In the Era of Artificial Intelligence, How Will Meaning Manifest? Commentary: We are moving towards a world inundated with AI. As automation becomes ubiquitous, I ponder what will serve as our primary source of purpose, identity, and significance.
I found myself seated at my desk, tuning into an OpenAI livestream shortly before Halloween, nearing the 58th minute of a rather unremarkable 62-minute broadcast. I must admit, my attention was waning by this point. “Let’s wrap it up, folks. I’m ready for lunch!”
During the livestream, OpenAI Chief Scientist Jakub Pachocki had just finished discussing how AI contributes to widespread job layoffs when CEO Sam Altman abruptly turned to him and inquired, “What do you envision as the concept of meaning? How do you foresee the future job landscape evolving? When AI takes over many current tasks, how do you believe we will derive fulfillment and allocate our time?”
The question caught me off guard. I hadn’t anticipated a billionaire CEO delving into such existential queries. It truly captured my full attention.
“What do you think meaning will resemble?”
After a brief pause, Pachocki provided a contemplative response regarding the vast knowledge and understanding that would become accessible with the advancement of artificial intelligence.
As the livestream concluded, my workday carried on. However, I couldn’t shake off the question. It lingered with me — at traffic lights in my car, strolls with my dog, pondering it before drifting off to sleep. I sought out friends to discuss their perspectives on purpose, meaning, and fulfillment.
How will meaning manifest in the era of AI?
I’ve spent significant time reflecting on this question. Thus, here is my response to you, Sam.
Meaning and purpose are deeply rooted in our personal values and endeavors. We will discover them in activities that even advanced AI cannot automate entirely. Engaging in these pursuits despite AI’s capabilities is where we’ll find fulfillment.
Automation doesn’t devalue manual tasks. Throughout history, crafts have been mechanized; however, people still knit blankets, knead dough by hand, paint with oils on canvas, and write letters by hand because the act itself is gratifying. The satisfaction lies not solely in the outcome but in our involvement in the process.
As generative AI seeps into all aspects of our lives, I am increasingly drawn to processes and craftsmanship more than ever before. Amidst online content seemingly tailored for mindless consumption, I find myself appreciating anime for its artistry; attending pottery classes to engage physically; and exploring interviews with film sound designers who translate the world’s sounds into cinema. These are activities machines could imitate or perform flawlessly; however, what resonates with me is being part of these processes — investing time, effort, curiosity, and attempting them.
Meaning doesn’t solely reside in tasks beyond AI’s capabilities but also in our conscious choice to engage in them regardless. The essence lies not in technology’s limitations but rather its lack of humanity. There’s an inherent value in witnessing human skill, care, and attention that feels exceptionally precious today. This sentiment isn’t rooted in nostalgia but rather acknowledgment.
In an age where ChatGPT can produce essays instantly and Sora can create lifelike videos while NotebookLM uncovers connections within vast libraries — as generative chatbots like Claude, Gemini, and Grok take on cognitive and creative tasks — imperfect analog experiences hold newfound allure for me. I am rediscovering the significance of tactile encounters.
Recently at the Toledo Museum of Art in Ohio, during a captivating 30-minute glassblowing demonstration that left me spellbound; observing an artist molding molten glass at temperatures surpassing 2,000 degrees using breath and tools alongside decades of expertise — witnessing imperfections being transformed into deliberate design elements through gravity and finesse captivated us all present there. We weren’t merely spectators to an object’s creation; we were partaking in a human narrative negotiating physics and constraints real-time — something no AI can replicate — fostering an intimate shared experience.
The scarcity of analog encounters will grow more precious as digital realms expand limitlessly. While composing this discourse recently,…
Read more at: [original text URL]