Question · Time
What should we refuse to optimise?
A debate about efficiency and the value of an unmeasured life.
The question:
AI can plan our days, shorten decisions, eliminate waiting, and turn idle moments into useful ones. If optimisation gives us more time, why should any inefficiency remain?
The case for yes
Administrative delay, inaccessible services, repetitive work, and preventable uncertainty consume lives without enriching them. Removing those burdens returns time to purposes people actually value, especially for those with the least time to spare.
The case for no
Not all value is visible before an activity begins. Wandering, repetition, amateur effort, and unhurried conversation can look inefficient while becoming the substance of a life. Systems may quietly redefine what time is for.
Where the tension remains
Saving time always raises a second question: who determines its purpose? Good tools should remove imposed waste without converting every recovered moment into another unit of output.
A question to carry
Which “inefficient” part of your life would you defend because changing it would change what it means?