The Age of Agency

The negative effects of technological progress disproportionately impact the least agentic members of society, who find themselves being acted upon. They become passive consumers rather than active creators, their choices increasingly shaped by algorithms and agendas rather than personal intention.

as technologists and builders, we have a responsibility to design systems that increase the floor of agency.

The power of agency is, in practice, the power to build: to direct our intelligence toward the work of understanding the world and adapting it to our needs. It's how we impose a purposeful order on nature's chaos. – Gena Gorlin

The current paradigm of technology design often optimizes for engagement and potential at the expense of user agency. This creates a form of learned helplessness, where users become increasingly dependent on systems with no worldview.

endless streams of AI-generated articles, clickbait videos, and recycled memes. These feeds don't just distract us; they shape what we see, how we think, and ultimately, how we act.

Take algorithmic feeds. They promise to surface the most relevant content, but their logic is not aligned with our intentionality. They optimize for engagement, not meaning.

The world is more malleable than ever. It is a fluid, ever-changing landscape where the rules are constantly being rewritten. But this malleability comes with a cost. Trust in traditional institutions – media, corporations, even governments – has crumbled. The solid structures we once relied on have dissolved into what Zygmunt Bauman called Liquid Modernity. In this state, change is not just frequent; it is the only constant.

I, too, think agency is extremely important. But being a hustler is not necessarily high-agency. Agency is not just about action; it's about the relationship between action and belief. It's the ability to define a clear vision and act on it with intention – "conscious actions." Yes, you can just do things, but which things should you do?

agency compounds over time, both positively and negatively. Those who maintain their agency in age will find their capability and influence growing exponentially. They'll be able to leverage new tools and platforms to pursue their vision with increasing effectiveness.

Agency begets agency; passiveness begets passiveness.

The more we use these tools, the more they erode our intentionality. And the less intentionality we have, the harder it becomes to use our tools with agency.

consider large language models (LLMs) like GPT. They are powerful tools for writing, brainstorming, and problem-solving. But without a clear sense of purpose, they default to generating generic, uninspired content that lacks depth or direction. The tool itself is neutral, but its design encourages passivity and ease rather than active creation.

The tools of our age—open protocols, LLMs, algorithmic feeds—present the paradox of freedom versus agency: while they grant unprecedented freedom to create and connect, this very permissiveness undermines our capacity to influence our environment with purpose.

The Creator Economy emerged, and with it, the tools for individual expression and economic independence became more accessible than ever.

Then came crypto, which redefined ownership and value exchange, and now LLMs, which have democratized creation and problem-solving on an unprecedented scale. Each wave of innovation has followed the same pattern: individuals gaining powers that were once the exclusive domain of institutions and organizations.

The most dangerous idea in the world is that action alone breeds good outcomes. Technologists have turned to accelerationism while ignoring their responsibility to consider what it is we're accelerating towards. We're building a world where anyone can do anything, while systematically destroying our ability to decide what's worth doing.