Automated manufacturing didn't replace handmade goods—it made them more special. It turns out humans just like things that another human spent finite time, energy, care, and experience crafting, whether it's a wallet, baked good, or piece of art. Handmade objects resonate because they carry intention; they carry a narrative.
A similar pattern is playing out with digital goods. Automation is becoming increasingly adept at replicating the output of digital human work, but it can't ever replace the human input. And that's the part that makes human work valuable.
Until now, human input has been difficult to demonstrate digitally, so we're setting out to change that. Beginning with writers, we're building a workshop of tools that help digital creators document and display the process and effort that went into producing a digital work, making it more unique and valuable to consumers.