In the time between this issue of The Quarterly and the last, in which we talked about the future, AI’s impact on that future—and present!—has only accelerated. According to a recent Quinnipiac poll, 51% of Americans say they use AI for research, up from 37% just a year ago. Even if you’re not prompting Claude regularly, chances are at least a few of the tools you use in your daily work are powered by AI technology. And yet, we work in an industry that is innately tactile and are part of a group that is explicitly community-based, reliant on human connection. So, at a time when there’s no shortage of “AI-themed” content, we’re exploring this moment in time through a lens of human connection (both literal and metaphorical). Welcome to The Human Issue. 

On the ensuing pages, you’ll find many reactions to and perspectives on this theme. Sanderson Design Group CEO Lisa Montague shares an excerpt from a brilliant manifesto she devised on using William Morris and the Arts & Crafts movement as a model for marrying hand craftsmanship with technological evolution. In a White Paper inspired by the topic covered at the Design Leadership Workshop he facilitated, Jon Picoult urges us to ask “What is our purpose?” In a thought-provoking essay that elaborates on his presentation at the Leadership Summit, culture writer Kyle Chayka explores what personal taste means in an era of predictive algorithms and generative AI. Member Cindy Simes makes the case for the value of the handmade—a tenet she practices every day leading a team of artisans at Simes Studios. Even the products featured in this issue’s Sourcebook all make some nod to the handmade or the tactile. 

This is no coincidence. As Kyle concludes in his essay—spoiler alert!—the intense and rapid automation of our lives is only making those things that can’t be automated more valuable. There’s no automation for hand craftsmanship, no tech upgrade for human connection. So, as we integrate this ever-evolving technology into our practices and lives (after all, as Michael says, we’re not Luddites!), let’s continue to celebrate all that can’t be automated. 

Here’s to the handmade and the human-centric.

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This story is from Issue 9 of The Quarterly. Click here to see the full issue.

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