The Written Word is Not Vanishing. It Is Being Reassigned

AI makes writing abundant and cheap, shifting its value from creation to curation. The future of literacy is editorial: knowing what to exclude, when language clarifies versus obscures, and which words carry real consequences. Text splits into two categories—durable "hard text" (laws, contracts, specs) that becomes more carefully crafted, and ephemeral "soft text" (emails, summaries) that's constantly rewritten. As fluent prose becomes universal, readers grow more sensitive to authenticity and lived experience. Writing's core purpose shifts from transmission to thinking—a cognitive tool for clarifying belief and making commitments explicit. The future isn't fewer words, but fewer moments where words matter, with greater intensity when they do.