Economist Podcasts 1. Fat layer of humans
68 snips
Jan 29, 2026 
Ludwig Siegele, senior tech editor who mapped AI’s jagged frontier, and Tom Blomfield, entrepreneur and ex-Monzo founder now advising startups. They discuss how AI will thin knowledge-work layers, where it excels and fails, experiments with AI in newsroom workflows, and why everyone should try AI to find promising small wins.
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Thin Human Layer Over Time
- Tom Blomfield predicts AI will progressively shrink the human layer in knowledge work until only a thin oversight layer remains.
- He argues many jobs done on computers will be handled at a higher level by AI within our lifetimes.
AI As A Combine Harvester For Code
- Tom Blomfield says AI coding tools will automate repetitive operational work and massively increase software output.
- He likens engineers to farmers and AI to a combine harvester, creating surplus and reducing human input needs.
The Jagged Frontier Of AI
- Ludwig Siegele describes the 'jagged frontier' where AI is very strong on some tasks and weak on others.
- He says this unevenness makes interacting with generative AI often feel confusing and disappointing.
