Computers created the economy around knowledge. While the Internet has cheapened knowledge’s access, LLM will cheapen its consumption and application.

Roles

Here is the landscape of the knowledge economy:

  1. Knowledge consumers: the users, including all sorts of readers. They access, consume, and apply existing knowledge.
  2. Knowledge producers: the suppliers, including all sorts of writers. They produce new knowledge.
  3. Knowledge workers: the knowers and appliers, including all sorts of experts. They apply professional knowledge on their clients’ behalf, the candidacy of which requires years of training.
  4. Knowledge tailors: the knowers, but not the appliers, including all sorts of consultants. They customize the presentation of knowledge according to their customers’ background, making the value more affordable (in time) to consume.
  5. Knowledge brokers: the resellers, including all sorts of institutions. They manage the business side of knowledge transaction, like distribution, pricing, accounting, and marketing.

Since computer

The computer revolution is a revolution in the way we think and in the way we express what we think.

The essence of this change is the emergence of what might best be called procedural epistemology — the study of the structure of knowledge from an imperative perspective to learn “how to,” compared to the more declarative perspective taken by classical mathematical subjects to answer “what is.” [^1]

Before the computer, the applicable form of knowledge is educated mind. The consumer of knowledge must be its knower.

  • The only way to reproduce applicable knowledge was education, to internalize the knowledge into someone’s mind in form of experience & skills.
  • Knowledge cannot be transferred, so there is no transaction, no market, no economy.

After the computer, the applicable form of knowledge is value. The consumer of knowledge only needs to be the knower of its value.

  • The new way to reproduce applicable knowledge is app distribution, to externalize the knowledge into someone’s hand in form of data & programs.
  • Knowledge is sold as a commodity, the market of which creates the knowledge economy.

Since Internet

  1. Consumer: Internet has made it cheap for consumers to access knowledge.
  2. Producer: Internet has made it cheap for producers to distribute knowledge.
  3. Workers: Internet creates demand of the knowledge.
  4. Tailors: Internet creates demand of the knowledge
  5. Brokers: Internet creates demand of the knowledge

Since LLM

  1. Consumer: LLM will make it cheap for consumers to consume and apply knowledge.
  2. Producer: LLM cannot replace knowledge producer to create new knowledge end-to-end.
  3. Workers: LLM will replace knowledge workers, whenever it can achieve reliable quality control, and cost-effective production yield.
  4. Tailor: LLM will replace knowledge tailors, whenever it can learn to speak anyone’s language.
  5. Broker: LLM will make producers the broker of themselves, whenever it can automate the business side of knowledge.

After LLM

A possible division of labor will be creation versus communication.

  • Writers are still better at creating values for readers, so it’s likely that human writers will continue to create new values in the form of knowledge and art.
  • LLMs are better at adapting the communication of value to personal backgrounds (experience, profession, nationality, literacy…), so it’s likely that LLMs will distribute the human-created knowledge and art.

Periodically, old knowledge and art will be digested by LLM and be made free to access and apply. As a result, humans will be involved more in creative activities than mechanical ones.

Because when the only type of sellable product is new knowledge and art, the only form of labor will be creation. “To create something” will replace “to work on something” to describe jobs.

  1. The only computer science book worth reading twice? | Simon Dobson