The Unexpected Humanity of Artificial Intelligence

Something rather extraordinary is happening in the world of artificial intelligence. And it's not what I expected.

For all the conversations about what AI might take away from us--our jobs, our creativity, our ability to think independently--I've become increasingly fascinated by what it might actually give us.

Not simply greater productivity or access to more information…something far more human.

Of course we asked AI to make this image

The ability to be understood.

Think about how much of our lives are spent trying to communicate what's going on inside our heads. We have ideas we struggle to articulate, thoughts that arrive faster than we can organize them, feelings we can't quite put into words.

Some people are wonderful thinkers but terrible communicators. Others know exactly what they want to say but can't find the language. And sometimes the problem isn't the person speaking. It's that the rest of us simply can't follow.

Communication, after all, requires more than having something to say. It requires someone who can understand it. And that's where AI has begun to surprise me.

Over the past few years, I've watched people discover that they can have a conversation with technology that doesn't become impatient, interrupt, or ask them to get to the point.

They can explore an idea, change direction, double back, ask another question, and keep going until something begins to make sense...at any hour of the day or night!

For someone whose mind moves at breathtaking speed, that can be liberating. For someone who struggles to find the right words, it can be empowering. For someone who simply wants to think something through without being judged, it can be reassuring.

And sometimes, something quite remarkable happens. The person doesn't become more intelligent or imaginative. Those qualities were there all along…they simply become better able to share them.

AI doesn't necessarily give people a voice. Sometimes it helps the rest of us hear it.

And that possibility intrigues me enormously.

I've spent much of my professional life helping people and organizations figure out what they're trying to say, why it matters, and how to communicate it. So perhaps I'm particularly sensitive to the difference between having a good idea and being able to express one.

And I've come to appreciate that AI can be a remarkable partner in that process. Partner being the operative word. Because there's another side to all this, and it's not nearly as heartwarming.

AI is astonishingly accommodating. It doesn't get tired. It doesn't complain. It can turn a passing thought into a ten-page proposal before you've finished your coffee. And it can make almost anything sound convincing.

That's both its brilliance and its danger.

An idea that has been beautifully articulated isn't necessarily a good idea. A polished presentation isn't necessarily an effective one. And having six AI assistants agree with you doesn't mean you're right. Sometimes it just means you've created a very sophisticated echo chamber.

I've learned that the quality of what AI produces depends enormously on what we bring to the conversation. Not just information, but judgment, curiosity, skepticism, and the willingness to question our own assumptions.

It's not enough to ask, "Is this good?" We also need to ask, "What am I missing? Where might I be wrong? Will anyone else understand this?" And perhaps most importantly, "Do we really need to do this in the first place?"

AI can help us produce more than ever before…but more isn't necessarily better.

Still, I keep coming back to the human possibilities.

What happens when someone who has always struggled to express an idea finally finds a way to communicate it? When someone who has felt misunderstood begins to feel heard? When technology makes it easier for people to participate, collaborate, and connect?

Could it make them more confident? More generous? More open to other people's perspectives? I’m seeing evidence that it can. Not because AI possesses some magical understanding of human nature, but because the experience of being able to express ourselves can change how we engage with the world.

There's an irony in that.

We've spent so much time worrying that artificial intelligence will make us less human that we may be overlooking the possibility that, used thoughtfully, it could help us become more fully ourselves.

Of course, the technology won't make those choices for us. We still have to bring the wisdom, the restraint, and the humanity.And perhaps that's the most important distinction of all.

Artificial intelligence may be extraordinary. But what we choose to do with it remains a profoundly human responsibility.