AI Setu: Bridging Knowledge Work and AI
Setu is a Hindi-Sanskrit word that means bridge. It’s an old word, the kind that carries weight. In the context of AI and knowledge work, I can’t think of a better metaphor for what we’re witnessing right now.
I’ve been fascinated lately by how AI agents are transforming knowledge work. But what strikes me most isn’t the technology itself—it’s the interfaces through which we interact with it. The “bridges,” if you will, between human expertise and AI capability.
The Programmer’s Bridge: The IDE
For programmers, this bridge is already taking shape. The IDE is evolving beyond a simple code editor into something more sophisticated. We’re seeing improvements in branch visualization, commit log clarity, and contextual assistance. Sure, there’s still plenty of room for growth, but the direction is clear: these tools are getting better at the points where human agency actually matters—the creative decisions, the architectural choices, the moments of genuine problem-solving.
The IDE works for programmers because it matches their workflow. It meets them where they already are.
But What About Everyone Else?
This is where things get interesting. What does the bridge look like for lawyers? Accountants? Doctors? Entrepreneurs? Content creators?
These professions don’t live in IDEs. They work in emails, case files, spreadsheets, patient records, pitch decks, and content calendars. Their workflows are fundamentally different, and so their bridges must be too.
The Executive Assistant Model
For many entrepreneurs and content creators, I think we’re starting to see the bridge take shape as something closer to an AI executive assistant. Imagine an agent with access to your email, Slack, calendar, and messaging platforms—one that can parse deal flow, identify opportunities, and make high-agency decisions about what deserves your attention and what can be handled autonomously.
This isn’t just a fancy inbox filter. It’s a system that understands context, maintains relationships, and operates with real judgment. The bridge here isn’t about writing code—it’s about managing complexity and information flow.
The Unknown Bridges
But what about lawyers? Will they eventually use something IDE-like, complete with version control for legal briefs and branching logic for case strategies? Or will their bridge look entirely different—something that navigates case law, manages discovery, and drafts contracts while preserving the careful judgment that defines legal work?
I suspect it will be somewhere in between: more sophisticated than today’s SaaS applications, but less technical than a programmer’s IDE. Perhaps a system that understands precedent, can reason about legal implications, and drafts with appropriate caution—while always keeping the lawyer in the decision-making seat.
The same questions apply to accountants, doctors, and countless other knowledge workers. Each profession has its own rhythms, its own forms of expertise, and its own critical points where human judgment is irreplaceable.
The Opportunity Ahead
Here’s what excites me: we’re still early in figuring this out. Most of these bridges haven’t been built yet.
That represents an enormous opportunity for builders. The next wave of impactful AI applications won’t just be better models or faster inference—they’ll be the right interfaces for specific domains. The tools that meet lawyers in their workflow, that speak the language of accountants, that understand what doctors actually need when they’re making decisions.
If you’re building in this space, this is where you should look: not at what AI can do in the abstract, but at how different knowledge workers actually work, and what bridge would genuinely serve them.
The IDE changed everything for programmers working with AI. What comes next could be just as transformative—we just have to build it.