5One Useful Thing (Ethan Mollick)·
The Twilight of the Chatbots: How Work Changes Along the Exponential
Ethan Mollick's 'One Useful Thing' newsletter argues that the chatbot paradigm is giving way to a new phase of AI-driven work transformation, framing the shift as a structural change in how AI integrates into workflows rather than a tool people query. The piece appears to analyze how organizations and individuals adapt as AI capabilities move beyond conversational interfaces. As a tier-2 commentary source, this represents an influential practitioner-facing perspective on the trajectory of AI deployment.
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Related events (8)
Real AI Agents and Real Work
A commentary piece from One Useful Thing examining the practical deployment of AI agents in real work contexts, framing the tension between human-centered work and AI-generated productivity outputs. The piece appears to analyze how autonomous AI agents are changing knowledge work workflows. Published by a Tier 2 source known for applied AI analysis aimed at practitioners and researchers.
Ethan Mollick on co-existence with AI as co-intelligence era ends
Ethan Mollick's Substack post reflects on the evolving relationship between humans and AI systems, framing a transition away from a 'co-intelligence' paradigm toward something new. The piece appears to address how humans and AI will coexist as AI capabilities advance beyond collaborative augmentation. As a commentary from a prominent AI-and-work researcher, it likely signals a shift in how practitioners and policymakers should think about human-AI collaboration.
A Guide to Which AI to Use in the Agentic Era
A tier-2 commentary piece from One Useful Thing offering guidance on selecting AI systems in the current agentic era, signaling a shift in framing from chatbots to agents as the primary use-case paradigm. The piece appears to survey the landscape of available AI tools and their appropriate applications. As a practitioner-oriented guide, it reflects the growing complexity of the AI tooling ecosystem as agentic capabilities proliferate.
OpenAI research: ChatGPT users expanding into cross-role tasks, reshaping job boundaries
OpenAI published research examining how ChatGPT users are taking on tasks that span traditional job roles, effectively expanding the scope of individual workers' activities. The study focuses on behavioral shifts in how people use AI at work rather than productivity metrics alone. The findings suggest AI is blurring occupational boundaries rather than simply automating existing tasks.
MIT Tech Review: AI agents should not be framed as 'coworkers'
MIT Technology Review's The Algorithm newsletter argues against the anthropomorphization of AI agents in workplace contexts, critiquing the trend of companies giving AI tools human names and framing them as colleagues. The piece raises concerns about how this framing shapes user expectations, accountability, and labor dynamics. It is a critical commentary on the cultural and organizational implications of agentic AI deployment.
"Don't You Just Upload It to ChatGPT?" — community discussion on AI adoption expectations
A blog post with the title "Don't You Just Upload It to ChatGPT?" generated significant engagement on Hacker News (208 points, 186 comments), suggesting it touches on a relatable tension around non-technical users' expectations of AI tools versus practitioners' more nuanced workflows. The body content is not available, but the title implies commentary on the gap between casual AI use and professional or technical deployment. High engagement signals this resonates with the practitioner community.
Making AI Work: Leadership, Lab, and Crowd
This commentary from One Useful Thing proposes a framework for organizational AI adoption centered on three elements: leadership commitment, structured experimentation (lab), and distributed employee engagement (crowd). The piece offers practical guidance for companies navigating AI integration. As a tier-2 commentary source, it reflects practitioner thinking on enterprise AI deployment patterns rather than reporting new technical developments.
On Working with Wizards
A commentary piece from One Useful Thing exploring the metaphor of AI systems as 'wizards' and the challenge of working with them on the 'jagged frontier' of capabilities. The piece likely addresses how users can effectively verify and leverage AI outputs given the uneven and unpredictable nature of current model capabilities. As a tier-2 commentary source, it offers practitioner-level perspective on human-AI collaboration patterns.