Everybody's Smart Originality Economy Part 2 Jun 6, 2026

Be original in one thing, borrow the rest

You no longer have to be original in every part of the work. Be original in one part — the idea — and borrow solid competence everywhere else.

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Originality Economy / Part 2 / 2 min / AI, Originality

SCQA dossier027

SituationWork used to require originality at every layer of execution.

ComplicationAI now handles tone, layout, copy, and prototypes competently.

QuestionWhere should your originality go?

AnswerInto the idea — the one layer that decides whether the work says something new; borrow the rest.

You no longer have to be original in every part of your work.

Here is the shift that changes the game. You no longer have to be original in every part of your work. You have to be original in one part. The idea.

Think about how a project used to go. A new idea had to survive a long chain. Original copy. Original layout. Original illustration. Original format. At each step you either made something new or settled for something generic. Your energy was spread thin across the whole surface.

AI changes that chain. The tone of voice can be picked from proven styles and adjusted in minutes. The visual identity can draw on known design languages. The copy, the layout, the prototype can all be handled well by tools.

What stays hard is the idea itself. The thing that decides whether the work says something not quite said before.

Into the idea — the one layer that decides whether the work says something.

Originality EconomyIssue 027Useful distinction

You no longer have to be original in every part of your work.

You no longer have to be original in every part of your work.

At each step you either made something new or settled for something generic.

Your energy was spread thin across the whole surface.

Quote 01

This is a move of effort, not a loss. You pour your originality into the one place it pays most, and borrow solid competence everywhere else.

And there is a bonus. In a sea of polished sameness, one genuinely new idea, wrapped in clean and familiar execution, stands out sharply.

Series index 2/7 Part 2 of 7 in Originality Economy: a compact issue for judgment-heavy and taste-led work.

At each step you either made something new or settled for something generic.

Everybody's SmartOriginality Economy

Into the idea — the one layer that decides whether the work says something new; borrow the rest.

You no longer have to be original in every part of the work. Be original in one part — the idea — and borrow solid competence everywhere else.

Longform

This is the short version. Read the full-length essay, “Creatives and AI: A New Economy of Originality”.