Two and a half millennia ago, Aristotle popularised a word that's more relevant today than ever: phronesis (fro-NEE-sis)

He used it to describe “practical wisdom”: the ability to navigate life's complex challenges with sound judgment. It’s the capacity to find the right balance between competing values instead of rigidly following proscribed rules.

Over the past 50 years, this ancient term has experienced a revival. Medical breakthroughs have forced us to grapple with profound questions. When does life begin and end? How do we balance quality versus quantity? Who gets access to limited resources?

And it doesn’t just apply to medical dilemmas: every technology professional faces complex trade-offs. We balance user experience against security, innovation against reliability, speed against correctness.

What concerns me about our AI moment—as these tools become ever more sophisticated—is that we risk outsourcing our judgment to algorithms. When AI suggests solutions, do we thoughtfully evaluate them? Or do we gradually lose the situational awareness needed to exercise proper oversight?