TL;DR: Systems like Cerebras.ai is accelerating software creation to near-instant speeds, but humans risk outsourcing too much cognitive work. Borrowing from an observation of Oaxacan alebrije artisans’ 50/50 rule, we need principles to keep ourselves sharp while embracing AI. Conscious Stack Design (CSD) and FocusMonitor can help.

Why Speed Is Not the Whole Story

Cerebras Coder recently showed me how it could generate an Eisenhower to‑do app in 0.51 seconds. That’s roughly 20x faster than other AI code assistants like lovable.dev or bolt.new.

This speed is breathtaking. But even when a model outputs production-ready code instantly, you—the human—still need to:

• Clarify what you want built

• Decide why it matters

• Consider how it integrates into your systems

No AI can replace the mental clarity required to know what you’re asking for. And if we’re not careful, faster tools could reduce the mental effort we apply upfront—training us to skip the thinking step entirely.

The Alebrije Lesson: A 50/50 Rule

While in Oaxaca, I visited an alebrije studio (the beautifully hand-painted mythical animals you see in the above picture, which inspired parts of the Disney film Coco). The local artists had a 50/50 rule:

• 50% of their colors use natural dyes crafted using traditional methods

• 50% use modern acrylics

The result? A living tradition. They honor old knowledge while leveraging modern efficiency. It keeps their craft alive, not automated.

This struck me as exactly the mindset we need for AI. Instead of going all‑in on automation or clinging to purely manual processes, we should adopt a principle:

Use AI for speed and scale, but intentionally preserve practices that keep you cognitively sharp.

Applying 50/50 to AI Work

Here’s how it could look in practice:

1. Design inputs with intention: Spend half your time clarifying the why and what before using AI to generate the how completely. It’s ok to experiment, but be intentional. Use the play to truly learn.

2. Keep core cognitive skills in play: For example, manually map logic flows or write rough UI sketches before letting AI fill in the code. This trains you as much as you train the AI.

3. Audit AI dependency: Check how much of your work is being done by AI and how much is your own reasoning or design effort.

This isn’t anti‑AI—it’s pro‑human. There’s a difference.

Where CSD and FocusMonitor Fit

Conscious Stack Design™ (CSD) is about aligning your digital tools with how you think and work—not just adding more speed. AI can fit beautifully in a well‑designed stack, but only if you keep awareness of what’s being automated and what’s being sharpened.

FocusMonitor, a CSD-aligned tool, could eventually help here by:

• Tracking how often you rely on AI generation vs manual effort

• Surfacing real-time cognitive load signals (are you thinking deeply or just prompting blindly?)

• Suggesting rebalance moments when you lean too heavily into automation

This isn’t to slow you down—it’s to ensure that speed doesn’t come at the cost of long-term cognitive resilience.

The Bigger Picture

AI acceleration is inevitable. Cerebras (which kind of looks like the word culebras — the word for ‘serpent’ in Spanish — right?) is just one signal: we’re entering an era where code, content, and workflows will execute faster than humans can type. The challenge is no longer “Can AI do it?” but “What should humans still do?”

The Oaxacan artists gave one answer: balance. Preserve core skills while adopting new tools. A 50/50 rule for AI could keep us conscious and adaptive, ensuring we don’t outsource our thinking along with our tasks.

The takeaway: Adopt AI for speed, but design rules that preserve your cognitive edge. Balance is the new productivity.

FAQ

Q: What is Cerebras AI and why is it significant?

A: The Cerebras.ai inference system demonstrates up to 20x faster AI code generation compared to common tools. It can produce functional applications, such as an Eisenhower to‑do app, in less than a second.

Q: What is the risk of faster AI tools for humans?

A: While AI speeds up execution, it can reduce the time humans spend on intentional thinking. Over-reliance on AI for idea generation and decision-making may weaken core cognitive skills over time.

Q: What is the 50/50 rule mentioned in the article?

A: Inspired by Oaxacan alebrije artists, the 50/50 rule means blending tradition and innovation—50% of colors are natural dyes, 50% are modern acrylics. This principle preserves tradition while embracing efficiency, and it serves as a metaphor for balanced AI usage.

Q: How can this apply to AI and digital work?

A: It encourages using AI to accelerate tasks while intentionally preserving human thinking and decision-making processes. For example, spending half the time clarifying what and why before automating the how.

Q: What role do CSD and FocusMonitor play?

A: Conscious Stack Design (CSD) aligns tools with how you think and work, ensuring AI complements rather than replaces cognitive effort. FocusMonitor (a CSD-aligned app) can monitor how much work is automated vs human-driven, providing real-time insights to maintain a healthy balance.