Most people view my job in purchasing as a series of binary choices between A and B where information is gathered on both alternatives and then the information is evaluated and a clear winner is selected. That could not be further from the truth.

Business is typically the activity is selecting amount many mediocre options. What humans are good at is presenting the option THEY selected as the superior option when in truth, all options are mediocre. A good employee then ensures that the option they championed succeeds so as to bolster their claims about having selected the best option (and not because it actually was best). This isn’t to say that all options are equal. Some are better. But the determination of which is best is often very subtle. And the skill isn’t simply selecting the best option. It is expediting that option. It is ensuring the purchase is implemented properly.

I guess my point isn’t that my job is difficult. It’s that it is a combination of subtle decisions that the employees themselves are unaware they are making. How would you ever program activities that exceed the conscious mind itself?

How would AI sell a new car using persuasion? How would AI convince a patient they are going to be OK? How would AI mediate a messy divorce? How would AI help a student struggling to grasp a difficult concept?

Honestly, I think some folks imagine some jobs are just these constant analytical, objective choices.