hebel. today · 5 November 202618 / 74
Arts · Design Thinking
Automating production shifts the burden of judgment
The case for AI as a judgment engine. Proponents argue that AI allows teams to shift from manual execution to high-level discernment, provided the system is designed to handle repeatable checks while leaving human…
From 6 newsletters · 1 min read · one thing to try
The case for AI as a judgment engine. Proponents argue that AI allows teams to shift from manual execution to high-level discernment, provided the system is designed to handle repeatable checks while leaving human judgment for strategic decisions (Ops Forward). Teams at companies like e.l.f. Beauty now treat knowledge as abundant and focus instead on context and discernment, shifting the human role from specialist to translator between disciplines (Superpowers with Sanyin). Dr. Teodora Szasz advises that professionals should explicitly label process steps as either SLOW or DECIDE, allowing AI to draft validation reports while a named person signs off to satisfy regulatory requirements (Dr Teodora Szasz from Standout Systems by Teodora).
The risk of losing the 'why'. Critics warn that shifting production to AI can cause the reasoning behind decisions to evaporate if teams stop writing formal specifications. Sakichi Toyoda’s introduction of a device to stop looms when threads broke in 1897 illustrates that without such safeguards, human attention remains trapped in policing machine output rather than improving quality (Growth Mindset). Intel’s Andy Grove famously achieved clarity by asking himself what an outsider would do to exit the memory chip business, proving that human judgment is most effective when it intentionally creates distance from historical legacy and sunk costs (Stephanie Rogen from The Blueprint by Greenwich Leadership…).
The synthesis of both views. These positions agree that AI changes the nature of work but differ on whether the primary challenge is integrating the tool or protecting human oversight. One side views AI as an engine for scaling impact, while the other emphasizes that the most critical design work involves framing the right problem before opening any software (The Designer's Field Guide, by Kai Wong.).
Try today · 20 min
Audit one of your current recurring work processes to separate production from judgment.
Write down the steps of a process you run weekly, then label each step as SLOW or DECIDE.
You need
- A list of steps for one recurring process
- A pen and paper or digital document
Steps
- List every step of your chosen process in order.
- Label each step as SLOW if it involves drafting or production.
- Label each step as DECIDE if it involves human judgment or final approval.
- Note the time each SLOW step currently takes.
- Write one sentence defining exactly when an AI should handle the SLOW steps.
- Write one sentence defining exactly when you must provide the final decision.