Identity

Introduction

Someone just asked you, “who are you?”

What’s your answer?

Now, take that answer and strip away your name, your occupation, your gender, your hometown, your ethnicity, and every word that could put you into a subset of humanity. What is left?

Humans are intelligent. This does not set us apart.

Humans can solve hard technical problems. This does not set us apart.

The human brain is a network of neurons. This does not set us apart.

It is not our strength or speed that makes us human. Animals and machines outmatch us on that front. So what makes us human?

Intelligence

Is it our intelligence? AI has logical reasoning, but so does a traditional computer program. What makes AI different is its intuition. It may not have reasons for its predictions, but after training itself millions of times, softening its flaws, it is often accurate.

If we identify with our intelligence, learning machines and “Artificial Intelligence” blur the lines of our identity.

Hard work

What about hard work? Many people will proudly tell you that they identify as a hard worker. We often determine whether someone deserves success by whether they are a hard worker.

The problem is, AI can dedicate endless energy to solving a problem. It doesn’t get distracted, it doesn’t get tired, and it never complains.

Intelligence and Hard Work are traits that many people have and wish to have, but they are not what makes us fundamentally human. In the AI age, marketing yourself as intelligent and hardworking may start to feel generic.

So what makes us human?

Creativity

Humans create at the frontiers. We push the boundaries of knowledge and art. True novel innovation comes from humans who are willing to trust their gut and take risks.

AI stays in the middle of the boundaries and sticks to what’s safe. AI art is usually a softened average of human art. It doesn't like to go out of bounds.

Curiosity

Humans ask the right questions. We are interested in the knowledge that we don’t have. We have invented every system of thought that exists in response to confusion.

That confusion resulted from our curiosity in the world around us. AI doesn’t ask the questions, it’s an answer machine, and the inquiries that we approach using AI come from us.

Care

We care about each other. We notice the small things about each other, and that can mean everything to us.

Most of what we do is for other humans: trying to provide for your children, make your parents proud, or uplift humans you’ve never seen before.

Care isn’t wired into AI the way it is wired into us. AI’s objective is technically to generate the response which minimizes the loss function. Our goal is to love each other.

Intelligence and hard work may set you apart from other humans, but curiosity, creativity, and care are traits that we all share.

When you strip away your name, your occupation, your gender, your hometown, your ethnicity, you cannot be put into a subset of humanity.

There is nothing left to say but “I am a human being. I am you.”

I think that in the age of Artificial Intelligence, we should move away from identifying with intelligence and hard work. I think it’s time to start leaning into our humanity.