Ethan Mollick argues in One Useful Thing that AI’s shape is becoming clearer

Ethan Mollick argues in One Useful Thing that AI’s shape is becoming clearer

Ethan Mollick published this essay on March 12, 2026. He argues that AI work is shifting from people working back and forth with AI to people managing AI agents: systems given work that can return useful results in minutes. He points to rapid gains on tests, while stressing that the tests have flaws, AI remains “jagged,” and most organizations have changed little so far. Mollick describes StrongDM’s Software Factory as a radical experiment: AI agents write and test production software without human involvement, while people review the finished product. He argues that the experiment matters less for its particular design than for what it signals: organizations may need to experiment with new ways of working as AI improves. He connects advances in capability with market reactions, job impacts and conflicts between AI companies and governments, while noting that recent examples were not always what they first appeared to be. Mollick’s central concern is recursive self-improvement: AI systems helping build better AI systems. He says the loop may encounter bottlenecks and its endpoint is uncertain, but argues that companies are actively pursuing it. His conclusion is that uncertainty is not helplessness: choices made by individuals and organizations can shape how AI is used at work, in schools and in government, and those choices may set precedents for others.

Publication: 26ad7f1b-6e81-ddbb-7944-04db73586e41

attribution — pass: The reading attributes the essay to Ethan Mollick in One Useful Thing, matching the byline and publisher. The arguments stay attributed to him, and statements by StrongDM, Amodei and OpenAI are not misattributed.

The Shape of the Thing Where we are right now, and what likely happens next Ethan Mollick

summary — pass: The summary follows the essay's arc: the shift from co-intelligence to managing agents, test gains with caveats, StrongDM's Software Factory, the rolling-disruption week, recursive self-improvement, and the closing call about agency and precedent. Agents and RSI are defined beside the reading. 'Jagged' is glossed in the limitations. Calling RSI his 'central concern' is a mild framing; the source gives it as his main reason not to bet on things settling. The question follows from his stated uncertainty.

One reason is that AI companies are telling us, fairly explicitly, what comes next: recursive self-improvement, or RSI.

date — pass: The originalPublished instant, 2026-03-12T14:10Z, matches the dateline Mar 12, 2026, and the reading states it at day precision. The source is a publisher page, so no archive disclosure is needed. The modification date equals the publication date. There is no hindsight framing, and forecasts such as RSI and future instability remain attributed to Mollick.

Mar 12, 2026

support — pass: Each claim matches the source text. Mollick says tests are flawed, AI is jagged, and adoption is early, with little change in most organizations. He describes the Software Factory as autonomous AI coding with humans reviewing the finished product. He presents RSI as a possible accelerator, with bottlenecks and an uncertain endpoint. He frames organizations' choices as setting precedents. No benefits or costs are invented.

companies are still very early in adopting AI, meaning that, as of yet, remarkably little has changed in most organizations

media — pass: No media candidates were supplied and none was selected, which is consistent with the evidence.