Stop Automating the Easy Things | ADPLIst Chicago x NVISIA

We gave robots the easy tasks and called it progress. We are not making that mistake again. Every major technological threshold promised to expand human capability. The wheel, electricity, and the factory floor each absorbed what was hardest and most limiting, allowing humans to go further. Digital broke that pattern. Instead of using technology to carry what was most difficult, we automated the easy tasks and called it innovation. We gave bots the balance checks and left call center workers with eight hours of pure escalation. We removed friction from music discovery and quietly replaced the effort that helped people build taste. We optimized transactions, but left humans with the emotional labor, ambiguity, and judgment-heavy work that…