We posit it's because of CORE traits: 4 unchanging human qualities that will outlast every technical skill you'll ever learn. It's not nepotism, favoritism, or flattery. It's CORE traits that don't show up on resumes. And in the AI era, these traits matter more than ever
Why Retrieval Practice Beats Endless Study
The ability to pull information from memory in a challenging environment > Constant reading, reviewing and preparing tonnes of notes.
The Writing Looks ChatGPTish
When people say they can spot AI writing from a mile, what do they actually mean? Excessive em dashes? Short paragraphs? Words like "delve" and "meticulous"? LinkedIn was full of cringe long before ChatGPT. AI didn't invent buzzwords or performative prose. The algorithm simply picked what went viral. We're pretending that before ChatGPT, all writing flowed from pure creativity. As if "On Writing Well" and "The Elements of Style" never existed. We always followed rules. But our inability to follow them perfectly made our writing unique. AI follows rules perfectly. That's the problem. I explore this paradox in this essay.
Disintermediated? Think Again. The Rise of the Digital Gatekeeper
Ever wonder why those unskippable ads on your streaming service are getting worse? Or how a market sprang up in a WWII POW camp? It all comes back to the middleman. I dive into why brokers are essential for markets to thrive, and how they've evolved from mere facilitators to powerful gatekeepers. Discover the surprising truth behind why markets need brokers, and when they become a problem you can't ignore.
The Unwritten Self: A Writer’s Identity Crisis in the AI Era
if AI can write, what does a writer become? Our roles have changed from creators to curators overnight. But what if this disruption forces us to redefine our worth, to build identity beyond skills, on foundations AI can't touch?
AI Is Coming for Your Job — And It’s Already Here
I fact-check the cliché: “AI won't replace you, but someone who knows how to use AI will". I argue that AI is not just coming for your job, it’s here already. Exploring how AI is replacing the organizational pyramid, I observe how fresh graduates are at most risk at the moment. But it won’t stop here.
Has GenAI killed the college essay?
I explore if GenAI has killed the college essay. Why are students required to write essays? It’s to assess their ability to think through things, and communicate their perspective in a clear, compelling and organized fashion. I argue that GenAI, by removing the creative struggle from the writing, is capable of deeply affecting how we think.
Finding Happiness in Everyday Monotony
I explore why happiness proves elusive even as you conquer your goals. We expect life to be full of purpose, meaning and passion. What we face is incessant monotony. How can we find purpose, meaning and happiness? I ponder at length.
Why Preparation Beats Planning
I posit that there are 4 broad modes in which you approach life. The mode you operate in makes all the difference. Also, why preparation always beats planning.
AI and Emotion: Do machines feel?
I explore if AI has emotions and whether it can do emotional work. Writers and artists are fond of reiterating that since AI cannot feel emotions, its output will not feel human too. But how true is this claim? Are machines really breaching the final frontier of human cognition?
Musings by Madhav 