Position · last reconsidered September 17, 2026
AI inverts Polanyi's paradox
Autor's claimposition — On this site, an idea someone holds about a question, shown with its author and its source. that AIartificial intelligence (AI) — Computer programs that produce text, images, code or answers by learning from huge numbers of examples — ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini are well-known ones., unlike older computers, is good at unwritten know-how and bad at following rules.
- Areas
- SkillAppearances
In our words
Economist David Autor starts from Polanyi's paradoxPolanyi's paradox — Michael Polanyi's observation that we know more than we can tell, as with riding a bike or recognizing a face.: we know more than we can put into words. Older computers needed every step spelled out, so they could follow rules but failed at work that runs on judgmentjudgment — The ability to decide well in a particular case, especially when no rule tells you what to do.. AI flips this. It picks up unwritten know-how from examples, yet it is unreliable with facts and rules. Used well, it could let workers with solid basic training, such as nurses, make high-stakes calls now left to top expertsexpertise — What someone with long practice in a field knows, which lets them see quickly what a beginner misses..
David AutorDavid Autor — American economist (1967-)Description from WikidataLabor economics2024
In their words
“In a case of cosmic irony, AI is not trustworthy with facts and numbers — it does not respect rules. AI is, however, remarkably effective at acquiring tacit knowledge.”Connected ideas
challenges
- Language is too thin a channel for understandingPosition
It credits AI with exactly the know-how Browning and LeCun deny it.
- We know more than we can tellPosition
It accepts tacit knowledge but denies it is still a barrier to machines.
derived from
- AI Could Actually Help Rebuild The Middle ClassSource
The quoted passage and the argument around it (section “Expertise In The Era Of Artificial Intelligence”).
related to
- ExpertiseConcept
The essay is about who gets to exercise expertise.
responds to
- What is still worth doing once doing it well is no longer rare?Question
It argues cheap competence could raise, not erase, the value of human judgment.
- Where will tomorrow's experts learn their craft?Question
Its answer: AI could spread expert judgment beyond elite experts.