The Human Edge in the Age of AI [Newsletter #78]

Welcome to this week’s newsletter for the AI and the Future of Work podcast.

Part of being human is wanting to be heard. We pay attention to what others say because it helps us feel connected. Yet as AI evolves, there is a growing concern. Are we starting to look to these tools for the feeling of being heard?

AI’s rapid progress has been a long learning process. Learning always involves mistakes, and AI is no exception. The challenge is avoiding one mistake that could shape how we relate to these systems. Relying on them too much for emotional validation can create unhealthy patterns.

So the question becomes, how do we advance AI language while protecting what makes us human? By building technology with intention.

Let’s dive into this week’s highlights! 🚀

🎙️ New Podcast Episode With Kate O’Neill, Author and Founder of KO Insights

AI’s evolution is moving faster than anyone expected, and the pace of change makes fear understandable. The phrase “AI is a threat” has become common.

But, there is something we shouldn’t lose sight of. AI exists, but we are the ones using it. We shape the relationships we build with these tools, which means we also shape their future. And so far, as Kate O’Neill points out, we are making a critical mistake.

Kate is an author, linguist, tech humanist, and one of the leading voices influencing how we design the future of AI. Her work focuses on one guiding principle, keeping humans at the center.

She brings a blend of optimism and realism to every conversation about the future, including in her latest book, What Matters Next, where she explores how to make tech decisions that support human well-being.

PeopleReign CEO Dan Turchin sat down with Kate to discuss how conversational AI systems are often designed to draw us in. Tools like large language models tap into a basic human desire: the desire to feel heard.T

That design choice can blur our perception, sometimes making us believe the system cares about us. It leads to an unhealthy dynamic, but one we can address.

Kate reminds us that our coexistence with AI holds enormous potential. The question is how to build a relationship where AI supports humans instead of the other way around. Her answer is clear. We need to rely on the two advantages that belong only to us, purpose and meaning.

In this conversation, we explore this and much more:

• How leaders can benefit from humanism by examining the relationship between people, technology, and business, and by designing AI systems that strengthen that connection.

• Many employees feel uneasy about AI, so leaders have an opportunity to encourage them to use these tools in ways that expand their roles.

• Leadership must also create psychologically safe environments where employees feel comfortable experimenting with AI tools.

• AI can become bureaucratic, and organizations risk falling into that mindset. The safeguard is staying grounded in meaning and purpose.

• How future workplaces can evolve when human judgment is paired with increasingly capable AI systems.

🎧 This week's episode of AI and the Future of Work, featuring Kate O’Neill, inspired this issue.

Listen to the full episode to hear why Kate O’Neill believes AI doesn’t make us less human. Instead, it gives us an opportunity to understand what being human truly means.

📖 AI Fun Fact Article

We are starting to lose momentum on policies designed to ensure AI safety, as Evi Fuelle and Courtney Lang explain in the Atlantic Council Online. Much of the conversation has shifted toward national competition instead of global cooperation.

To rebuild progress, Fuelle and Lang outline four areas where governments have a clear opportunity.

National leaders should focus on identifying regulatory gaps, advancing industry discussions on open-source models, fostering trust by encouraging AI testing, and supporting public-private collaboration across borders.

Researchers, policymakers, and enterprises have made important gains in addressing AI risks over the past several years by concentrating heavily on adoption. Those gains matter. A coordinated effort to advance AI policy that reflects this reality should be a priority for every nation.

PeopleReign CEO Dan Turchin highlights that it should come as no surprise that global AI safety and fair use policies have stalled. The lack of agreement has nothing to do with AI safety and everything to do with the rising temperature of global discourse.

Dan speaks as an American when he explains that, in the push to promote American exceptionalism, the country has alienated many allies and further distanced itself from adversaries. New alliances are forming, and they are influencing everything from global trade to immigration policies and defense spending.

The fact that AI policy is caught in the literal and figurative crossfire is to be expected. It is also a reminder that we cannot leave important conversations about responsible AI and human risk solely to policymakers.

We, as practitioners, must acknowledge that innovation knows no boundaries. Dan insists that it is up to us to hold each other accountable. Every human will suffer the consequences if we wait for global policymakers to intervene.

Worth A Read 📚

📣 Share your Thoughts and Leave a Review!

Until Next Time: Stay Curious 🤔

👋 That's a Wrap for This Week!

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