Fast-forward to today: As a part of my morning reading ritual, I took a deep dive into some recent articles and discussions on what makes us human and what the pathways are to enhance human connection.
Some ideas that stood out for me were:
"The challenge is designing AI systems that enhance human interaction rather than erode it."
"True intelligence isn’t the ability to generate information. True intelligence is the ability to generate emotion. The future of AI won't be about how fast it computes — but how deeply it connects."
"If, as we anticipate, human goals and preferences become increasingly co-constructed through interaction with AI systems, rather than arising separately from them, then AI safety requires paying as much attention to the psychology of human-AI relationships as the wider societal factors and technical methods of alignment. We now highlight core ingredients of this emergent psychological ecosystem: humans as social animals and AI systems as increasingly capable social agents."
This conversation has only become more urgent. I don't think the real risk of AI is replacement. I think it is the erasure of our unique fingerprints. It is the things that each of us leaves behind as breadcrumbs that highlight the mix of who we are through our choices, decisions, and connections with other humans.
In my work designing RPL pathways and competency-based frameworks, I have seen how often human potential goes unrecognized; not because it is missing, but because 'systems' overlook the stories behind it.
Given that, how do we ensure that technology enriches, not erodes, our fingerprints and human connections? If the next revolution is emotional, not technical, how do we make sure we are building a human-first AI ecosystem that doesn't overlook the human?
Well, the ‘godfather of AI’, Geoffrey Hinton, presented an intriguing solution in an interview with CNN where he suggested we build "maternal instincts” into AI models, so “they really care about people”. He goes on to say:
“Evolution obviously made a pretty good job with mothers. AI developers have been focusing on making these things more intelligent. But intelligence is just one part of a being. We need to make them have empathy towards us. And we don’t know how to do that yet. But evolution managed and we should be able to do it too.”
So, the challenge ahead is not (just) about making AI think better, but to help it care better?
#WorkFingerprints #FingerprintsInAnAIWorld #HumanFirstAI #MotherAI #EmotionalIntelligence #DigitalEthics #AIEthics
