Friday Notes #95 — It’s Good Enough

The question of something like a service being good enough has haunted me since I was a teenager. As an architect, my father struggled quite a lot with many potential clients who constantly asked, “why would I hire an architect to design my house if a technician in the same field can do the same?” The reason for asking this type of question is that an architect doesn’t come cheap, but a technician, yes. It’s about saving money. Along the way, it’s about saying, “it’s good enough.” The work of an architect, when creating a new house for his client, involves asking questions like how they live. Do they have hobbies? Do they plan to have children? Are they planning to have their parents with them in the future? Etc. Then, the thinking begins, and the design phase starts. These phases require experience, know-how, and time. They come at a price. The clients need to understand this and value the process and the likely results. If they don’t care, they won’t use an architect and settle for the “good enough” alternative. Are we in for the same reasoning when it comes to AI?

It’s the same reasoning for a lawyer’s work. AI is going to be a phenomenal tool, it will assist our work and perform many tasks good enough. But a creative, thoughtful, studious, wise human brain will still be necessary. And it will come at a price.