The 85 Percent Problem

📰 Medium · AI

Learn about the 85 Percent Problem, where 85% of thinking time is spent on preparatory work before actual cognition can begin, and how AI can automate this process

intermediate Published 20 Jun 2026

Action Steps

Read the article by Nicola Rohrseitz to understand the concept of the 85 Percent Problem
Analyze your own workflow to identify tasks that can be automated using AI
Apply AI-powered tools to automate routine tasks, such as data preparation and information gathering
Evaluate the impact of AI automation on your productivity and workflow
Explore ways to integrate AI into your workflow to maximize efficiency and creativity

Who Needs to Know This

Data scientists, AI engineers, and product managers can benefit from understanding the 85 Percent Problem, as it highlights the potential for AI to automate routine tasks and free up time for more complex and creative work

Key Insight

💡 The 85 Percent Problem highlights the potential for AI to automate routine tasks and free up time for more complex and creative work

Key Takeaways

Learn about the 85 Percent Problem, where 85% of thinking time is spent on preparatory work before actual cognition can begin, and how AI can automate this process

Full Article

Title: The 85 Percent Problem

URL Source: https://medium.com/@nicolarohrseitz/the-85-percent-problem-f6b9d21c4d79?source=rss------artificial_intelligence-5

Published Time: 2026-06-20T07:01:02Z

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# The 85 Percent Problem | Medium

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# The 85 Percent Problem

## AI is coming for cognitive work. But first, it is coming for the work we do before the interesting cognition can begin

[![Image 3: Nicola Rohrseitz](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fill:64:64/1*x6GTsJxs9jbOf12MMJsQVg.jpeg)](https://medium.com/@nicolarohrseitz?source=post_page---byline--f6b9d21c4d79---------------------------------------)

[Nicola Rohrseitz](https://medium.com/@nicolarohrseitz?source=post_page---byline--f6b9d21c4d79---------------------------------------)

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The most useful number in the AI labor debate may be an old and informal one. In 1960, [J.C.R. Licklider described](https://www.wired.com/2012/10/dead-media-beat-man-computer-symbiosis-1960/) a self-study of his own technical work and found that about 85 percent of his thinking time was spent getting into a position to think. The hours went into finding information, transforming it into comparable form, plotting it, calculating around it, and preparing the conditions under which a judgment could

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The 85 Percent Problem

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