What it is — An argument that as AI makes production and preference-prediction cheap, design judgment — knowing why something is the right choice, not just what people tend to pick — becomes the scarcer and more valuable skill.

Key points

• Draws a line between preference (what people choose, which AI can predict from patterns) and judgment (why it's the right choice, which requires context and conviction).
• Design-by-committee dilutes decisions toward the average as more stakeholders weigh in, and accountability quietly disappears as collaboration replaces ownership.
• Metrics and optimisation refine what already exists; genuinely new formats come from someone exercising judgment, not from data validating a safe choice.