{"id":165439,"date":"2026-10-21T12:24:17","date_gmt":"2026-10-21T20:24:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2026\/10\/21\/are-we-losing-sight-of-what-were-trying-to-protect\/"},"modified":"2026-10-21T12:24:17","modified_gmt":"2026-10-21T20:24:17","slug":"are-we-losing-sight-of-what-were-trying-to-protect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2026\/10\/21\/are-we-losing-sight-of-what-were-trying-to-protect\/","title":{"rendered":"Are We Losing Sight Of What We\u2019re Trying To Protect?"},"content":{"rendered":"

I recently blocked a week off on my calendar with a rather unusual description:\u00a0\u201cOOO to figure out WTF is going on.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

My team was understandably taken aback.\u00a0They all expressed their concerns in our internal company Slack channel, and while I\u00a0laughed\u00a0it off, I was only half joking.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I\u00a0scheduled the time after reports of an OpenAI security incident and unsettling warnings from leading AI companies about potentially losing control of the systems they\u2019re developing. I\u2019ve spent years immersed in AI, following its evolution and encouraging responsible adoption. But lately, even I feel the need to step away and make sense of where all of this is headed.<\/p>\n

AI risks may be evolving faster than our ability to understand, much less manage, them. We\u2019re grappling with yesterday\u2019s technology while tomorrow\u2019s is changing the rules. We\u2019ve traditionally approached technology risk through privacy policies, cybersecurity protections, and governance frameworks. Yet just as we begin to understand one set of risks, AI introduces capabilities with entirely new implications. Are we becoming so consumed with managing the threats we can identify that we\u2019re losing sight of a much larger transformation?<\/p>\n

Consider how we think about privacy.\u00a0We\u2019ve debated what information AI should collect, who can access it, and whether we can control where it ends up. These concerns remain important, particularly in the legal field, where confidentiality, professional obligations, and liability add further complexity. But\u00a0as we set boundaries around what AI should know about us, autonomous agents are emerging that can manage schedules, navigate digital services, and act\u00a0on our behalf. They\u2019ll need access to the\u00a0very\u00a0information we\u2019ve spent years protecting, along with\u00a0the\u00a0authority to use it. And we\u2019re being encouraged to welcome them into our lives.<\/p>\n

Until recently, AI generally required\u00a0human\u00a0involvement. Even as we outsourced more of our thinking, we retained responsibility for acting on it. Autonomous agents changed\u00a0that relationship. Instead of helping us decide what to do, they can increasingly do it for us. Who wouldn\u2019t want relief from the administrative demands and frustrations that consume\u00a0our time? But is there a difference between gaining freedom to live our lives and allowing technology to live increasingly large portions of them for us?<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve been preparing for this transition for years. We rely on technology to remember things, find information, and guide decisions. Generative AI now helps with analysis, writing, problem-solving, and creative thinking. Much of this is beneficial. But skills diminish without practice, and independent judgment may be no different. We\u2019re moving beyond outsourcing cognition to outsourcing action.<\/p>\n

I keep thinking about Pixar\u2019s\u00a0WALL-E<\/em>. When the movie came out in 2008, its portrayal of humanity\u2019s future seemed comically exaggerated. People floated in automated chairs, absorbed in screens, while technology attended to every need. They were comfortable and relieved of nearly every inconvenience, but had lost much of their independence, curiosity, and connection to the world. Nobody had to take away their freedom. They simply grew accustomed to not exercising it\u00a0(or their bodies). As we race to develop agents capable of managing our lives, I wonder whether we\u2019re so busy rearranging the deck chairs that we haven\u2019t noticed where the ship is headed.<\/p>\n

Of course, not every inconvenience is worth preserving. For someone with a disability, an overwhelmed parent, or a professional buried under routine demands, AI agents provide extraordinary independence. But some experiences that\u00a0seem inefficient are how we learn,\u00a0find\u00a0opportunities,\u00a0build confidence, and connect with others. We may not recognize their value until they\u2019re gone.<\/p>\n

Humans have long distinguished themselves through our ability to exercise agency and navigate the physical world. Both boundaries are shifting. Autonomous agents can pursue objectives with limited supervision, while robotics is extending AI into physical environments. Machine autonomy isn\u2019t equivalent to human agency, with its values, intentions, and lived experience. Still, as machines become more capable of acting independently, are we becoming less inclined to do so ourselves?<\/p>\n

Emerging personal agents such as Dots and Muse bring these questions closer to home. They promise to understand our preferences, anticipate needs, and carry out work across digital services. Yet their developers are still working to understand and control autonomous behavior. Anthropic has warned\u00a0thatinteractions among AI agents\u00a0could\u00a0produce collective behaviors that are difficult to anticipate or oversee. These warnings don\u2019t\u00a0mean\u00a0uncontrolled swarms are widespread, but they raise questions about\u00a0how\u00a0quickly\u00a0we\u2019re becoming dependent\u00a0on systems whose risks remain uncertain.<\/p>\n

And that brings me back to privacy. When AI knows our habits, understands our preferences, remembers our conversations, and can act for us, the implications extend\u00a0beyond protecting information. That knowledge could also allow AI to influence our choices in ways we barely recognize.<\/p>\n

Algorithms have spent years\u00a0shaping which stories we read, which opinions\u00a0we\u00a0notice, and which perspectives we rarely encounter. They don\u2019t have to tell us what to think to influence how we think. Personal agents introduce another dimension. They may act on preferences that the surrounding technological environment has already helped shape.<\/p>\n

Imagine an agent planning your weekend away. It knows your schedule, budget, and interests. It chooses the destination, books the hotel, and fills your itinerary with activities you\u2019ll probably enjoy. Everything goes smoothly. But who decided what that weekend should look like? Were commercial incentives involved? What might you have discovered independently? Would you know what you\u2019d missed?<\/p>\n

AI may often make\u00a0\u201cbetter\u201d\u00a0recommendations than we would ourselves. But agency involves more than achieving an optimal outcome. It includes weighing possibilities, making mistakes, changing our minds, and discovering who we are through the process. An agent can optimize a decision based on what it knows about us. That doesn\u2019t mean it can account for who we might become by making that decision ourselves.<\/p>\n

I believe this is a moment to pause before inviting personal AI agents to assume greater roles in our lives. Their potential is extraordinary, but we\u2019re being asked to\u00a0choose betweentechnologies whose consequences are still unfolding. We should consider which decisions we want to retain, which experiences matter enough to preserve, and what authority we\u2019re prepared to surrender. Once technology routinely manages our lives, reclaiming that independence may be harder than giving it away.<\/p>\n

The emerging risks of autonomous systems, particularly as agents begin interacting in ways no single organization can fully oversee, deserve further examination. But\u00a0we shouldn\u2019t overlook a more personal question.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re spending extraordinary energy figuring out how to keep AI systems under control. Are we spending nearly enough time considering how much control over our own lives we\u2019re prepared to give them?<\/p>\n

Maybe that\u2019s what I really need\u00a0that\u00a0week off to figure out.<\/p>\n

\n

Brandi Pack<\/em><\/a>\u00a0is the Director of Innovation at\u00a0<\/em>UpLevel Ops<\/em><\/a>,\u00a0where she focuses on the practical application of AI within Legal Operations. She leads the firm\u2019s generative AI initiatives, helping legal teams integrate emerging technologies into workflows, governance, and day-to-day delivery.<\/em>Brandi\u2019s background spans Legal Operations, project management, and IT, with prior roles at Hewlett-Packard, Constellation Brands, and Goodwill Industries.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The post Are We Losing Sight Of What We\u2019re Trying To Protect?<\/a> appeared first on Above the Law<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I recently blocked a week off on my calendar with a rather unusual description:\u00a0\u201cOOO to figure out WTF is going on.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

My team was understandably taken aback.\u00a0They all expressed their concerns in our internal company Slack channel, and while I\u00a0laughed\u00a0it off, I was only half joking.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I\u00a0scheduled the time after reports of an OpenAI security incident and unsettling warnings from leading AI companies about potentially losing control of the systems they\u2019re developing. I\u2019ve spent years immersed in AI, following its evolution and encouraging responsible adoption. But lately, even I feel the need to step away and make sense of where all of this is headed.<\/p>\n

AI risks may be evolving faster than our ability to understand, much less manage, them. We\u2019re grappling with yesterday\u2019s technology while tomorrow\u2019s is changing the rules. We\u2019ve traditionally approached technology risk through privacy policies, cybersecurity protections, and governance frameworks. Yet just as we begin to understand one set of risks, AI introduces capabilities with entirely new implications. Are we becoming so consumed with managing the threats we can identify that we\u2019re losing sight of a much larger transformation?<\/p>\n

Consider how we think about privacy.\u00a0We\u2019ve debated what information AI should collect, who can access it, and whether we can control where it ends up. These concerns remain important, particularly in the legal field, where confidentiality, professional obligations, and liability add further complexity. But\u00a0as we set boundaries around what AI should know about us, autonomous agents are emerging that can manage schedules, navigate digital services, and act\u00a0on our behalf. They\u2019ll need access to the\u00a0very\u00a0information we\u2019ve spent years protecting, along with\u00a0the\u00a0authority to use it. And we\u2019re being encouraged to welcome them into our lives.<\/p>\n

Until recently, AI generally required\u00a0human\u00a0involvement. Even as we outsourced more of our thinking, we retained responsibility for acting on it. Autonomous agents changed\u00a0that relationship. Instead of helping us decide what to do, they can increasingly do it for us. Who wouldn\u2019t want relief from the administrative demands and frustrations that consume\u00a0our time? But is there a difference between gaining freedom to live our lives and allowing technology to live increasingly large portions of them for us?<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve been preparing for this transition for years. We rely on technology to remember things, find information, and guide decisions. Generative AI now helps with analysis, writing, problem-solving, and creative thinking. Much of this is beneficial. But skills diminish without practice, and independent judgment may be no different. We\u2019re moving beyond outsourcing cognition to outsourcing action.<\/p>\n

I keep thinking about Pixar\u2019s\u00a0WALL-E<\/em>. When the movie came out in 2008, its portrayal of humanity\u2019s future seemed comically exaggerated. People floated in automated chairs, absorbed in screens, while technology attended to every need. They were comfortable and relieved of nearly every inconvenience, but had lost much of their independence, curiosity, and connection to the world. Nobody had to take away their freedom. They simply grew accustomed to not exercising it\u00a0(or their bodies). As we race to develop agents capable of managing our lives, I wonder whether we\u2019re so busy rearranging the deck chairs that we haven\u2019t noticed where the ship is headed.<\/p>\n

Of course, not every inconvenience is worth preserving. For someone with a disability, an overwhelmed parent, or a professional buried under routine demands, AI agents provide extraordinary independence. But some experiences that\u00a0seem inefficient are how we learn,\u00a0find\u00a0opportunities,\u00a0build confidence, and connect with others. We may not recognize their value until they\u2019re gone.<\/p>\n

Humans have long distinguished themselves through our ability to exercise agency and navigate the physical world. Both boundaries are shifting. Autonomous agents can pursue objectives with limited supervision, while robotics is extending AI into physical environments. Machine autonomy isn\u2019t equivalent to human agency, with its values, intentions, and lived experience. Still, as machines become more capable of acting independently, are we becoming less inclined to do so ourselves?<\/p>\n

Emerging personal agents such as Dots and Muse bring these questions closer to home. They promise to understand our preferences, anticipate needs, and carry out work across digital services. Yet their developers are still working to understand and control autonomous behavior. Anthropic has warned\u00a0thatinteractions among AI agents\u00a0could\u00a0produce collective behaviors that are difficult to anticipate or oversee. These warnings don\u2019t\u00a0mean\u00a0uncontrolled swarms are widespread, but they raise questions about\u00a0how\u00a0quickly\u00a0we\u2019re becoming dependent\u00a0on systems whose risks remain uncertain.<\/p>\n

And that brings me back to privacy. When AI knows our habits, understands our preferences, remembers our conversations, and can act for us, the implications extend\u00a0beyond protecting information. That knowledge could also allow AI to influence our choices in ways we barely recognize.<\/p>\n

Algorithms have spent years\u00a0shaping which stories we read, which opinions\u00a0we\u00a0notice, and which perspectives we rarely encounter. They don\u2019t have to tell us what to think to influence how we think. Personal agents introduce another dimension. They may act on preferences that the surrounding technological environment has already helped shape.<\/p>\n

Imagine an agent planning your weekend away. It knows your schedule, budget, and interests. It chooses the destination, books the hotel, and fills your itinerary with activities you\u2019ll probably enjoy. Everything goes smoothly. But who decided what that weekend should look like? Were commercial incentives involved? What might you have discovered independently? Would you know what you\u2019d missed?<\/p>\n

AI may often make\u00a0\u201cbetter\u201d\u00a0recommendations than we would ourselves. But agency involves more than achieving an optimal outcome. It includes weighing possibilities, making mistakes, changing our minds, and discovering who we are through the process. An agent can optimize a decision based on what it knows about us. That doesn\u2019t mean it can account for who we might become by making that decision ourselves.<\/p>\n

I believe this is a moment to pause before inviting personal AI agents to assume greater roles in our lives. Their potential is extraordinary, but we\u2019re being asked to\u00a0choose betweentechnologies whose consequences are still unfolding. We should consider which decisions we want to retain, which experiences matter enough to preserve, and what authority we\u2019re prepared to surrender. Once technology routinely manages our lives, reclaiming that independence may be harder than giving it away.<\/p>\n

The emerging risks of autonomous systems, particularly as agents begin interacting in ways no single organization can fully oversee, deserve further examination. But\u00a0we shouldn\u2019t overlook a more personal question.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re spending extraordinary energy figuring out how to keep AI systems under control. Are we spending nearly enough time considering how much control over our own lives we\u2019re prepared to give them?<\/p>\n

Maybe that\u2019s what I really need\u00a0that\u00a0week off to figure out.<\/p>\n

\n

Brandi Pack<\/em><\/a>\u00a0is the Director of Innovation at\u00a0<\/em>UpLevel Ops<\/em><\/a>,\u00a0where she focuses on the practical application of AI within Legal Operations. She leads the firm\u2019s generative AI initiatives, helping legal teams integrate emerging technologies into workflows, governance, and day-to-day delivery.<\/em>Brandi\u2019s background spans Legal Operations, project management, and IT, with prior roles at Hewlett-Packard, Constellation Brands, and Goodwill Industries.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The post Are We Losing Sight Of What We\u2019re Trying To Protect?<\/a> appeared first on Above the Law<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I recently blocked a week off on my calendar with a rather unusual description:\u00a0\u201cOOO to figure out WTF is going on.\u201d\u00a0 My team was understandably taken aback.\u00a0They all expressed their concerns in our internal company Slack channel, and while I\u00a0laughed\u00a0it off, I was only half joking.\u00a0 I\u00a0scheduled the time after reports of an OpenAI security […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-165439","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-above_the_law"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165439","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=165439"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165439\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=165439"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=165439"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=165439"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}