Human Infrastructure in the Age of AI
How timeless wisdom can guide our digital future
Last month, I joined my husband on a trip to the Black Forest—not the one in Germany, but a quiet, stunning landscape near Colorado Springs. While he facilitated a ropes course, I wandered alone among the ponderosa pines.
It had just rained. The air was electric with the scent of pine—a smell so rich it feels like medicine.
That's when I saw them.
Trees bent in striking shapes—at 90-degree angles, sometimes twice.
They weren't broken. They were intentionally shaped.
Long ago, the Indigenous Ute people shaped these trees to serve a purpose. They were living waymarkers, guiding others toward water, shelter, reflection—or sometimes something deeper.
Some pointed directly toward Pikes Peak, a mountain held sacred in Ute tradition and considered the birthplace of their people.
These trees didn't just point the way forward.
They pointed people home—to origin, meaning, and what matters.
We’re walking through a new kind of forest
It's no longer made of trees—but of algorithms, bots, and AI agents.
These new digital beings are showing up everywhere—on our desktops, in our meetings, within our workflows. They're our copilots, colleagues, sometimes even creative partners.
And yet, many of us don't feel awe. We feel tension.
The arrival of AI raises questions that cut to the core of what it means to be human at work:
“What do we keep for ourselves? What do we hand off to machines? And how do we lead through something we can’t fully control?”
The irony is striking:
We once dismissed the timeless wisdom of people who knew how to live in harmony with other beings.
Now we're at risk of repeating the same mistake—treating AI only as a tool to dominate or fear, rather than something to coexist with intentionally.
The future doesn't need more control. It needs more orientation.
It needs people who can read the subtle signals.
Who don't panic when the forest thickens.
Who know how to stay on the path—or even mark a new one.
The work ahead Is human
To navigate this AI-infused world, we need to invest in something we've neglected for too long: Human Infrastructure.
This includes people with the rare ability to:
Sense what's missing in the data
Guide others without relying on hierarchy
Create safety, direction, and meaning in the midst of change
See technology not just as a tool—but as a relationship
These are the people with a spidey sense—the instinct to read the room, see around corners, and hold complexity without shutting down.
But they can't do it alone.
Just like the Ute shaped trees to serve as guides, we must create wayfinding systems that support these humans in their essential work.
We don't need thousands of process flows.
We need clarity on values, ethics, and shared maps of what matters.
A framework for Digital Wisdom in the age of AI—simple, actionable guidance that helps us lead with intention.
Wayfinding in today’s digital ecosystems
Today’s digital waymarkers may not stand tall like trees, but they provide direction. A wayfinding system in today's world might include:
A shared language or glossary that aligns how teams talk about complexity
Visual overviews that show how things connect—systems, people, purpose
Rituals and rhythms that create moments to pause, reflect, and realign
Lived values and ethical guardrails that help people navigate uncertainty
In fast-moving environments, clarity isn't a luxury—it's an anchor. And just like in the forests of the past, these waymarkers often go unnoticed by those rushing through.
But to those trained to see, they are what keeps everything on course.
Digital Wisdom isn't a feature. It's a way of being.
We're not just implementing new technology.
We're shaping a new culture of coexistence—between humans and machines, between speed and stillness, between innovation and remembrance.
To get there, we'll need more than systems.
We'll need human infrastructure—wayfinders and wisdom holders.
We'll need waymarkers—systems that orient and guide.
We’ll need those rare individuals who quietly carry the compass.
The ones who don’t just adapt to change. They shape it with care.
This reflection was written with deep respect for the Ute people and other Indigenous communities who have lived in harmony with this land for generations. The metaphors used are inspired by the timeless wisdom these communities embody. They are not shared to appropriate, but to learn from and honor—especially as we seek more grounded, ethical, and human-centered ways to lead in the digital age.
Ready to Spark Change from Within?
Our next 6-month Digital Wisdom Collective cohort begins soon. It’s built for the internal connectors—the translators, dot-connectors, the ripple-makers—those who sense there’s a better way and are ready to lead it. If you’re not sure who they are yet—we’d love to help you find them.