Beyond Code: Is Taste the New Tech Skill?

In the rapidly evolving tech landscape, the emergence of sophisticated artificial intelligence tools has prompted a reevaluation of human roles. Professionals are increasingly discussing "taste" as a critical, albeit hard-to-quantify, skill essential for remaining indispensable. Greg Brockman, president of OpenAI, has declared taste a "new core skill," suggesting it's crucial for navigating an era where AI can perform many technical tasks.

This emphasis on taste arises from the fear of obsolescence as AI capabilities expand. Developers like Shawn Wang argue that taste serves as a human-guided antidote to the proliferation of generic, low-quality AI-generated content, which he terms "slop." Wang cites examples like the Ferrari designed by Jony Ive and Anthropic's "Zero Slop Zone" pop-up as demonstrations of good taste.

Initiatives like Sarah Chieng's "In Pursuit of Taste" dinner series in San Francisco bring together tech professionals to explore this concept. These gatherings, featuring curated culinary experiences, aim to foster discernment beyond the typical tech industry environment. While some, like investor Will Manidis, view the focus on taste as a "demotion" of human agency, others see it as a positive development.

Evan Spiegel, CEO of Snap Inc., believes that when technologists discuss subjective, hard-to-measure qualities like human empathy, it signifies progress. He suggests that this moment encourages a deeper consideration of what truly defines humanity beyond mere intelligence. This ongoing conversation underscores a potential shift towards valuing subjective human attributes in the future of technology.