AI Assistants Cut Effort Well, but Not Friction, Argues Essay
_AustinCalvert_ · x · 2026-09-21
An argument holds that AI assistants are much better at reducing effort than at reducing friction.
Example: booking a restaurant myself has zero friction. AI could do it with less effort, but at the cost that it might not work — which is more friction.
The author adds that the world is full of people "stuck in their ways," often choosing higher-effort paths because the friction of learning or trying something new is higher.
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