2016 - 2024: What AI Taught Me About Myself

A few days ago, I sent a voice note to ChatGPT.

I had been listening to Jensen Huang talk about synthetic data and intelligence. I decided to pause for a few minutes on that word—intelligence.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been captivated by the concept of intelligence. How we make sense of the world, what separates us from other living things, how biases shape our decisions, and how subconscious streams guide our lives and work—these are questions humanity has grappled with for centuries.

But now, for the first time in history, intelligence is emerging outside of biology.

For millennia, intelligence has been the thing that defines us, drives our work, and structures our societies. But today, it’s abundant, scalable, and accessible in ways we couldn’t have imagined even a decade ago..

So I asked ChatGPT: What does this mean for how we learn? For what it means to be human?

I wasn’t expecting an answer—I was just thinking out loud

But in that moment, I realized something: if we believe that AI is here to make our lives more efficient or productive, then we're missing the point.

Because what is the point of productivity? What are we striving for? For most of us, it’s freedom—the freedom to create, to connect, to produce, without the constraints of survival or routine.

If intelligence is no longer uniquely human, we have to rethink the systems we’ve built around it.

Why do we go to school? Why do we work? Why do we pursue knowledge, create art, or seek purpose?

These are the questions AI is forcing us to ask. And the way we answer them will define the next chapter of humanity.

A Personal Reflection: from 2016 to 2024

As a teenager, 12 years ago, I stumbled upon Ray Kurzweil’s work. His predictions about the evolution of technology and humanity captivated me.

Kurzweil explored what happens when technology becomes indistinguishable from human creativity, intelligence, and even emotion.

For me, this was deeply existential.

At the time, I was deeply immersed in the meritocratic grind. I had worked tirelessly to ace my SATs, earn straight A’s, and secure a scholarship to study in the U.S. I was the product of a society where success was measured by grades, GPAs, and resumes.

Then here was Kurzweil, arguing that the skills and traits we value most could soon be replicated—perhaps even surpassed—by machines.

So, I couldn't help but wonder - what happens when intelligence is no longer tied to biology?What does it mean for work, for purpose, for how we see ourselves?

I’ve been chasing that question ever since.

And then, in November 2022, OpenAI released ChatGPT. In just 22 months, they went from zero users to 250 million.

We entered the age of answers—a world where instant knowledge is at our fingertips, forcing us to reflect on what those answers mean for us.

What’s our value as entrepreneurs, researchers, educators, or corporate leaders when intelligence can be scaled infinitely?

I had an inkling back in the day that this was going to transform work—and here we are.

AI taught me the power of collective intelligence. It forced me to reflect on my mission—why I’m doing this, why younger generations need to be exposed to this existential shift, and what kind of systems we need to build for them to thrive.

It made me a better entrepreneur. It pushed me to free myself and my team from mundane work, to focus on creativity, strategy, and building something truly meaningful. Being exposed to AI shaped my career, my choices, and ultimately, the founding of AIDEN. And in 2024, I saw the seeds of those ideas begin to bloom.

AI expanded my horizons. It challenged me to visualize problems and solutions in ways I never imagined, not as a tool, but as a collaborative thinking partner. Most importantly, it gave me the gift of time—to focus on what really matters to me and my life mission.

In 2023, I lost sight of this. Like many others, I got swept up in the AI for productivity hype.

But 2024 reminded me that the value of AI isn’t in the answers it provides—it’s in the questions it forces us to ask about ourselves, our purpose, and what we want to build in this world.

What Changed in 2024?

We pretty much ditched wrappers and decided to go straight to the source code.

This year, OpenAI released updates and introduced conversational and reasoning models that felt intuitive, while tools like Google's NotebookLM redefined what AI could be in learning.

NotebookLM wasn’t just a productivity tool—it adapted to you. It turned dense notes into narrated audio, created visual study guides, and synthesized insights tailored to different learning styles. For auditory learners, visual thinkers, and everyone in between, it felt less like a machine and more like a collaborative ally.

Anthropic's Claude also made waves with its “Constitutional AI” framework, designed to align with human values. Claude brought safety, transparency, and ethical boundaries into focus—showing that AI could be both powerful and principled.

And yet, for all these advancements, the real shift wasn’t technological—it was philosophical.

AI wasn’t just a tool to get things done. It was a partner in how we think, create, and discover ourselves.

And yet, for all the advancements, there was a BUT.

As tools became more intuitive, concerns grew louder. Over-reliance on AI, lack of digital literacy, and the ever-looming question: How do we ensure these tools help us grow rather than replace human effort?

2025: The Year of AI’s Latent Space

Imagine a student named Sara. She’s 16, loves drawing, but feels like it’s just a hobby.

One day, she asks an AI:

"I like sketching landscapes, but I don’t think I can make it a career. What else can I do with this skill?"

The AI responds:

"Have you thought about environmental design? You could create urban parks or sustainable green spaces. Or maybe concept art for games with environmental storytelling. Even illustrations for conservation education."

Sara’s interest is piqued. She asks:

"What skills would I need to start?"

The AI responds with a roadmap:

• Take free online courses in urban planning or environmental science.
• Sketch redesigned versions of local parks as practice.
• Learn tools like SketchUp or AutoCAD to bring your ideas to life.

And then it nudges her forward:"Why not share your sketches with a local community group? You could inspire others—or even catch the attention of someone in the field."

Now Sara’s hobby doesn’t feel aimless. It’s connected to real-world possibilities and future paths. With every question she asks, she discovers more about herself: her love for nature, her knack for visualizing solutions, her drive to create something meaningful.

This isn’t just learning—it’s exploration, self-discovery, and action, woven together in a way that feels both personal and purposeful.

Now imagine millions of Saras, using AI not just to find answers but to spark questions about who they are, what they can do, and the impact they could make.

This is the true promise of AI: not replacing effort, but revealing the latent potential we’ve yet to uncover.

AI’s power lies in its “latent space”—a boundless landscape of possibilities waiting to be explored.

Prompts to Help Your Child Use AI for Growth

AI becomes most powerful when it’s a tool for curiosity and exploration. As parents, you can guide your child to use AI in ways that promote creativity, critical thinking, and real-world problem-solving. Here are a few prompts to get started:

1. For Self-Discovery: "What careers combine my love for [passion] and [skill]?""What are some projects I can start to explore my interest in [topic]?"
2. For Problem-Solving: "Help me brainstorm solutions to reduce waste in our school cafeteria." "What are three creative ways to approach this math problem?"
3. For Critical Thinking: "What are the strengths and weaknesses of this AI-generated essay?" "What questions should I ask to explore this topic more deeply?"
4. For Real-World Connection: "How can I use AI to create a presentation on [current event]?""What are some ways I can raise awareness about [social issue] using AI tools?"

Encourage your child to reflect on their own contributions alongside AI. For example, after an AI brainstorm, ask them: "What ideas from the AI sparked your own thinking?" or "How can you improve this AI-generated work?"

You can also introduce “AI-free” assignments that encourage manual problem-solving or creative thinking without technological assistance.

This balance fosters resilience and critical thinking, helping your child see AI as a partner in their growth—not a replacement for effort or creativity.

Where Do We Go From Here?

This year taught us one thing above all: AI is only as good as the people who use it.

My friend Andrew, a seasoned investor, was skeptical about AI at first. When GPT-3 was released, he tried it out but quickly dismissed it—“It’s clever, but not useful enough,” he said.

Fast forward to 2024, and Andrew decided to give GPT-4 another shot. This time, something clicked. He approached it differently, using his deep expertise to frame more nuanced prompts and dive into complex scenarios. The results were transformative. GPT-4 became his brainstorming partner, helping him model market scenarios, refine investment theses, and uncover patterns he hadn’t considered.

AI didn’t replace Andrew’s expertise—it amplified it. His success with GPT-4 wasn’t about the tool itself but how he used it. The insights he generated weren’t just a product of AI but a testament to his ability to ask the right questions, analyze critically, and connect the dots.

This is where AI gets real. Not as a gimmick. Not as a productivity hack. But as a partner in discovery—a mirror into the questions we didn’t know we could ask.

A student unsure of their direction uses AI to map their passions onto the real world. Suddenly, their hobby isn’t just a hobby—it’s a path. Or a parent uses AI to explore new ways to teach resilience to their child, discovering strategies that spark joy, curiosity, and growth.

AI has access to vast knowledge, but it’s you who gives it meaning. Your curiosity. Your questions. Your ability to connect the dots between its outputs and your unique experience. AI doesn’t replace your intuition—it sharpens it.

2024 showed us what AI can do. But 2025? It’s going to show us who we are.

A Shoutout to the UAE

The UAE, with its forward-thinking policies and bold experiments in integrating AI into various industries, is showing us how this could look at scale. I'm proud to be a business owner in this country.

By weaving AI literacy into curricula and creating spaces for students to explore these tools thoughtfully, the UAE is setting a global example of what’s possible when we prioritize both innovation and intention.