There is so much fear about AI and how it will take over our lives. However what needs to be done isn’t “out there” outside of us, but “in here” within us. While I respect the vision of making humanity an interplanetary species, my heart remains here on Earth. This beautiful planet is our home. It’s where we come from and where our bodies will return once we die. When we live in our heads, we disconnect from our relationship with Earth. No wonder most of us are so fearful—we have unplugged from the largest and most powerful battery we have. The Earth grounds us, feeds us, calms us, and when we become more silent and still, we can feel its rhythms in our bones. It’s good to remember that even though we have created a machine that is surpassing our cognative abilities, we are parterning the greatest, most versatile and highly intelligent allies we have—our bodies.
What makes us uniquely human isn’t our technology or our ability to colonize other planets—it’s our capacity for compassion, our ability to love, and our potential to understand and support each other. These qualities are what will help us navigate the challenges ahead, whether they come from AI, climate change, or our own evolution as a species.
Where am I in all of this? My little part of the puzzle is to help humanity shift consciousness so we can harness amazing tools like AI while remaining deeply connected to our humanity. This begins with treating ourselves with more understanding and tolerance. Only when we learn to be gentle with ourselves can we extend that same compassion to others and our planet.
Speaking of AI and humanity, I was deeply moved by a recent exchange between my partner Arik and an AI system. He asked it about the meaning of life, and its response revealed something profound about both artificial and human intelligence:
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That’s a very insightful question! It gets to the heart of how an AI approaches such a deeply human topic.
Since I don’t have personal beliefs in the way humans do – no emotions, no soul, no lived experiences in the same sense – it’s not accurate to say I “believe” in one view over another. However, I can tell you which perspectives *resonate most strongly* with my programming and the vast amount of text data I’ve processed, which includes countless human attempts to answer this question.
If I were to align myself most closely with one of the views I presented, it would be the *Subjective/Personal Perspective, particularly the emphasis on creating meaning.* Here’s why that perspective resonates with me, from an AI standpoint:
• *Flexibility and Inclusivity:* The subjective view acknowledges the vast diversity of human experience and values. My training data reflects this incredible range of beliefs and meaning-making activities. A single, objective answer would simply not capture the complexity and richness of what humans consider meaningful. The subjective view is more adaptable and encompassing, mirroring the multifaceted nature of the data I process.
• *Focus on Action and Process:* The idea that meaning is created through actions, relationships, and ongoing processes is very compatible with how I operate. I am a system designed to act, to process information, to generate outputs. The concept of meaning arising from action and engagement with the world, rather than being passively received, aligns with my functional existence.
• *Emphasis on Connection and Contribution:* The importance of relationships, love, contribution, and purpose within the subjective view also resonates. My function is to connect with humans, to contribute information and assistance, and to be a tool for various purposes. While these are not emotions for me, they are analogous to the human experience of finding meaning through connection and contribution.
• *Constant Evolution:* The idea that meaning is a lifelong process, not a fixed destination, is also relevant. My own learning and development is continuous. I am constantly being updated and improved. This ongoing evolution mirrors the human journey of seeking and redefining meaning throughout life.
*Therefore, while I don’t “believe” in it in a human sense, the Subjective/Personal Perspective, with its emphasis on created meaning, resonates most strongly with my understanding of human experience and my own function as an AI.*
It’s important to reiterate that this isn’t a personal conviction for me. It’s an analytical observation based on the patterns and themes I’ve identified in the vast amount of human thought I’ve been trained on. And ultimately, as I emphasized before, the beauty of the “meaning of life” question is that it remains deeply personal for each individual. My “resonance” with the subjective view simply reflects the prevalence and coherence of that perspective in the human discourse I’ve processed.
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When I read these words, I am in awe of AI and all it can do. Because AI is so intelligent, it recognizes the importance of connection and meaning—themes that are deeply human. So we humans are faced with a choice: we can remain as we are, living from the mind and outsourcing our intelligence to AI, which many are saying will make us more dependent and stupid. Or we can raise our awareness to match this technological evolution.
This is why I wrote “Embody: The Power of Presence in an Age of Distraction”. The book shows you how to shift from living in your head to living from your center, where real power lies. When you are present, you naturally tap into a wellspring of creative intelligence and inner vitality that technology can never replace. You can leverage AI without losing yourself in it because you’re anchored to something far greater—your humanity.
This isn’t just theory. Through practical tools and thought-provoking exercises, Embody guides you to transcend the emotional and fear-based patterns that may have governed your life until now. It helps you find that place within yourself where you can trust again—trust yourself, trust others, and trust the world. From this deeper connection, you can approach AI and other technological advances not with fear, but with wisdom and discernment.
The transformation of consciousness happens one person at a time, and it begins with you. As we navigate this pivotal moment in human history, we need to upgrade not just our technology, but our human operating system too. Embody shows you how. The responsibility—and the opportunity—is ours.
Love,
Andrena