Why AI agents aren't adopted widely - Inverted Passion

Hint: managing someone is actually hard, and most times not worth it.

Most people don’t use AI agents daily because delegation (to another human) is a learned skill.

Using AI agents is actually a lot like doing natural language programming: specifying requirements, verifying outputs, guiding the flow, giving context.

Also, using an AI agent requires skills similar to managing a junior employee, and most of the world simply isn’t ready or equipped to do so.

I myself built an EA team after a decade of being a founder, so this thought that arbitrary work can be delegated to someone doesn’t come naturally to us. Even if the thought comes, you have to justify the additional cognitive cost of delegation.

Like most decisions that humans make, it’s really a ROI decision on when to delegate

Net delegation value = work avoided − discovery − briefing − supervision − recovery − perceived risk

In personal life, for most tasks, the benefits really don’t outweigh the costs. In coding and other professional contexts with clear and repeatable work, this tradeoff turns out to be worth making. So no wonder we’ve seen adoption skyrocket there.

In day to day life, we’re much better at reacting to what’s presented in front of us than specifying what we need upfront.

So, methinks AI agents will change the world by disappearing behind interfaces that people actually find cognitively simple to use.

All we want to do is tap, swipe and click.

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