we must to hold our self-respect."
Technology doesn’t just add convenience. It also has the potential to expand into areas we used to protect. It can kill the buffer between work and home. Or eliminate the excuse of being unreachable. Or shape our communities in ways we thought weren’t possible.
It feels like AI is following the exact same path, and we're already past the resistance phase.
AI writes your emails faster, which sounds great until you realize they don’t sound like you. AI summarizes articles, so you never have to sit with a complex idea long enough to form your own thoughts about it.
If your company has adopted AI tools, opting out may not be an option without being the person holding everyone back. The choice to resist is disappearing faster than most people realize.
We're so focused on what AI can do that we're ignoring what it's replacing. Not just tasks, but the gaps between tasks. The 10 minutes you used to spend staring at a blank page before writing. The boring commute where your best ideas emerged. The struggle that taught you how to actually solve problems instead of just prompting your way to an answer.
What if the real cost of AI isn't job displacement? What if it's the slow erosion of the experiences that make work meaningful?
Here's what the telephone taught us. You have to draw boundaries early, while you still have a choice. Once the technology is fully integrated, resistance becomes nearly impossible.
So ask yourself now: What's your line? What won't you automate, even when it's inefficient?
The technology will keep advancing. The human need for boundaries won't.
Something to reflect on
This week, think about your boundaries with automation or AI. Identify one thing you won't automate, even if it could do it faster. If you’re working with a team, ask what you want to protect from automation, regardless of efficiency gains. The conversation will reveal what your team actually values.
Then, reply with your thoughts. Share your one thing you refuse to automate and why. I'm collecting these and might feature them (anonymously) in a future newsletter.
Thanks for reading!