Essays
Personal essays, written to express my own opinions on things of concern or interest to me. These are no-one else's views or opinions. Not my work, my family, just me.
The Wish That Scales
Jonathan Gill, May 2026
On a class of hope that does not fit at human scale, why the absurd methods in some of my paintings are the point rather than the flaw, and why the smirk is the wrong response to wishes this size.
Painting with a Critic
Jonathan Gill, April 2026
On how I use an AI as a sitting curator for my paintings, what it actually does, what it does not, and why structured critique has sharpened the naive voice rather than eroded it.
The Architecture of Trust
Jonathan Gill, March 2026
On why trust is a design problem not a communications problem, how a single software glitch can undo decades of institutional credibility, and what it means to build systems that deserve the confidence people place in them.
The Tragedy of the Commons: Air, Climate, and the Failure of Collective Action
Jonathan Gill, March 2026
On air as the most fundamental commons, how rational actors collectively destroy shared resources, and why the climate movement's dogmatism has undermined its own cause.
The Delegation Trap: AI, Cognitive Offloading, and the Erosion of Human Agency
Jonathan Gill, March 2026
On how AI outputs mimic careful reasoning while humans default to fast acceptance, why the competence gap is the primary failure condition, and what it takes to keep System 2 in the loop.