This message is written by a human.
A few weeks back, I wrote a LinkedIn post where I said that I'm not interested in Artificial Intelligence, and as soon as I hit 'post', it got me thinking. What do I actually know about AI?
Sure, I worked in tech for a decade, and I can certainly "talk the talk" when it comes to Machine Learning, but what do I know about how us commoners can use it, along with its potential impact on artists and creatives? While we hear about it all the time (and dang, it sure is everywhere), I kind of just blocked it out because I felt resistant to it.
Once my curiosity was piqued, the next logical step was to crawl into a blackhole of consuming AI content from my bed. AI creators! AI Tik Toks! AI podcasts! I started playing around with Chat GPT to better understand the content it produces. I engaged in philosophical debates with friends, unpacking the plights and potential of where this technology is headed.
Okay, so upon further review, here's where I landed with all of this. As always, I reserve the right to change my mind at any point.
AI processes stuff quickly, but it cannot process the full spectrum of being a human.
AI serves capitalism, but it does not diminish our humanity.
AI will impact our future, but it cannot take away our felt experience.
There's obviously some nuance to that, but I truly believe the core of that message.
In my weird zone of AI reflection, I decided to put together a short list of all the things that AI will never be able to do, which I want to share with all of you.
A non-exhaustive list of things AI can never do:
Taste the first sip of warm coffee
Embrace its lover at the airport
Experience the energy of a life-changing concert
Sit on a porch in the summer catching up with old friends
Watch the sun drop behind the horizon
Fill its belly with its favorite meal
Feel the pang of unrequited love
Share a moment with a stranger on the subway
Be moved by nature
Feel the peach fuzz on a baby's head
Catch the shimmer of light on water
Have its breath taken away by a bride walking down the aisle
Be moved by a piece of art
Receive gut wrenching news about someone it loves
Have its head scratched
Sit by the fire on a camping trip
Trust someone enough to cry in their arms
Feel the joy when a new skill clicks into place
Spot a bald eagle when it's alone
Be loved by a dog
Experience the disorienting feeling of going to its childhood home
Serve a meal to its favorite people
Shower outdoors beneath the moonlight
Hold its grandmother's hand and feel the history in their veins
Watch the clouds dance on mushrooms
Taste warm brie
Experience an orgasm
Laugh through a karaoke song at how bad it sounds
Move through a downward dog
Feel the excitement of traveling to a new city
Feel the rise and fall of its chest
Until AI can *feel* these experiences, I am not worried about its takeover.
After I made this list, these tiny moments started showing up EVERYWHERE. Like, "oh, there's ANOTHER thing AI can't take away from us." These glimmers of humanity and consciousness made me feel REALLY grateful, and they grounded me in the full experience of being here on Earth.
This week, I challenge you to start noticing all the moments that AI will never be able to capture, reproduce, or turn into an algorithm.
You'll be amazed at what shows up.
P.S. After I wrote this, I asked Chat GPT the question, “What will AI never be able to experience?” and here’s what I got back: consciousness, emotions, subjective experiences, qualia (subjective qualities of sensory experiences), intuition, creativity (in the human sense), empathy, morality, and ethics. Those are all the best parts of being human. We win!
Nicole is coach, business mentor, and entrepreneur living in the Pacific Northwest. She specializes in life coaching and business mentoring for individuals, entrepreneurs, and creatives.
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