Pace Layering Framework

I came across Stewart Brand’s pace layering framework because a former colleague and friend, Seb Wagner from Flow Republic, recommended it to me. It explains how different parts of society evolve at different speeds. Fashion and art change quickly, while deeper layers like culture, governance or nature move much more slowly. The fascinating bit is how these layers interact. Fast layers bring new ideas and push for change, but they are balanced and contained by the slower ones.

You can see this dynamic clearly in modern tech. AI tools and interfaces shift almost weekly, business models evolve quarterly, infrastructure takes years, and regulation and ethics trail even further behind. Culture and environmental impact stretch over decades. The gap between speed and stability is where both tension and opportunity show up. For those of us working in AI, it’s a reminder to think not just about what’s new, but how those innovations sit on top of and eventually reshape the slower foundations beneath them.

Link to the original article:
https://sketchplanations.substack.com/p/pace-layers