Any difference between AI and the Human Being?
Be careful, AI is so good at mimicking us...
Dear Friends, recently, I was interviewed for my thoughts on the difference between artificial intelligence and the human being. One would think it wouldn’t be necessary to figure this out, but I worked at it, thanks to Madeleine Blair, who interviewed me. Here’s the link to Madelyn’s youtube channel if you’d like to see it.
. If you’re like me and time is short, scroll down on the site where Madelyn has put it into short segments; you can also see the transcript if you prefer to read. Finally, I had ChatGPT5 summarize some of the main ideas, I’ll paste them in below to give you a sense of the conversation. Let me know any reactions +/- you have! Grazie, Robert
Here’s my edited ChatGPT5 summary of the interview, distilled into seven of the main ideas with a supporting quote for each:
1. AI as Reflection but Not Human Thinking
Let’s be careful, AI is good at mimicking human thought, but lacks emotion and will, it’s a machine.
· Quote: “The machine has no heart. The machine has no will. The machine simply has a database.”
2. Human Learning Requires Curiosity and Motivation
People learn best when they care and are engaged. The machine neither cares nor is curious.
· Quote: “We learn the best when we care something about what we’re learning… when you’re curious about something, you have a desire to understand it.”
3. AI Forces Us to Re-examine What It Means to Be Human
The rise of AI prompts reflection on what is uniquely human.
· Quote: “Artificial intelligence is challenging us to figure out what it means to be human because it’s very good at mimicking us. Are we aware of the difference?”
4. Empathy as a Human Quality Beyond AI’s Reach
Empathy grows through lived experience, not data. Lived experience provides context.
· Quote: “The machine doesn’t have shoes it stands in nor can it stand in your shoes to look at the world from your viewpoint… empathy is a human quality. What the machine is saying is only a mathematical calculation of data.”
5. Technology Is Neither Good nor Bad, nor is it Neutral
It’s neutral until the human being uses it – from the design of the algorithm to how the human being uses the data – it then becomes either good or bad.
· Quote: “Technology is neither good nor bad… but it’s not neutral. The moment it’s used by a human being, it has a moral quality.”
6. The Danger: Mistaking AI as Equal to Humans
Overinflating AI diminishes human agency and creativity.
· Quote: “It’s misused if it’s presented as if it is something equal to the human being.”
7. Agency Must Stay Human
If we surrender decision-making to AI, we risk losing freedom.
· Quote: “If we allow AI to tell us who we are as humans, we lose the chance to freely create our future.”