Hybrid Work Compounds

You're asking the wrong question.

"What can AI handle?" leads to a binary: everything or nothing.

Both paths miss the zone.

The missing middle: hybrid work that didn't exist until capability asymmetry created it.

AI is fast but context-blind.

Humans are slow but judgment-rich.

That gap between pure machine work and pure human work?

That's not a problem to solve.

It's a market to own.

Consider GitHub Copilot.

The value isn't code generation (that's commodity) or manual coding (that's slow).

The value is in the space between: developers framing architecture while AI fills implementation, then engineers reviewing patterns the model can't catch.

That review layer—new work, not displaced work—is where quality locks in and expertise grows.

Companies that automate straight through eliminate this layer.

They trade short-term efficiency for long-term collapse: no one left who can supervise the AI, detect its errors, or teach the next generation.

Companies that find the middle create net new value.

Binary sort:

Full automation? Headcount savings today… capability erosion tomorrow.

Hybrid design? Investment cost today… compounding advantage tomorrow.

When you design a process, stop asking what AI can do.

Ask what requires both of you.

Not replacement.

Recombination.