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AI Phobia Is Just Fear That ‘Easier’ Equals ‘Cheating’
The rise of AI is forcing us to confront our complicated relationship with effort and worth. But this reckoning was long overdue. Our attachment to suffering as a proxy for value has been undermining our work, well-being, and creativity for centuries.
Katie Parrott • AI Phobia Is Just Fear That ‘Easier’ Equals ‘Cheating’
AI can act as a force multiplier for human creativity, handling the mechanical aspects of work that have historically consumed our time and energy. When AI handles the drudgery, we're free to focus on the meaningful parts of work that deserve our attention.
Katie Parrott • AI Phobia Is Just Fear That ‘Easier’ Equals ‘Cheating’
Reflection, curation, context-setting, deciding what not to do—these are some of the most valuable forms of labor in an AI-assisted world. But they’re often invisible because they don’t “look” like work.
Katie Parrott • AI Phobia Is Just Fear That ‘Easier’ Equals ‘Cheating’
AI offers us a chance to fundamentally rethink why we work and how we measure its value.
Katie Parrott • AI Phobia Is Just Fear That ‘Easier’ Equals ‘Cheating’
A writer might use AI to structure a draft—but the real work lies in shaping the argument, refining the tone, and deciding what’s worth saying. The labor hasn’t disappeared. It’s just moved somewhere less visible.
Katie Parrott • AI Phobia Is Just Fear That ‘Easier’ Equals ‘Cheating’
Knowledge work rarely follows linear patterns. Our most valuable contributions often come from reflection, seemingly "unproductive" conversations, exploration of dead ends, and invisible mental processing.
Katie Parrott • AI Phobia Is Just Fear That ‘Easier’ Equals ‘Cheating’
AI forces us to confront our dysfunctional relationship with work. It holds up a mirror to our culture’s deeply rooted belief that struggle equals value—and in that reflection lies a rare opportunity: to reimagine work in terms of outcomes, not optics; human flourishing, not performance theater.
Katie Parrott • AI Phobia Is Just Fear That ‘Easier’ Equals ‘Cheating’
This narrow view of productivity—favoring what can be seen, tracked, or timed—helps explain our conflicted relationship with AI. Yes, impact matters, and it would be overly simplistic to claim organizations don’t reward outcomes. But in many contexts, especially where results are hard to measure, visible effort still carries disproportionate weight... See more
Katie Parrott • AI Phobia Is Just Fear That ‘Easier’ Equals ‘Cheating’
Knowledge work rarely follows linear patterns. Our most valuable contributions often come from reflection, seemingly "unproductive" conversations, exploration of dead ends, and invisible mental processing.