Are We Ceding Humanity to Machines?

This week…

I'm rediscovering the power and joy of stepping out, connecting face-to-face, being inspired and sparking meaning. In this issue, I continue my slow thinking on what AI means for humanity:

• Are we ceding humanity to machines, as we teach AI to outthink us? ~ This is the topic of my opinion piece for Przekroj - a magazine focused on “what’s truly worth contemplating.”

• My goings-on-about-town and who and what I’m excited about

• Virtual Human Adoption - into our lives, homes, and workspaces

Are We Ceding Humanity to Machines?

I've recently been feeling the need to pause and carefully reflect on the evolving relationship between humans and AI. With the unfaltering stream of AI advancements filling our feeds, it often feels as though humans are being left behind. In this relentless push to build machines that outthink us—the undeniable objective, whether you're staunchly optimistic or deeply pessimistic about AI—it sometimes seems as if we're like lemmings, rushing blindly toward a fate where machines might take our place. But if we can manage to step out of this current for a moment, we might note a few things:

1. We are in control of this fate. As a species, we are generally good at dealing with (or awkwardly muddling through) sticky situations, and persuading others to rally around a cause. And this is absolutely happening, as I’ve talked about here and here.

2. AI that is much smarter than us can be a very good thing for the quality of human life - such as a cure for cancer, mental health and infection diseases - compressing a century of scientific research into just a few years. This is the true promise of powerful AI.

3. Human beings amount to more than just their cognitive abilities. The arrival of powerful AI in our lives is an opportunity to reorient to what human truths really matter. I write about this in my opinion piece for Przekroj:

   https://przekroj.org/en/art-stories/are-we-ceding-humanity-to-machines/

What else I’ve been up to

I’ve been out and about quite a bit this week (and it’s only Wednesday)! Here are some highlights:

1. All Tech is Human - I had a great catch up with David Polgar, founder of this important non-profit, which takes a pragmatic approach to responsible technology. Definitely follow for an intelligent, non-partisan and practical approach to responsible AI.

2. NVIDIA Gen AI Startup Summit NYC - an intimate gathering of innovators, industry leaders and visionaries at the intersection of AI and entertainment. I met some incredible startup founders building in the field. Recap to come.

3. St Gallen - thanks to my friend and NY chapter lead, Jon Krohn, I was able to pop by and learn about St Gallen Symposium - an annual conference and community of emerging and established leaders focused on long-term thinking. Next year’s theme will be on “shifting global power.”

4. Comcast HQ - I delivered a keynote this week at Comcast’s phenomenally impressive HQ in Philadelphia, on: Will digital twins become the next frontier in personalized, interactive home experiences? Along with my friends at On_Discourse, this sparked fascinating ideas and conversation, including the opportunities and impact on IP.

Phrase of the week: “Virtual Human Adoption.”

Get in Touch

If you would like to discover more about virtual human adoption, or explore the intersection of AI and humanity for your business, you can get in touch with me at: [email protected]