AI, usefully · July 2, 2026

Automate the friction. Keep the judgment.

A practical line for deciding what AI should handle, what people should own, and where the two work better together.

Aaron B. Scarlett

The best use of AI is not to remove people from meaningful decisions. It is to remove the drag that keeps people from making those decisions well.

Separate repetition from responsibility

Automation is strongest where the work is repeatable, observable and reversible. Human ownership matters most where context, consequence and care enter the picture.

The goal is not maximum automation. The goal is a better system for getting the right work done.