First, AI is not just a helpful assistant. If we don’t rethink how we work, ‘simply working with the tool’ may eventually lead to a gradual loss of value and power. Second, as algorithms are increasingly used to manage and assign work, not just on gig platforms like Uber and TaskRabbit, but also in knowledge work, the rules of work are no longer se

we need to shift our lens from focusing on whether AI can perform a task to understanding how AI changes the entire system that gives that task its purpose and value.

Most of us view maps as a means to interpret the spaces around us. We often miss how maps transform those very spaces. Like maps, AI tools may help us analyze and make sense of our work, but they hold far more power in reconfiguring the systems within which that work is performed. Much like recommendation algorithms on YouTube or TikTok ultimately