My notes on: “High agency or NPC?”

Title: High Agency or NPC
Source/ Author: Jasmine Sun (Substack)
Cost: Free to read

TL;DR

A somewhat tongue in cheek exploration of recent “Twitter Themes”. Underlines importance of being agentic (set and pursue goals), adaptable, and the advantage of honing expertise. Narrow window of opportunity to use agency as a moat to get ahead in a world of AI.

Notes on Agency:

• Agency= initiative, resourcefulness, high locus of control
• Agentic people seek to achieve goal despite uncertainty in environment
• Agency and ambition go hand in hand. You should be able to develop a strategy to succeed
• What matters is not expertise, but ability to adapt
• We pride ourselves on unique skills that other beasts don’t have (creativity), but its flexibility that’s our superpower
• In 2008, Paul Graham wrote of Sam Altman: “You could parachute him into an island full of cannibals and come back in 5 years and he’d be the king.”
• “Intelligence is on tap, so agency is even more important” – Gary Tan
• AI lacks both ability to set goals and ability and willingness to pursue those goals. (I am not at all convinced this is true -Eve)
• Agency is still a human moat (for now)

Notes on NPC:

• Non Playing Character. Opposite of agentic. Blind to AI tsunami that’s coming.
• “An economy that no longer needs as many people to generate wealth will have less incentive to take care of their needs”. This is “intelligence curse”, from an essay. (look up essay)
• Don’t be an NPC.

Notes on Taste :

• “Research taste”: knowing what problems to work on
• It might seem simple, but it comes from thousands of hours of expertise