AI turns ideas into a dark forest: posting work-in-progress means getting hunted
erikphoel · x · 2026-09-09
The author borrows the "dark forest" metaphor to describe AI's impact on knowledge work: the social commons of openly discussing intellectual work-in-progress is quietly disappearing. With a single prompt, models can produce an almost-as-good version of what you're trying to make great, mining away the inspiration, insight and reward. He urges readers to violate the dark forest anyway — post that app, book, game or paper idea you've been sitting on for years, "see what hunters shoot."
Related event: Erik Hoel's Essay: AI Is Turning Culture into a Dark Forest(10 posts)→
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