Eric Turkington https://ericturkington.com/ Writing, photographs, and notes by Eric Turkington. en-us What Work Was Doing for Us https://ericturkington.com/essays/what-work-was-doing-for-us/ https://ericturkington.com/essays/what-work-was-doing-for-us/ Fri, 17 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT Everyone is arguing about AI and jobs. A deeper question intrigues me more: what was work doing for us that the paycheck wasn't? The Scaffolding Deficit https://ericturkington.com/essays/the-scaffolding-deficit/ https://ericturkington.com/essays/the-scaffolding-deficit/ Wed, 15 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT While we're rightly worried about cognitive degradation from ever-smarter AI, is there a bull-case for humans to grow more intelligent alongside it? The New YOLO https://ericturkington.com/essays/the-new-yolo/ https://ericturkington.com/essays/the-new-yolo/ Sun, 15 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT What radical uncertainty asks of us, and why flinching away is the real cost. Agentic Entropy https://ericturkington.com/essays/agentic-entropy/ https://ericturkington.com/essays/agentic-entropy/ Fri, 20 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT Agent-mediated communication solves the bandwidth problem and creates a quieter, more expensive one. This AI Voice Assistant Is Helping Surgeons Save Time, Money, and Lives https://ericturkington.com/essays/voice-ai-surgeons-save-time-money-lives/ https://ericturkington.com/essays/voice-ai-surgeons-save-time-money-lives/ Tue, 25 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT Operating theatres account for 35-40% of hospital costs. One minute of OT time can run $100-$200. Voice AI is turning those micro-moments into measurable gains. The Power of Voice in the OR: Bridging High Tech, Human Realities https://ericturkington.com/essays/voice-in-the-or/ https://ericturkington.com/essays/voice-in-the-or/ Fri, 29 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMT Despite advancements in technology, even top hospitals lack reliable data on what happens inside the OR. Voice technology offers a way to change that — if it can meet clinicians where they are. Beyond Bourdain: The Ethics & Economics of Voice Synthesis Technology https://ericturkington.com/essays/beyond-bourdain/ https://ericturkington.com/essays/beyond-bourdain/ Sun, 15 Aug 2021 00:00:00 GMT Voice cloning technology has arrived. It's powerful, inexpensive, and doesn't require much training data. The question is not if it will be used, but how. The Self-Service Conundrum: Is 'Easier Said Than Done' Attainable? https://ericturkington.com/essays/the-self-service-conundrum/ https://ericturkington.com/essays/the-self-service-conundrum/ Tue, 13 Jul 2021 00:00:00 GMT In 2021, I can ask a speaker to order nearly any product I want and have it delivered in under two hours. In that very same world, I can spend six-plus hours on a single telephone call to my bank. How can both of these realities co-exist? What Happens When 'Generation Voice' Grows Up? https://ericturkington.com/essays/what-happens-when-generation-voice-grows-up/ https://ericturkington.com/essays/what-happens-when-generation-voice-grows-up/ Sun, 13 Oct 2019 00:00:00 GMT When my two-year-old daughter sees me casually speak with inanimate objects, she's not impressed. It's perfectly normal to her. What happens when Generation Voice comes of age? The Coming Era of Assistant-Centered Design https://ericturkington.com/essays/the-coming-era-of-assistant-centered-design/ https://ericturkington.com/essays/the-coming-era-of-assistant-centered-design/ Wed, 26 Sep 2018 00:00:00 GMT Advancements in robotics and AI have surfaced the notion of 'robot-centered design' — but perhaps even more important is re-imagining our digital universe for use by our AI-enabled assistants. Should My Phone Have a Surgeon General's Warning? https://ericturkington.com/essays/should-my-phone-have-a-surgeon-generals-warning/ https://ericturkington.com/essays/should-my-phone-have-a-surgeon-generals-warning/ Wed, 20 Jun 2018 00:00:00 GMT Our current ability to advance our technological capabilities far outpaces our collective desire to understand the implications. Because when it comes to product design, knowledge is far more easily acquired than wisdom.