Human Agency: AI and the New Power to Be Creative

The New Agents

The term "agent" in AI often evokes programmed bots zipping through tasks with robotic efficiency. But what if the real agents are us--humans newly empowered to achieve what was once out of reach? Large language models (LLMs) and other AI tools are democratizing creation, much like photography’s evolution from a technical craft to an accessible art form. Yet, this shift brings challenges: resentment from those who mastered the "old ways" and a world that demands bold, entrepreneurial mindsets over the steady compliance of the past. Let’s explore how AI is redefining agency, the growing pains it is bringing, and why this transformation is worth embracing.

The Photography Revolution: A Lesson in Expanded Possibility

Photography used to be a fortress of technical mastery. Capturing a stunning image meant juggling exposure settings, shutter speeds, and aperture choices, then meticulously developing film in a darkroom. It was a craft, reserved for those who could marry artistic vision with deep technical know-how. But automatic cameras, followed by digital ones, changed everything. Suddenly, anyone with a good eye could create breathtaking images without wrestling with chemistry or physics. The barriers fell, and photography blossomed into a universal language.

There’s something undeniably pure about the old ways, as understanding light’s nuances carried a certain noble satisfaction. But I don’t begrudge the smartphone-wielding novice who captures a masterpiece. Technology didn’t dilute photography; it expanded who could be a photographer, inviting countless new voices to tell their stories through images.

AI’s Agentic Leap: From Barriers to Breakthroughs

AI, particularly LLMs, is sparking a similar revolution across creative and intellectual domains. It’s turning users into "agents" of their own ideas, bypassing technical hurdles that once gated achievement. Consider the thinker with profound insights but a paralyzing struggle to write. Writing can feel like slow torture, as blank pages taunt and words struggle to make their way to the page. With an LLM, you can speak your ideas aloud, and the model drafts a coherent structure, acting as a tireless editor. The thinking remains yours; AI just builds the bridge to expression.

Or take the dreamer with a killer app idea but no coding skills. Before AI, turning a concept into reality meant years of learning to code or hiring expensive developers. Now, tools can generate code, suggest architectures, or even prototype apps from plain-language prompts. The visionary becomes the agent, steering the process without drowning in syntax.

This leap extends further:

• Artists: Image-generation models let those with vivid imaginations but shaky hands create stunning visuals.
• Educators and Learners: AI simplifies complex topics, personalizing explanations or simulating scenarios.
• Entrepreneurs: From market research to business plans, AI empowers bootstrapping without elite expertise.

Just as digital cameras honored the photographer’s eye over darkroom skills, AI celebrates the human spark--your insight, passion, or perspective--over the technical grind.

The Gatekeeping Trap: Mourning the Old Ways

Yet, this shift isn’t without friction. One major hurdle is the instinct to gatekeep achievement based on the rigors of the past. I felt this myself with photography. After years of mastering exposure and film development, the rise of point-and-shoot cameras stung. It felt unfair that my hard-earned skills were suddenly "optional." Why should someone with no technical training produce work rivaling mine? This resentment is human, but it’s also a trap.

Gatekeeping assumes the old path’s difficulty was the point, when really, it was a means to an end: creating something meaningful. AI’s empowerment doesn’t diminish the value of traditional skills; it redefines who gets to participate. A novelist using an LLM to draft isn’t cheating; they’re still crafting the story. The photographer with an iPhone isn’t necessarily any lesser, and their vision still shapes the frame. Clinging to old metrics of "earning" success risks stifling the very creativity AI unlocks. The challenge is letting go of pride in the grind and celebrating the results, no matter the path.

The Compliance Conundrum: A World Built for Boldness

The second difficulty is deeper and more systemic. Our pre-AI, pre-internet world often rewarded steady compliance--think of traditional schooling, where memorization, adherence to rules, and predictable outputs were the winning combination. Success meant coloring inside the lines, whether in classrooms or cubicles. But AI’s world favors the entrepreneurial, the bold, the risk-takers. The person who can dream big, iterate fast, and adapt thrives as an AI-empowered agent. Not everyone is wired for that.

This shift can feel jarring. The meticulous planner who excelled in structured environments might struggle in a landscape that rewards audacity over precision. AI makes it easier to act on ideas, but it doesn’t teach you to dream them up or embrace the uncertainty of creation. For those accustomed to clear paths and external validation, this new agency can feel less like freedom and more like a tightrope walk.

The solution isn’t to force everyone into an entrepreneurial mold but to recognize that agency comes in many forms. Some will use AI to launch startups; others might craft personal blogs or streamline daily tasks. The key is fostering a mindset that sees AI as a partner in exploration, not a demand to become a Silicon Valley stereotype. Education and culture need to catch up, teaching adaptability and creative confidence alongside traditional skills.

A Personal Reflection: From Torture to Triumph

I’ve felt this transformation firsthand. Writing, for me, is like pulling teeth. My ideas flow in conversation, but the page is a battlefield. LLMs have changed that. I can ramble my thoughts, record them, and upload transcripts or speak directly to the LLM, and the model shapes my ideas and language into drafts, sparing me the agony of starting from scratch. The soul of the work, my ideas, and my voice remain mine. AI is my assistant, not my replacement. It’s liberating, not because it does the all the work, but because it amplifies my agency.

This isn’t about shortcuts; it’s about access to the medium.

Embracing the New Agency

AI’s gift is the chance to become an agent of your own destiny, unshackled by technical barriers. But it demands we navigate two growing pains: letting go of gatekeeping that glorifies past struggles and adapting to a world that prizes boldness over compliance. These challenges aren’t small, but they’re worth confronting. The alternative is a world where only the technically elite create, and that would be a loss for us all.

There’s nobility in the old ways, whether mastering light or wrestling words, but there’s equal value in what’s born when barriers fall. AI isn’t necessarily replacing us; it’s potentially giving us the chance to evolve into agents of our own journeys, ready to shape the future with that which we want to contribute.