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Zeitgeist — a spike by Chris Gathercole
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Co-Existence and the End of Co-Intelligence

Newsletter · Read

  • Core argument: AI has shifted from a collaborative “co-intelligence” tool to autonomous agents that are sometimes — not always — better than the human; his new book Co-Existence addresses working productively with AI that isn’t a consistent partner.
  • Findings: AI coding agents now write roughly 80% of code at Anthropic and have increased output 17x, with developers shipping 8x more; capability remains “jagged,” excelling in some areas and failing unpredictably in others.
  • Framework — the “Authenticity Contract”: maintain genuine human authorship for credibility, since AI remains a poor long-form storyteller; advocates transparent, non-manipulative engagement with AI systems, even when marketing to them.
  • Practical takeaway: deploy AI selectively (fact-checking, feedback, unsticking creative blocks) while retaining core intellectual work; recognize AI as an increasingly important gatekeeper between creators and audiences, and treat AI collaboration as ongoing negotiation rather than a solved problem.