Will AI Save Us? Yes, But Not the One You Think

“The saddest aspect of life right now is that?science gathers?knowledge?faster than society gathers?wisdom.”?- Isaac Asimov

We are living between two worlds.

Humanity is at cross-roads.

Modernity gave us tremendous technological powers and better living standards.? Yet our human experience is challenged.

Mental health, wars, human suffering, sense of alienation– have we fallen behind?

In this article, I will suggest that we need a better story - a New Meta-Modern Vision that bridges Science with the Value of Humanity.

1.??? Techno-Optimism

Technology changes everything – extremely fast.

Advanced AI and machine learning is pushing the frontier of what algorithms can do better than humans—from medical diagnosis, to research, to autonomous cars.

It will reinvent businesses, unleash the next wave of productivity, free workers from?routine tasks, delight users with incredible functionalities.

It will transform everything- and we are just in the beginning…

In 2019, Garry Kasparov, the great chess player (who played against IBM’s Deep Blue computer) said “If this sounds threatening instead of amazing, you’ve been watching too many dystopian Hollywood movies.” [1]

After all, “Humans will still set the goals and establish the priorities. We must ensure that our agnostic machines represent the best of our human morality.”?

That was 2019….

Today, social media, still a very primitive AI, has reshaped?how we communicate, think, and behave, it impacted our self-identity and self-esteem – who we are, how we see and engage with others.

It has forever changed our democracies, psychologies, mental health, and sense of truth.

?2. Our Divided Brain

Let’s put this in perspective.

Iain McGilchrist, a prominent neuroscientist and thinker says, “Our brains are metaphors of the world”. [2]

In pop culture, the two hemispheres of our brain, differ in what they do. ?The left is about logic, analytic thought, and reason, the right hemisphere is about emotions, creativity and intuition. ?

But McGilchrist suggests that our hemispheres differ on “how they approach things”:

The left is all about getting things, it excels in quick, routine tasks. It “knows”. It pursues, grabs, controls. The right hemisphere understands the world, in its vast complexity, sees the bigger picture, not just the parts.

Whereas the left part looks for certainty, the right opens up into possibility.

The right “explores” the left “exploits”.

Whilst we need both hemispheres to work together, our modern culture is dominated by left brain thinking.? Analytical focus, desire for control, immediate gratification, fragmentation, stubbornness, lack of empathy.

?3.?? Efficient but Blind

?This feeds a “reductive-materialistic” mindset. We look at the parts, but not the whole system, we glorify productivity and optimisation. [3]

Organisations operate with Silos inside, that don’t talk well to each other, myriad “vertical” KPIs, individual incentives, each piece tries to optimise its own, with the constant agony to “align”.?? ?

We are efficient, but blind to each other... we fail to build cultures of connection and trust. There is no harmony.

We are conditioned to win at any cost, exploit for personal gain, destroy “the enemy on the other side”.

Our attention is narrow, our vision myopic, we can’t see how the parts fit together.

We excel in grabbing material wealth but fall short in understanding deeper questions.

Who are we really?

4.?? Mind The Gap

Externally, the power of technology grows exponentially. But our human consciousness is not – see graph below.

Philosopher Marc Gafni notes: “This gap between the wisdom of a civilization and its power has greatly contributed to the existential challenges threatening the future of our social systems”. [4]

We are on the edge:

-???????? We favour a Win/lose mentality. Transactional exchanges motivated by narrow self-interest, instead of playing the long game, emphasizing purpose and values.. Rivalry, instead of healthy competition.

-???????? We are reactive to the moment, obsessed with the immediate, detached from our past, oblivious of the impact of our actions on the future.

-???????? We are drowning in information… But can’t make sense of the world.

-???????? Conversations are breaking down. Extreme polarization at every level, we “demonize” or cancel others that disagree with our truth.

-???????? We have more relationships with screens than with people…

-???????? We are alienated from our own selves – our purpose, our soul– We live in a simulation…

Powerful algorithms accentuate these problems. They are not “agnostic” (as Kasparov envisioned), as tech companies prioritise maximising “user engagement”.

The New Religion, according to Yuval Harari is “Dataism” – the faith that data is the only true source of value. [5]. Algorithm becomes God.

??5.?? A New “AI” Story

There is a very different story, however…

Another “AI” - Authentic Intimacy - is the seed for a new story of human value.

Authentic Intimacy is our need for this deep human connection, to “touch and be touched”. ?To see someone else deeply - to let them feel seen and valued.

But it is more than that….

It is, together, to open up new paths, to imagine and co-create new possibilities for a better future.

It is radical curiosity, based on shared values, a shared “pathos” of what it means to be human– a shared identity.

Intimacy can’t be simulated or faked.

Intimacy opens the way to love, to help others “be all they can be”.

Authentic Intimacy does not live in “echo chambers” or closed tribes. It lives in open spaces of vivid dialogue - where diverse thinking, controversial ideas, discovery and disagreement are welcomed.

We see everything and everyone connected.

Our big challenges will not be solved with hyper-analytical thinking and vast data-processing networks - the intelligent robot will make work more efficient, but will not “generate” more creativity, love, or the feeling of being part of a team.

Great leaders in the future will be Intimacy-Generators.

Intimacy is more powerful than information.

6.?? What's your AI-Q?

So, how do we build authentic intimacy? As everything, it starts with a deep reflection – “what kind of world we want, and what impact we want to drive ourselves”?

To support your reflection, relating to your own “Authentic Intimacy Quotient” you can look at the table below.? Notice the first part is “about you with you” – as this is always the starting point to relate with others.

?Intimate with Ourselves:

1.??????Do I know my “depths”?

2.????? What's my map of the world?

3.????? Is my truth the only truth?

4.????? What are my first principles?

5.????? How do I connect with my creative spirit?

6.????? What are my shadow expressions?

7.????? What limits must I break?

?Intimate with Others:

?8.????How often do I think “what’s behind that?” when I listen?

9.???? Do I share people’s “pathos”?

10.? Can i see both sides of an argument??

11.?? Is my specialisation blinding me to other perspectives?

12.? Am I trying to prove something or to learn something?

13.? Do I co-create new paths?

14.? Is friendship important to me?

15.? How do I express love – to my people, family, community?

?Intimate with the World: ?

16.? Do I believe people have intrinsic value, not as means to an end??

17.?? How do I want to make things better in the world?

18.? Can I bring different people together?

19.? Do I believe people are generally good and worthy of trust?

20. Do I have faith in humanity even in tougher times?

? ****

As Artificial Intelligence is exploding, the real answer is to become better humans.

Authentic Intimacy is the magic glue that makes antifragile organisations and healthy societies. Creating intimacy will be one of the most desired traits in leaders.

We should not – and cannot – stop great technological advances, but we must reclaim the essence of what it means to be human.

How can you inspire authentic intimacy today in your organisation?

Thank you for reading.

Notes & References

[1] Worry About Human (Not Machine) Intelligence, by Garry Kasparov

[2] The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World. by Iain McGilchrist

[3] However, according to Gartner, AI is not delivering on this promise - 47% of employees using AI say they have no idea how to achieve expected productivity gains. ?77% say these tools have actually decreased their productivity and added to their workload. Technology adoption relies on human culture and capabilities.

[4] First Principles and First Values: Forty-Two Propositions on Cosmoerotic Humanism, the Meta-Crisis, and the World to Come, by David J. Temple.

[5] Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow, by Yuval Noah Harari.

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