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- What this year revealed about AI and work
Welcome to The Logical Box!
Your guide to making AI work with how work actually happens.
Hey, Andrew here!
As the year comes to a close, I have been reflecting on the conversations, questions, and quiet frustrations that kept showing up again and again in 2025.
Not the loud debates about tools.
Not the headlines.
Not the predictions.
The quieter moments.
The emails that started with,
“We tried AI, but…”
The conversations that ended with,
“It sounded promising, but it did not stick.”
The sense that something important was happening, but it was harder than expected to turn that promise into relief.
This issue is not about what is coming next year.
It is about what this year already showed us, if we were paying attention.
The pattern that kept repeating
Across roles, industries, and experience levels, I kept seeing the same thing.
People did not struggle because they lacked intelligence, curiosity, or effort.
They struggled because AI was being introduced after work had already become unclear.
By the time someone reached for a tool, the situation usually looked like this:
The task was urgent but loosely defined.
The outcome lived in someone’s head.
Inputs were scattered across notes, inboxes, and memory.
Ownership was implied, not explicit.
So the instructions given to AI reflected that state.
Short. Vague. Rushed.
AI did what it could. It filled in the gaps.
The output felt close, but not quite right.
Helpful, but not trustworthy.
Usable, but only after cleanup.
That is the moment where momentum quietly stalled.
Not because AI failed.
Because the work underneath was never clear.
What people misdiagnosed
When this happened, the conclusion was almost always the same.
“I must need better prompts.”
“I probably picked the wrong tool.”
“I should learn this more before using it.”
So people searched for templates.
They watched more tutorials.
They tried one more platform.
But the problem was not skill or software.
AI does not create clarity.
It amplifies whatever clarity already exists.
When the task is clear, AI feels fast and supportive.
When the task is unclear, AI feels like friction.
That is not a technical limitation.
It is a signal.
Why AI felt like extra work this year
Before AI, much of your clarity lived invisibly in your head.
You knew what “good enough” looked like.
You knew who the output was for.
You knew what mattered most.
You did not have to explain any of that. You just worked.
AI changes that dynamic.
The moment you bring AI into the process, internal clarity has to become visible. If it is not expressed, AI fills the gaps with guesses.
That is why so many people said,
“It feels like more work, not less.”
They were not wrong.
In the short term, AI demands clarity that work often avoided.
In the long term, that clarity compounds.
But most people never got far enough to see the payoff.
What this means for The Logical Box
This realization has been shaping the future of this newsletter.
The Logical Box is not going away.
Its purpose is not changing.
But its format is becoming more focused.
Starting in 2026, this will be a weekly clarity brief.
Each issue will center on:
one clear observation about where work quietly breaks down
why that breakdown matters right now
one practical takeaway to hold onto
Less noise.
Less explaining.
More signal.
This is not about keeping up with AI.
It is about making work lighter before adding anything new.
One idea to carry into the new year
Before you try to use AI more next year, pause and ask one question about one piece of work:
What does “done” mean here?
Not the steps.
Not the format.
Just the outcome.
If it cannot be described clearly, AI will not save time.
It will multiply confusion.
Clarity first.
Then AI actually helps.
My new community coming before year end
The AI Clarity Hub is coming together and is on track to open before the year ends.
The waitlist will close tonight at midnight.
Those on the list will receive a separate email with the access link when the community goes live.
If you want hands-on support applying the ideas from this newsletter in a calm, structured way, you can join the waitlist here:
No urgency.
No pressure.
Just an option, if it fits where you are.
Thanks for reading,
Andrew Keener
Founder, Keen Alliance Consulting
Your Guide at The Logical Box
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