The Formation Debt We Cannot See

Greg Twemlow explores the concept of formation debt, which occurs as artificial intelligence increasingly automates the entry-level tasks once performed by human novices. This shift creates an immediate productivity dividend for companies, but it simultaneously removes the essential "apprenticeship" through which young workers develop professional judgment and expertise. By replacing junior roles with automated systems, the text argues that society is losing the developmental infrastructure required to produce the next generation of leaders and specialists. The consequences are often hidden because they result from a lack of hiring rather than sudden layoffs, leaving graduates stranded between education and adulthood. Ultimately, the author suggests that knowledge professions must adopt the deliberate apprenticeship models seen in the trades to ensure human capability is renewed. This growing liability threatens the future stability of organisations and communities by hollowing out the long-term supply of experienced professionals. Read the article.About the Author - Greg Twemlow writes and teaches at the intersection of technology, education, and human judgment. He works with educators and businesses to make AI explainable and assessable in classrooms and boardrooms — to ensure AI users show their process and own their decisions. His cognition protocol, the Context & Critique Rule™, is built on a three-step process: Evidence → Cognition → Discernment — a bridge from what’s scattered to what’s chosen. Context & Critique → Accountable AI™. © 2025 Greg Twemlow. “Context & Critique → Accountable AI” and “Context & Critique Rule” are unregistered trademarks (™).