Contrary to what AI hypesters or doomers may have us believe, our AI future isn't written or inevitable.
The best way to predict the future is to build it. As AI "agents" unlock new capabilities, let's not forget our own agency. We can choose what we build towards.
Building Towards Human Enablement
I've been building VerbaGPT with the aim to push the boundary of what's possible with agentic AI and data analysis. My motivation has remained unchanged: people need to be able to analyze data without knowing how to code, open a terminal, or use an IDE.
I see AI as enabling knowledge work, not replacing knowledge workers. This distinction is important. If we don't build easy-to-use, non-technical yet powerful interfaces for AI—we barrel towards a future where companies are just algorithms and servers.
The Cost of Misplaced Priorities
I'm sure scaling compute instead of people gets some very excited. There is a great line in the movie Jurassic Park: "Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should." Replace scientists in that sentence with influential voices who see compute and headcount as the same line item on the balance sheet.
The uncomfortable truth is that we have agency in how AI develops. The choices we make today—about what interfaces we build, what problems we solve, and who benefits—will shape our technological landscape for decades.
The Companies That Will Win
The successful companies of tomorrow are not going to be thinking in terms of replacing people, but enabling them. Enabling them in ways that don't require them becoming AI experts, computer scientists or working in the terminal. Enabling in ways that are differentiated, collaborative and so intuitive that their people and productivity level up effortlessly.
This isn't about being "nice" to people or preserving jobs for sentimental reasons. It's about recognizing that the most powerful businesses amplify human capability rather than eliminate it. The tools that let domain experts do their jobs better—not replace them—will create the most value.
A Reminder About What Matters
Even if some sort of super intelligence is achievable, a prospect I'm skeptical of, we have to stop and remember what companies and societies are made of and who they serve. People. And build towards something that uplifts them.
The AI future we want is not predetermined. It's built by the choices we make every day about what to create and why. Let's make sure we're building something worth having.
Originally posted on LinkedIn on January 7, 2026.