5 questions I ask myself to maintain agency in an AI-obsessed world
Discovering, and controlling your own single point of failure.
I spent the whole weekend in nature. Moving in the sun, smelling the forest, and enjoying the ability of just going forward without overthinking.
Before I planned the trip, I wanted to learn more about the difference between two slightly similar activities that I can track using the Garmin watch on my wrist.
For the first time, I consciously noticed how my relationship with the process of getting answers has changed.
I opened the app, asked a question with my voice, and expected to immediately get a straight-up answer. And I got it.
Without clicking blue links, without changing the tabs to compare information, I let the LLM decide what to serve me.
It’s nothing new. Multiple studies show this behavioral change and how our brains are getting used to having answers without friction. Just accepting them, without any second thought.
It’s a blessing. But it's also dangerous if done unconsciously. (that’s a story for another time).
That, and other experiences made me realize that I need somehow to keep myself grounded. Often without convenience that AI brings - while on the other hand quickly eroding my own agency.
I've started using a set of questions to follow the purpose, not act like on autopilot.
Maybe they will help you too.
Where am I clinging to old habits out of comfort, instead of exploring a better way?
What am I intentionally choosing NOT to do, to protect my focus from interesting distractions?
What part of my work today comes from a perspective that only I can bring?
Am I truly learning something new, or am I just repeating patterns that feel productive?
What uncomfortable idea or a set of thoughts am I avoiding that holds the key to my growth?
You can treat them as a map to find your own leverage.
Each question helps me spot a personal 'point of failure' - a place where my focus could break. When I think about managing critical points of failure, my mind goes to one of the most ambitious projects in engineering history - The James Webb Space Telescope.
When launched, it had 344 (!) single points of failure. (here’s the superb documentary from NASA if you’re a space geek like me).
You can’t control all of your potential points of failure. But you can absolutely control the things that you will focus on in the coming weeks or months.
Let it be skills, projects, or just things that you want to learn.
Ask yourself some of those questions, and see where they take you.
Which one would be the first?