Taste Is All That's Left

The cost of making software has collapsed: AI can now generate plausible code instantly, removing the friction that once filtered out mediocrity. The author argues that this friction was the curriculum for developing taste—the wordless judgment that separates fine from right. With production no longer scarce, taste becomes the only remaining skill, but it's invisible to metrics and economically unrewarded. The essay defends caring about quality anyway, because the verdict is the last part of the craft that is truly human.