Intent Is Everything
AI can scale anything, but without intent, speed becomes a risk. In a world of automation and infinite output, what matters most is what we choose to amplify, and why.
We've been here before
When machines entered the factories during the Industrial Revolution, many workers feared what it meant for their future. The Luddites (often misunderstood as being anti-technology) were reacting to a system that was changing without their input, consent, or involvement.
Today’s conversations about AI echo that same unease. Fears around job loss, loss of relevance, and loss of control aren’t irrational; they’re deeply human. And beneath those concerns is something more fundamental: a sense that the pace of change is outpacing our ability to direct it.
The risk isn’t AI, it’s what we do with it
We’ve already seen what happens when innovation moves faster than intention. Fast fashion didn’t set out to exploit labor or damage the planet. It succeeded because it was fast, cheap, and scalable. Clickbait wasn’t invented to mislead; it spread because it worked. Tech platforms didn’t plan to erode attention or polarize society, but in the absence of intention, optimization took over.
These weren’t failures. They were successful systems, just misaligned with values.
Now imagine that same dynamic, accelerated by AI. Faster decisions. More output. Less reflection. AI doesn’t just change the pace, it changes the scale. That’s where the real risk lies.
Why intent matters more than ever
Intent is what makes progress meaningful. It brings in judgment, values, and perspective. It forces us to ask: what are we trying to solve? Who are we designing for? What does success look like?
Without intent, we risk automating what we should be questioning. Scaling what we haven’t yet understood. And building a future that doesn’t reflect what matters most.
AI can generate, predict, and optimize. But it doesn’t care. We do.
A human responsibility
This moment isn’t about resisting AI. It’s about shaping what we do with it. We have a responsibility—not to slow down progress, but to steer it. To make sure that what we amplify aligns with our values, our communities, and the kind of future we want to live in.
We don’t just need better tools.
We need better direction.
And that begins with intent.
When the intent is to create only volume for ecomonies of scale then the quality drops and the damage grows. As you say, it has been obvious with fast fashion and it will be amplified with AI. Unless we resist the easy wins and use it intelligently and with reference to values.