a16z: In the AI era, what is truly scarce is not "taste", but the social infrastructure that cultivates judgment.

Beating AI News (Dongcha) reports that a16z partner Tim Sullivan argues that as AI drastically reduces content production costs, the surge in "slop" (low-quality content) and moral panic around AI-generated content are not new phenomena. Historically, every drop in production costs—from Grub Street, the penny press, pulp fiction, to television, blogs, and social media—has brought a flood of low-cost content and similar cultural controversies. The piece cites social science research noting that "taste" is not a single ability, but rather a combination of distinct mechanisms: judging success, accessing cross-circle information, and professional judgment honed through long-term training. Columbia University research shows that social influence and path dependence significantly impact whether a work becomes a hit, making it difficult even for experts to consistently predict true successes. Sullivan also cites sociologist Ron Burt’s "structural holes" theory, which holds that truly innovative people tend to be positioned between different communities, gaining unique perspectives through cross-circle interactions. AI can quickly access information across fields, but it cannot fully replace the tacit knowledge, trust, and experience humans build through active participation in multiple social networks. Sullivan argues that with AI’s proliferation, humans’ more important role may shift to verification and judgment—skills developed through apprenticeships, feedback, and long-term practice. If companies weaken training systems to replace entry-level roles with AI, while this may cut costs in the short term, it risks a future shortage of talent with mature judgment. Thus, what may truly become scarce in the AI era is not "taste" itself, but the talent, networks, and social infrastructure needed to cultivate sound judgment.