& The Words: Reimagining Work and our Relationship with AI; Human + Machine
In my recent work on the AI Pathfinder I logically connected Jeremy Utley's framing on AI Posture and Toffler’s "Energy Slaves" I’ve frequently returned to one of the definitive texts for the AI era: @Paul Daugherty and H. James Wilson’s Human + Machine: Reimagining Work in the Age of AI . The core of their argument is that AI’s greatest value is not in replacing humans, but in the "Missing Middle" —the space where humans and machines collaborate to achieve superhuman results. The "Missing Middle" Framework Daugherty and Wilson identify six new types of roles that emerge in this collaborative space. I see these as the job descriptions for the "Amplified Man": Humans Helping Machines (The Teachers): Trainers: Teaching AI systems how to perform, from translation nuances to algorithmic soul. Explainers: Bridging the gap between complex outputs and non-technical stakeholders—a core skill for the modern Solution Engineer. Sustainers: Ensurin...