The Dominance of Minor Choices: Demise via Multitudes of AI Reductions

The Dominance of Minor Choices: Demise via Multitudes of AI Reductions

In the modern world, AI is increasingly replacing human interactions across various sectors, from customer service to healthcare and education. Each individual replacement seems efficient, but a closer look reveals a more complex and concerning picture.

The transformation happens not through revolution but accumulation. Each small decision in AI contributes to large consequences, shaping organizational characters and eliminating human connection. Organizations become fragile through accumulated delegation, losing resilience due to the elimination of human capability.

The tyranny of small decisions in AI is a phenomenon that has been observed for decades. Economist Alfred E. Kahn identified it in 1966, showing how individual rational choices could aggregate into collectively irrational outcomes. This tyranny is accelerated by AI, with millions of micro-automations adding up to macro-transformations nobody intended or wants.

One example can be seen in retail, where self-checkout, AI inventory, algorithmic pricing, and automated customer service have eliminated the human retail experience. Similarly, healthcare has been automated gradually, with appointment scheduling, symptom checking, diagnosis assistance, and treatment protocols being handled by AI, potentially leading to alienation and reduced quality of care.

Technical debt also accumulates similarly, with each quick fix, each workaround, and each compatibility layer creating large technical problems. The elimination of human interactions in organizations means weaker relationships, less trust, and more need for formal systems, which in turn means more AI.

The paradox is that people value certain systems available but consistently choose alternatives for specific trips. Each small decision is rational. The aggregate result, however, is irrational. Individual optimization leads to collective suboptimization.

Each AI adoption creates dependencies, leading to large lock-ins that prevent reversal even when problems appear. Financial models evaluate decisions individually, missing systemic effects. Healing disappears into optimization in healthcare, as patients become data points and doctors become algorithm operators.

The future requires conscious intention, choosing human over efficient, and accepting costs for hidden benefits. Society might recognize the tyranny of small AI decisions before it's too late, leading to the creation of collective choice mechanisms.

Recently, the International Office of the University of Ulm in Germany introduced automation in customer greetings, handling routine emails, initial applicant evaluation by AI, and automated report creation. This digitalization initiative, while promising efficiency, raises questions about the elimination of human interaction and the potential consequences for organizational culture.

As we continue to embrace AI, it's crucial to remember the power of small decisions and the potential for unintended consequences. The tyranny of small decisions in AI is irreversible once passed, as skills are gone, systems are dependent, and culture is transformed. We must strive to make informed decisions, balancing efficiency with the preservation of human connection and organizational resilience.

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