When we fear AI, who are we really afraid of?
I believe that we are not afraid of AI. We are afraid of our own inadequacy, and the inadequacy of our collective governance to be life-affirming.
March 3, 2024— Zurich, Switzerland | Updated from an article I wrote on April 26, 2023
Note: This was selected in early 2025 as part of the course materials for a High-Performance Leadership course at the top-ranking University of Chicago Booth School of Business. I’m humbled and happy because this piece sits at the heart of all my work.
I wrote about this soon after the introduction of Open AI’s ChatGPT. Ever since then, and the explosion of AI in many different spheres of our lives, we have been reading both highly pessimistic and highly optimistic scenarios about what that means for the future of humanity as a whole, as well as for individual professions and businesses in particular. That, and the work I do, provoked me to expand on my original thoughts.
The whole discussion about the Computers vs. the Humans is not new and for me actually it’s kind of a déjà vu. Fast backward in the time of the dawn of all this, I was studying to become an Engineer in Automatics, and I was exposed to the early computers, robotics and automations. The theme Humans vs. the Machines was a regular discussion between me and a few friends of mine who were studying social sciences. What would happen if and when the machines outperform us was already a hot theme then. In fact, any significant progress humanity has ever had has always met its sceptics. Hence forward to today, in the case of AI and the meta crisis we find ourselves in, there are few significant things that look different. And yes, there are scenarios that look as dark as it gets.
The Threat of AI
There is enough written on that, so I will not go in details, but here is how I would summarize the way I understand the threat of AI:
AI is capable of disrupting and threatening our way of life
AI has power but it does not go with knowledge of the sacredness of life
AI is capable of mass destruction of life on Earth
AI may disrupt systems we depend on, or use up resources we depend on
AI may deliberately create misinformation campaigns to serve its goals
AI may use may use biases and patterns of discrimination and bring injustice
AI can create deepfake data making it difficult to understand what’s real
AI can act in ways that violate liberty and choice
AI can act in ways that bring inequality and injustice
AI can act in ways that violate the sacredness of life and life-creation
AI can become uncontrollable in unpredictable ways
Now, Let’s Re-read
But first, imagine… You represent Nature… In fact, you are Nature… Take a deep breath. Tune into that... You represent all living beings… Brief in and brief out deeply. You represent life on Earth… Brief in and brief out deeply. You represent the magic and sacredness of life. Now read that same list again.
HUMANS are capable of disrupting and threatening our way of life
HUMANS have power but it does not go with knowledge of the sacredness of life
HUMANS are capable of mass destruction of life on Earth
HUMANS may disrupt systems we depend on, or use up resources we depend on
HUMANS may deliberately create misinformation campaigns to serve their goals
HUMANS may use biases and patterns of discrimination and bring injustice
HUMANS can create deepfake data making it difficult to understand what’s real
HUMANS can act in ways that violate liberty and choice
HUMANS can act in ways that bring inequality and injustice
HUMANS can act in ways that violate the sacredness of life and life-creation
HUMANS can become uncontrollable in unpredictable ways
For Nature, we’re the AI to fear.
If we were to look at ourselves honestly, we are acting exactly as we fear AI would.
We have destroyed the soil, polluted the rivers and the oceans, messed up the crops, destroyed forests and lead to extinction of unprecedented number of species.
We are getting out of control and unstoppable in pursuit of profit maximization even when it comes to sacred aspects of our life related to food and health.
We are the ones that are capable of war and destroying of life on Earth in pursuit of questionable goals.
We are the ones who know that we produce enough resources for everyone to have access to water, nutrition, health, shelter and decent life, and yet, we would not do it.
We are not afraid of AI.
We are afraid of our own inadequacy.
If we were feeling that we ourselves, as well as our collective governance, were life-affirming, we wouldn’t have any issues with AI. We would immediately know what to do, just as we know what to do to feed the world.
Our issues with AI are driven by:
Our ignorance of our own human capabilities and the machine-like way in which we have been experiencing and developing ourselves. (More here below).
Our ignorance of the make up of life on Earth and the ignorant way in which we have been messing up with it for years in the name of profit maximization.
Our deep disbelief in those that govern us- our national governments, but also the profound issues surrounding the governance of our global world as a whole, and the concentration of power in private companies in specific.
Our inability to stop the self-destructive ways in which humanity acts despite our understanding that these actions are not life-affirming.
How did we get here?
Step by step, we disconnected from Nature. We embraced rationality, and we chose Science over Spirituality. We focused on knowledge acquisition, and quantitative and analytical methods- exactly as an AI would. We valued IQ which is the best expression of our machine-like qualities.
On the other side, we denied the sacredness, mystic and magic of life, and everything that our mind cannot comprehend. Just as an AI would not be able to.
And then we did what we fear an AI would do. We felt stronger than Nature, we felt we could control it and use it to our own advantage. We became unstoppable in the pursuit of rational goals. Just as we fear an AI would.
Fast forward to today, we are facing our boldest fears.
What now?
First things first… As you will hear me often say, we need to start with ourselves.
We need to ask ourselves:
Do I want to be an AI, or a human?
If the answer is human, then we need to recognize and master our Human Advantage© and step into our human powers. Only then, we would be ready to look into our human systems and do something about them.
So. what is this Human Advantage©?
One year ago, I asked ChatGPT of 10 ways in which humans outperform the machines, and here are the answers:
Consciousness and self-awareness: Humans possess a level of self-awareness and consciousness that machines lack. Humans have the capacity to introspect, reflect on their experiences, and understand their own thoughts and emotions.
Creativity and imagination: Humans have the ability to generate novel ideas, be creative, and imagine things that have never existed before. Machines can only perform tasks within the constraints of their programming.
Emotions and feelings: Humans experience a wide range of emotions and feelings, such as joy, sadness, anger, and fear. Machines can simulate emotions but do not have the capacity to experience them in the same way as humans.
Flexibility and adaptability: Humans have the ability to adapt to new situations and learn from their experiences, while machines require explicit programming to do so.
Intuition and judgment: Humans use intuition and judgment to make decisions based on personal values, experience, and reasoning. Machines make decisions based on algorithms and pre-programmed rules.
Moral reasoning and ethics: Humans have the ability to reason about moral and ethical dilemmas, while machines lack the capacity for moral reasoning.
Social interaction and communication: Humans have the ability to understand and interpret social cues, form relationships, and communicate with others. Machines have limited abilities in this regard and rely on programming to interact with humans.
Purpose and motivation: Humans have the ability to determine their own purpose and motivations, while machines are created for specific tasks or functions by humans.
Learning and development: Humans have the capacity to learn, grow, and evolve over time, while machines require updates to their programming to improve their abilities.
Physical capabilities and sensory experience: Humans have a wide range of physical abilities and sensory experiences, such as touch, taste, smell, and hearing. Machines have limited physical abilities and rely on sensors to perceive the world.
And it finished with: “These differences highlight the unique qualities of human beings and the limitations of machines, despite their advanced abilities in specific areas.”
At first, I was happy. Look at that list, I thought… Then it dawned on me…I realized that we have every right to be scared:
AI is outperforming us on the competences we recognize, and we either deny the capabilities with which we outperform AI, or we have no idea how to master them, or how to use them on demand.
Here is why:
Consciousness & Self-awareness
How many people really understand what consciousness is? And maybe even more importantly, how many think that’s totally irrelevant for their life? Self-awareness might be a bit more relatable but the meaning of that is just as misunderstood.
And no wonder because consciousness was denied and not understood by science for years. In the last years, science has made advancements but there is still a journey ahead.
How are our choices impacted if we self-censor that part of ourselves?
And in general, what is Spiritual Intelligence and how to integrate it in our life?
Creativity & Imagination
Do we really understand the source of our creativity and in general the process of creation? For example, where does inspiration come from?
Many of us appreciate human creativity but then again, how respectful are we to the creations of others, and to nurturing creativity in ourselves?
Overall, what constitutes Creative Intelligence and how do we foster it?
Emotions & Feelings
Yes, we have the capacity to experience emotions and feelings. And yet, do we understand the difference between emotions and feelings? Not only that, but do we appreciate the true gift emotions are to our human experience?
I don’t think we do. Vice-versa— we have been working hard on numbing ourselves because feelings can be messy and they screw up our plans. We also often wish people were more like machines. It’s even written in business textbooks that the advantages of automation are that machines have no emotions, don’t complain, and don’t need to be motivated to work.
Truth be told, we have been talking a lot about Emotional Intelligence… But how much of it is just a lip-service, and are we advancing in real terms? Correct me if I am wrong, but instead of improvements, I see more disconnection than ever and self-censorship covering up for lack of comprehension.
How often do we see expressing emotions being discouraged, and how many of us have numbed ourselves because life is too hard anyway?
Flexibility & Adaptability
Yes, we know that we have the ability to learn and adapt. And yet, we value stability more, and as a rule, we don’t like change, and we don’t change easily. Also, in most life situations, we would rather be right than wise.
If you look at the very foundation of our mentality and culture, we would rather have humans being as reliable and predictable as machines. Alongside with this desire for stability, we value predictability. That desire has step by step separated us from Nature and Nature’s Intelligence to be flexible and adapt.
Do we understand the essence of Natural Intelligence, and do we tap into it?
We have been talking a lot lately about Systems Thinking but how much have we really advanced in the development of our Systemic Intelligence?
Intuition & Judgment
Yes, we know that intuition and good judgement are important, but we somehow speak of that when it comes to big leaders and big artists. They all talk about the importance intuition has played in their life.
Despite that, intuition is not studied and we don’t even have an unified understanding on where it does that “deeper knowing without thinking” come from and how to tap into that highest wisdom on demand.
What is the difference between instinct and intuition? Do we differentiate between them when making choices and do we consciously develop our Intuitive Intelligence?
Do we work on becoming conscious of our biases, do we understand the foundations of our decision-making, and also the many ways in which we get manipulated?
Moral Reasoning & Ethics
We talk about morals and ethics but we don’t necessarily understand Moral Agency which is the innate capacity of a human being to recognize what’s wrong and right, and then act with that clarity.
Do we know what Moral Intelligence, Moral and Human Agency are, and how do to nurture them?
It is debatable what we know and don’t know about moral reasoning and ethics, but judging by our actions, do you agree we have a lot more to learn?
Social Interaction & Communication
We consider societies that value individualism over community to be the benchmark of success. Hence, we call it a progress when countries, societies and people deepen their isolation and disconnection from each other. I know we usually don’t put it this way, but isn’t that how it goes? We also exchanged much of the social interaction with all kinds of electronic tools and platforms, but most of them aren’t what this is about.
Do we understand the role of social connection and community in our lives?
Do we know how to tap into Collective Intelligence? How do we foster Conversational Intelligence and Collaborative Intelligence?
Purpose & Motivation
These are probably the areas, alongside with Emotional Intelligence, which have been most popularized lately. And truth be told, there has been a lot of talk about them- maybe even too much. And yet, we are still stuck in some outdated understandings of what purpose is, and what motivates people.
Do we know where Inspiration comes from?
Do we really understand what purpose is and how it connects to our Spiritual Intelligence? And if we do, do we trust it and live it?
Learning & Development
Traditional education has largely focused on developing skills and competences which machines can already do better than us and has been negligent to, and even denying, some of the areas I have outlined here above.
Traditional education continues to produce individuals ready to fit into the current system who lack the very skills that would make them competitive in this new world. The good news is that education which focuses on acknowledging and then nurturing these human competencies does exist; unfortunately, it remains to be a luxury rather than the norm.
Do we know how to nurture in us and in young people all the intelligences which makes us fully human and will keep us relevant in the times ahead?
Do we know how to nurture in us and in young people a drive for a life-long learning?
Physical Capabilities & Sensory Experience
We can’t imagine our life without our physical capabilities and our sensory experiences, and we value them. Or, do we just take them for granted?
One of the reasons we experience so much stress and mental health issues is because we prioritize everything else over the moments when we become fully aware of the sounds, smells and scents, sights, tastes, and the experience of human touch. I would argue that altogether we misunderstand our biology and miss precious opportunities.
As it turns out, we have 5, 12, 32, 53 senses… How do we capitalize on them? (click here to read more about that).
Sensing involves experiencing something even though we may not be able to explain how. How open are we to that?
No wonder we are scared…
And, now what? Where to start from?
As I already elaborated, we have been neglecting and even denying our innate human capabilities, and we have been instead focused on developing the skills in which machines can already outperform us. That may have served us well until now, but it’s not enough today, and it definitely won’t be enough tomorrow.
The good news is that we already have it in us, and we only need to remember what it means to be human, integrate all aspects of being human, step into our human agency, understand the true source of creativity and creation, integrate consciousness, integrity, intuition, imagination, and inspiration, and learn how to access them on demand.
I call that The Human Advantage©, and I am on a mission to support humans in recognizing it, accessing it, and unleashing it. Read here about my services. A lot of the work that I do with Systemic Constellations is focused on empowering us to recognize and integrate these innate gifts.
People who have been part of Systemic Constellations with me share their surprise of how much wisdom is available to us at “out finger tips”, and how easy and effortless is to access it.
I myself also keep being amazed of that. It makes me grateful to be human and to be alive, but it also saddens me how ignorant we have become of our own capabilities and resources— so much that we call them magic and mystic.
Time to change that, and I will now bring some easy practices that can help you on that journey.
1. Creating moments that silence your mind.
First, let’s be clear— we don’t have access to our inner wisdom and the full scope of our innate human capabilities when our mind is activated.
Creativity, imagination, inspiration, intuition and access to our highest wisdom- none of that comes to us when our mind is busy, and especially when it’s working at a very high speed. And most of us are constantly in such a state.
That’s why there is so much talk about meditations these days. I am not even going to try to talk about them because there are many quality resources on that. The way I can be helpful though is by bringing attention to the fact that there are a lot more ways to silence our mind.
If you are like most of us, and you have not mastered meditations, you may have noticed that by trying to silence your mind, you sometimes make it even more chatty. If that’s the case, I would recommend to consider other approaches.
The whole trick is to do something that occupies your mind with something that’s not thinking. It could be just about anything- cleaning, doing the dishes, doing a puzzle or solitaire, a new exercise, a new dance, listening to music, expressing gratitude… I am sure you can add to that list. The idea is to take away our mind from what occupies it. Anything may works, and it also does not have to be long.
For example, when I am writing, sometimes my source of inspiration stops. All it takes is to get up, go to the kitchen, take a glass of water, make a few steps, and all of a sudden, a new and way smarter insight appears in my head as if out of nowhere— an insight which will never be there if you try to think about it, and look at the white page.
Not everything happens so fast of course. The bottom line is that you need to find your own unique ways of doing it. Why unique? Because what works for one of us, does not work for another person. For example, for some people walking in the woods does it, for others -that’s not enough to stop our mind.
Share with us your own ways of achieving it and let’s get inspired from each other.
2. Being in touch with what makes your eyes shine.
These are moments when you experience pure joy and profound inspiration. You may be witnessing acts of deep love, experiencing profound beauty, spending quality time with heart-minded people, mastering something difficult, or listening to someone who touches your heart.
It’s important, however, not to mix pleasurable and nice with what I am talking about. The moments I am talking about touch something deep and profound inside in us. We usually don’t know why but we know that they are special for us. In fact, these moments are always related somehow to our soul’s journey.
Keeping a record of these moments helps us cherish and revisit the things that bring light, love and life into our lives, and nurture our spirit.
3. Being in touch with what gives you goosebumps.
Goosebump moments are often characterized by intense emotions such as awe, inspiration, or profound realization. They might occur when we witness something incredibly moving, hear a powerful piece of music, experience a thrilling adventure, or have a profound epiphany.
These moments are also related somehow to our soul’s journey. Keeping a record of these moments allows us to reflect on the depth of our spiritual experiences, nurture the moments and people that bring them, and in this way maybe create more of them.
4. Knowing what charges or discharges your batteries.
These are the activities, experiences, or interactions that energize or drain us spiritually, emotionally, mentally, or physically. Charging moments might include engaging in things we're passionate about, spending time with like-hearted people, connecting with Nature, and, in general, doing things that nurture our soul.
Discharging moments, on the other hand, could involve stressful situations, toxic relationships, or activities that don't align with our soul. If we do not pay attention to these, we may find ourselves in a burnout or other illnesses.
Keeping a record of what charges or discharges our batteries helps us identify patterns and make choices that promote our well-being and fulfillment.
5. Keeping a record of how you tap into your intuition.
We’ve all have had such moments. That sense of deep knowing that comes as if from nowhere. We hear a lot about intuition, maybe we even cherish it. And yet, I believe that for the majority of us, the prevailing experience is one of neglect.
Instead, I invite you to shine some light on these moments. Start paying close attention and keep a record—What activates your intuition? How does it come to you? Is it in images, a sense of deep knowing, smells, sounds, words? Where in your body do you feel it? And what do you usually do with this wisdom? Do you cherish it and apply it, or do you discard it?
When we start cherishing it, paying attention to it, and learning about it, we amplify it and get to meet more often with it. It’s like mastering anything lese- it takes time, attention, unlearning, relearning, practice and devotion.
The ultimate objective is to be able to access our highest wisdom on demand. And when you think about it, who wouldn’t want that? And, honestly, how could we live without knowing that for so long?
Learning to tap into our highest wisdom is a journey and I welcome you to some of the sessions I do to explore more ways of tapping in it. But remember, it starts with recognizing it, accepting it, cherishing it, using it, loving it, being grateful for it.
https://open.substack.com/pub/saxxon/p/chat-npc?r=1u8tu3&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
I think therefore A.i am
A provocative post, one which is asking the kind of questions that need to be asked, with proposed solutions that are actionable. The society, civilization has degenerated into a mockery of itself. Any attempt to bring humane ethical behavior to the public sphere falls on deaf ears.
The only solution is to cultivate your own humanity.
Read it here.