AI Dependency / 4 Layers of Use
01
PRODUCTIVITY
MULTIPLIER
02
ADVISORY
INPUT
03
DELEGATED
EXECUTION
04
PROCESS-WIDE
DEPENDENCY
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SELECT A LAYER
LAYER 01 / PRODUCTIVITY MULTIPLIER
If AI disappears, can humans keep working?
Typical use
Drafting, code completion, research sparring, brainstorming partner
Depth of dependency
Shallow. Work continues without AI. Only productivity drops
SAFE — Healthy use
LAYER 02 / ADVISORY INPUT
Does the final judgment still belong to humans?
Typical use
Design review, option comparison, risk analysis, opinion synthesis
Depth of dependency
Moderate. AI input is used, but decision ownership stays human
SAFE — Healthy use
LAYER 03 / DELEGATED EXECUTION
Are you building it yourself, or outsourcing to an external service?
If self-built
Swap models, rewrite prompts, fall back to your own logic if needed
If outsourced
Follow the provider's direction, or abandon. No third option
CAUTION — Who holds the structure?
LAYER 04 / PROCESS-WIDE DEPENDENCY
When external forces break it, how much work to recover?
What happens
No choice but to follow price hikes, spec changes, or shutdowns
What's lost
Operational independence, judgment capacity, domain knowledge
DANGER — The worst choice