Nelson's Field Notes
Ideas I am still working through.
Essays on AI, work, learning, and the deeper questions underneath. Field Notes live on Substack, where you can read and subscribe.
Get it by email
Every new field note, first.
By subscribing you agree to Substack's Terms of Use, their Privacy Policy, and their Information Collection Notice.
The archive
Read the Field Notes

Field Notes · Jul 6, 2026
More Work Is Not the Same as Better Work
AI can help teams produce more. The harder question is whether any of it is better.

Field Notes · Oct 22, 2025
How AI Changed My Life
What happens when curiosity has no limit?

Field Notes · Jul 20, 2025
Will AI Replace Human Skills?
New research suggests the skills that make us human still matter most.

Field Notes · Jun 29, 2025
The Automation Paradox
Why automating your work changes your role from doing to directing.

Field Notes · Jun 22, 2025
Stop Calling Them Soft Skills
Why human skills are becoming the hard skills of the AI era.

Field Notes · Jun 8, 2025
Why Most People Quit AI Too Soon
The first attempts are often disappointing. That is where learning actually starts.

Field Notes · Jun 1, 2025
Are Entry-Level Jobs Doomed?
What happens when AI starts doing the work people once learned from?

Field Notes · May 25, 2025
Why You'll Be an Entrepreneur Whether You Like It or Not
How AI could turn more of us into businesses of one.

Field Notes · May 11, 2025
Why It's Time to Start Building Your AI Portfolio
Document your real AI experiments and applications as resumes lose influence.

Field Notes · Apr 13, 2025
Will AI Replace Your Job?
The better question is which parts of your job are ready to change.

Field Notes · Jul 8, 2024
What Will Work Look Like in 2045?
A look twenty years out, from disappearing interfaces to skills as currency.