AI gives you more leverage. But only agency gives you direction.

Colin and Maya have access to the same AI tools. But their careers are headed in very different directions.

Colin begins each morning with ChatGPT. He uses it to draft blog posts, emails, and performance reviews. It’s fast and clean. He edits lightly, presses send, and moves on. He’s never been more productive. But when the day ends, he feels hollow. He accomplished a lot, but didn’t feel like he had achieved anything.

Maya uses AI too. But she starts with a notebook. She sketches ideas, reflects on what matters, and then turns to AI to help her refine and expand her thinking. Her process is slower, more thoughtful. But when she hits send, she knows the work is hers. It has her fingerprints on it.

Same tools. Same tech. Same access. The difference? Agency.

AI gives you leverage. But only agency gives you direction.

In an era where machines can generate content faster and more convincingly than ever, your value doesn’t come from volume—it comes from vision. It comes from making intentional choices about what you do, how you do it, and why it matters. That’s agency. And it’s the one thing AI can’t replicate.

You can now launch a business in a weekend. Build a brand in an afternoon. Draft 10 pieces of content before your first coffee. That’s extraordinary. But speed comes with a hidden cost: if you aren’t careful, you start shipping work that feels fast, but empty. Impressive, but forgettable.

When friction disappears, it’s easy to stop asking whether the work you’re doing actually means anything. You might be moving quickly, but toward what?

That’s where agency matters most. Without it, you’re outsourcing your output and your thinking.

This is what I call taste drift: the slow erosion of your creative compass. You start using AI to save time. Then for ideas. Then for structure. Before long, you’ve stopped questioning altogether. You go from creator to editor. From owner to bystander.

The danger isn’t just that AI makes it easy to move fast. It’s that it makes it easy to move without intention.

That’s the real divide today—not between people who use AI and those who don’t, but between low-agency users and high-agency leaders.

Low-agency users accept the first AI draft, chase what’s trending, and optimize for speed. High-agency individuals question outputs, shape inputs, and optimize for meaning. They don’t avoid AI—they direct it. They use it to stretch their ideas, not replace them.

If you want to thrive, not just survive, in the AI era, you need to strengthen your agency. Here’s how:

1. Think before you prompt. The blank page can be uncomfortable, but don’t skip it. That discomfort often signals insight on the way.

2. Use AI as a collaborator, not a crutch. Ask it to push you, not replace you. Let it challenge your thinking, not decide it.

3. Check in with yourself weekly. What work made you feel proud? What felt hollow? Agency grows when you reflect.

4. Make something without a machine. Journal. Walk. Doodle. Think. Taste is built in silence, not by hitting “regenerate.”

5. Seek challenge, not just efficiency. If everything feels easy, ask: Am I coasting? Or am I growing?

   
   

The irony of AI is that it makes it easier than ever to produce things that look and sound impressive, without actually requiring you to care. But if you care about your work, your voice, and your impact, then agency isn’t optional. It’s essential.

Because while AI can mimic your tone, format your slide deck, and guess what you might say next, it can’t choose what matters to you. It can’t feel what makes something worth building. It can’t decide who you want to become.

That’s your job.

So don’t just produce. Choose. Don’t just prompt. Think. Don’t just scale. Shape.

Because in a world where everything is changing faster than ever, agency is more important than ever. The ability to act with intention, especially when the path is unclear, is what keeps you grounded and impactful.

If you enjoyed this, you might like my newsletter, Scott’s Monthly Musings. It’s a curated selection of thought-provoking ideas, tools, and resources I’ve been exploring lately, especially around AI and the future of work. You can subscribe here.