“You have to understand, most of these people are not ready to be unplugged.” —Morpheus, That Matrix, 1999
Changing the Contingencies That Shape Our Work
Artificial intelligence is not coming for your job. It’s coming for the system your job depends on, and that changes everything.
In applied behavior analysis (ABA) and allied human services, AI isn’t just reshaping how we write notes or select goals. It’s restructuring the incentives, workflows, and institutional norms that determine what care is delivered, who delivers it, and who has access to it. These changes are often quiet and back-end, surfacing not as headline-grabbing revolutions but as spreadsheet quirks, pre-filled dropdowns, and oddly specific audit flags.
In this newsletter, we explore how AI reshapes the systems we work in by creating second-order effects: incentive shifts, deskilling, and hidden gatekeeping. We’ll offer a framework to help ABA organizations, leaders, and practitioners advocate for AI tools that expand, rather than erode, equity and care quality. And we’ll drop into The Matrix along the way, because let’s face it, as a reader of this newsletter, you are choosing red pills every day, whether you realize it or not.
The Illusion of Neutral Tools
Most AI tools appear harmless, even helpful. An automated note writer that saves you 15 minutes. A dashboard that flags session anomalies. A chatbot that answers parent questions after hours.
