Deep Questions with Cal Newport The AI Resistance is Forming. (Should You Join?)
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Sep 14, 2026 
Brad Stulberg, writer, author, and executive coach focused on sustainable achievement, explains why he walked away from most AI tools. He and Cal Newport explore homogenized writing, lost effort, AI-driven pseudo-productivity, and the danger of becoming average by default. They also discuss boundaries, meaningful work, and whether a pro-human resistance is taking shape.
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Brad Stulberg Tried AI And Quit
- Brad Stulberg tested ChatGPT and Claude as writing partners, then reduced them to grammar checking.
- The tools repeatedly offered bland, synthetic “punch-ups,” convincing him they weakened rather than improved his work.
The Gondola Cannot Replace The Climb
- Meaningful achievement depends on effort and struggle, not merely reaching an excellent result.
- Brad compares AI outsourcing to taking a gondola up a mountain: you reach the summit but lose the experience of climbing.
AI Is An Average Maker
- AI tends to homogenize creative output around a competent but soulless average.
- Brad distinguishes useful automation, such as filtering massive spreadsheets, from outsourcing writing, dating, or other human crafts.
