Q&A with labor researcher Molly Kinder on her recent, widely discussed "Messy Middle" essay on AI-driven disruption of knowledge jobs and how to address it (Casey Newton/Platformer)
THE SO WHAT
The "messy middle" frame is a reminder that AI disruption of knowledge work won’t be a clean before/after event—it will be a long period of partial automation, unstable roles, and contested productivity gains. Operators should be mapping which roles in their org are entering that middle now and designing transition paths, not waiting for a clear endpoint.
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