I came across a good definition of a “high agency person”. This is a term I had not heard before, but thought it was interesting.
“Mr. Segato defines high agency people as “those with a curiosity” and a personality trait one might call defiance, who “challenge the status quo and believe the world around them is changeable”—and then change it. They “struggle to be contained.” High-agency folks have always been around but either had to become specialists or hire specialists to get things done. - WSJ: AI is a Boon to High Agency People. July 6, 2025.
Of course, as it happens when something strikes a chord, you start to see the term everywhere1.
“Or phrased negatively, the opposite of agency can mean one of two things. Either (1) doing what you are “supposed to do,” playing social games that do not align with what, on reflection, seems valuable to you and/or (2) being passive or ineffective in the face of problems (assuming your problems can’t be solved, that someone else should solve them, or working on things that do not in a meaningful way address the problem.)” - Henrik Karlsson’s On Agency
Perhaps why this term is coming up more often is many of the AI tools are ideally suited for “high agency people” to do what they do:
see a problem
solve a problem
Imagination, curiosity … combined with perseverance & determination (AKA really caring) are the big traits that will lead you to doing great things.
Some reflection
I do not think of myself as a high agency person, & perhaps for that reason, find this to be an admirable trait. I tend to be a person who gets things done with high efficiency and diligence. I am a people-pleaser. I understand the rules and the tools at my disposal, but rarely seek to turn things upside-down and disrupt the status quo to make an impact. It is less a lack of imagination and curiosity (I think I have this in abundance) … and more laziness, and ultimately a lack of really caring.
Silicon Valley's Hot New Buzzword: High Agency - Business Insider
Why everyone suddenly wants to be seen as 'high agency' - MSN
‘High agency’: what the science says about the latest tech buzzword - The Conversation