The possibility that our new innovations and technologies could re-humanize us.

I know the title sounds like clickbait. But hear me out. (or read me out)

What if we have been focusing on the wrong things to define what’s ‘human’ and ‘normal’?

What if a shift in the definition of healthy human behavior and how time is best spent can be realized through our technology?

This in no way minimizes or re-frames my concerns that I still have about AI or screen time in general. But several things can be true at the same time, and as a tech optimist, I am hopeful we can find our way forward in better and more beneficial ways.

At the turn of the century here in America it had become ‘normal’ for people to work 12-hour days in conditions that were unhealthy and dangerous. It was even ‘normal’ for children to do the same. Many full-time manufacturing employees worked a backbreaking 100 hours each week.

Profit-driven business and corporations had established the “norm” of what and how humans lived, survived, earned a living, and interacted with families and loved ones. If you could get a good paying full-time factory job and work 75-100 hours per week, then you had “made it” and could provide for your family.

But as culture and society changed (including technology) we determined that these things were not healthy, life-giving, or the best version of what it meant to be productive humans. Work hours were gradually reduced, children were protected, and laws were signed into effect to protect the worker’s well-being.

These laws and regulations not only protected children and saved lives, but they enhanced our humanity. People had more time to spend with their family and loved ones. The time off allowed them to rejuvenate and rest. People had more time to spend outside during daylight hours or go to the park. Hobbies and other creative past times started bubbling up all over.

This way of being and working has lasted for the past 100 years. It’s pretty much illegal to require and base a person’s full-time salary on over 40 hours of work per week. ( I know we all work way more than that many times)

And then came the internet. It enabled world connectivity, efficiency, and increased GDP worldwide. But better mental health, less stress, and more time for creativity? Not so much.

It’s another profit-driven environment that lives off our attention and time. The result? More stress and anxiety, division, mental health issues, outrage, wasted time online, etc. And we generally accept this as the “norm”.

And then came the pandemic. We realized once again that maybe the way we changed 100 years ago could be improved on again. In a world where almost anyone in most cities and towns can access the internet, why commute in to work? And our mental health? We need to prioritize that more over profits and long hours. And so people moved out of large cities to places they desired to live so that they could have the lives they wanted.

And now we are face to face with AI, chatGPT, and other Large Language Models and technology. The cries that are voiced and thought every day are - this is going to take away my job, this is going to disrupt our “normal”, this is going to make us less human.

As I said at the beginning, several things can be true at the same time. These concerns are valid and real, and I know what it feels like to lose a job or be seriously concerned about losing my income. 

But I am going to say some things now that you may disagree with and it might even get you a bit riled up. Again, hear me out.

What if writing ad copy for 8 to 10 hours a day for other people’s products is not the best way to spend your life? Maybe it’s keeping you from doing what you always really wanted to do. Maybe it’s a creative endeavor or a place you always wanted to travel and live in for a while. Or maybe it’s that novel you keep putting off. Or what if it’s being there for all your kid’s games, recitals, and special moments? 

And what if crunching numbers day in and day out and making reports is not the best “normal”. Sure it’s familiar, and yes it may provide for your family. But is that all there is to life? To do these types of jobs until we can retire and maybe live a few more years doing not much of anything. Is that all there is?

Or perhaps, (dream with me for a moment), AI and other new innovations can make us more efficient in many areas. It can save hours and days, and weeks. We can guide it and use it to cut our work time in half or even more. What if we normalize allowing machines to do the things that machines do best, and normalizing the things that humans do best? We have done this over and over in history. Cars replaced horse and buggy. Machines replaced hand sewing and weaving. Printing presses replaced handwritten books. GPS systems replaced paper maps. Computers replaced manual calculations. And yes, they have all had their effects and affects on us and society. But we can mostly agree about the benefits as well.

Counting, driving, writing certain things, calculating, estimating, predictions based on data, testing, etc. These are all things that machine learning can do better and more efficiently than humans.

And what can we do best as humans? 

Emotional intelligence: Humans have the ability to understand, empathize, and respond to emotions in others. 

Creativity: Humans can create original ideas, art, music, and literature, often inspired by their experiences and emotions. 

Complex problem-solving: Humans can solve complex problems by considering multiple perspectives, using intuition, and drawing on their diverse knowledge and experiences. 

Morality and ethics: Humans can make moral and ethical decisions based on their values, beliefs, and cultural context. 

Nuanced communication: Humans can understand and use non-verbal cues, sarcasm, irony, and humor in their communication. 

Cultural understanding: Humans can navigate the complexities of cultural norms, traditions, and customs, adapting their behavior and communication to different cultural contexts. 

Building trust and relationships: Humans can form deep, meaningful relationships with others, often built on trust, empathy, and shared experiences.

I could go on with many more examples, but my main point is this…what if we tried to rethink and re-imagine what is normal and healthy for us. And then created the guard rails and regulations needed for our AI and other new forms of technology to abide by and follow those rules?

Let’s learn from the past 15 years of smartphones and social media and not repeat the addictive, profit-only driven algorithms. We are at a crossroads where we can allow this new technology to free us from the current constraints of the “normal” we so desperately want to hold on to and move toward something is actually more humanizing and life-giving. Or we can allow it to numb us even more to that inner voice that is calling out and asking “ is this all there is?” 

 I for one know that there is much more. Creativity, intuition, cultural understanding, art, well-being, and curiosity are what we all deeply desire and need more than ever.

So is there a possibility that our new innovations and technologies could re-humanize us? I think it’s possible. How about you?