The Paradox of Predictability
The core mission of AI is to reduce uncertainty. It’s a tool of control, built to forecast weather, detect disease, or recommend your next binge-worthy series. At its best, AI is an engine of efficiency. At its worst, it’s a filter bubble—predicting what we’ll like based on what we’ve already liked, narrowing our worldview.
Serendipity, by contrast, rewards openness, novelty, and even error. Some of humanity’s greatest breakthroughs were unplanned: penicillin, microwave ovens, Post-it Notes, even Velcro.