Contents
Three useful ideas about working with AI
Explanation of policy definitionsAugmentation and automation describe how work is done. Amplification describes a substantial gain in what that arrangement achieves, taking quality and resources into account.
| Idea | Plain-language explanation | Familiar illustration |
|---|---|---|
| Augmentation | AI helps a person carry out work within a familiar role or process. | You ask AI to draft an email, then check and send it. |
| Automation | A system carries out a defined activity under rules and oversight. | A system sends an agreed reminder when a deadline approaches. |
| Amplification | The arrangement produces a substantial, disproportionate gain in useful results relative to resources. | A team produces multiples of its previous quality-adjusted output, or can reliably undertake work previously out of reach. |
These ideas can overlap. Automated steps and AI assistance may both contribute to an amplified result. [§3]
Our examples focus on redesign for amplification: using a person's knowledge to organize AI work differently, then examining what that makes possible. Redesign is a route worth testing. Its value still depends on the outcome. [§3]
Does the work have to be new?
No. A multiple increase in useful productivity can qualify even when the task stays the same. New capability and creation are other possible outcomes. Neither novelty nor a longer workflow proves amplification. [§3] [§8.2]
Where to go next
Source passages
Related
Examples
- Suggested firstPreparing funding applications: A nonprofit increases its capacity to prepare sound applicationsIllustrative scenario — assumed threefold preparation capacity
- Building websites: A web developer changes where their effort goesBased on a real-world practitioner account
- Running a cabinet shop: A cabinetmaker builds a tool around the businessIllustrative scenario · assumed outcomes
A limit worth testing
“Isn't "amplification" just a new label for ordinary productivity gains?”
Optional. One short exercise with generated feedback. Nothing is scored or saved beyond this session.