Agency and taste are the two timeless traits of humans. They've always mattered, and they'll matter even more in the AI era.
Agency is simple to describe but hard to live by. It's the ability to act. To shape reality instead of being shaped by it. High-agency people don't wait for permission, they create their own path. They are permissionless. They don't see the future as fixed, they see it as something they can mold through action.
High agency is the mix of clear thinking with the bias to action, and the courage to disagree when needed. Most of us live on low agency by default, reacting to the world instead of influencing it. But agency can be built. Every time you decide and act, instead of drift, you grow it and you strengthen it.
Taste, on the other hand, is your internal compass for quality. It's the ability to recognize what's good, meaningful, or beautiful before everyone else does. Taste helps you cut through noise and see what deserves to exist.
Taste is both personal and universal. Personal, because it's shaped by your history. Through your exposure and identity. Universal, because there are certain qualities most people can agree feel "right". Even when they can't explain why.
In an abundant world where anyone can create anything, taste becomes power. When everything looks "good enough," taste helps you separate signal from noise.
You can grow taste like any other skill. Consume widely, without judgment. Break down what makes the best things world-class. Recreate them with your own hands. You'll notice details you never saw before. And listen to others' perspectives, they'll show you what you've missed.
Personally, I see software as the mix of art, science, and engineering. And taste is what turns that mix into something beautiful. With AI making creation easy and skills accessible, taste is what keeps our work human. It's what makes us look natural in a synthetic world.
Agency makes you act.
Taste makes you act on the right
things.
A thought by Hameed Rahamathullah