“Multiple boundaries are going to blur or melt over the next decade, shifting the experience of being human in disconcerting ways. Among them:
The boundary between reality and fiction: Deepfakes have already put a big dent in reality, and it’s only going to get worse. In setting after setting, we will find it impossible to distinguish between the natural and the synthetic. In addition…
“The boundary between human intelligence and other intelligences: Parity with human thinking is a dumb goal for these new intelligences, which might be more fruitfully used as a Society of Mind of very different skills and traits. As we snuggle closer to these intelligences, it will be increasingly difficult to distinguish who (or what) did what.
As boundaries fall, they will tumble in the direction they are pushed, which means they will shift according to the dominant forces of our sociotechnical world. Unfortunately, today that means the forces of consumerism and capitalism. … We have such a screwed up society that we have to educate kids about empathy, a natural human trait, and AIs today can out-empathize the average human. It is my hope that some human traits will become more highly valued among humans than before the AI era. I’m hard-pressed to say which or why, but a real hug is likely to retain its value.
“The boundary between human creations and synthetic creations: A few artists may find lasting value by creating a new Vow of Chastity for AI, declaring that their creations were unaided. But everyone else will melt into the common pool of mixed authorship, with fairly unskilled artists able to generate highly sophisticated works. It will be confusing for everyone, especially the art industry. Same goes for literature and other creative works.
“The boundary between skilled practitioners and augmented humans: We won’t be able to tell whether an artifact was created by a human, an AI or some combination. It will be hard to make claims of chastity credible — and it may simply not matter anymore.
“The boundary between what we think we know and what everyone else knows: Will we all be talking to the same AI engines, commingling our ideas and opinions? Will AIs know us better than we know ourselves, so we slip into a ‘Her’ future? Will AIs know both sides of disputes better than the disputing parties? If so, will the AIs use that knowledge for good or evil?
“I bet you can think of several other boundaries under siege. As boundaries fall, they will tumble in the direction they are pushed, which means they will shift according to the dominant forces in our sociotechnical world. Unfortunately, today that means the forces of consumerism and capitalism, which have led us into this cul-de-sac of addictive, meaning-light fare that often fuels extremism. Those same forces are fueling AI now. I don’t see how that ends well.
“In this crazy mess of shifting boundaries, AIs will successfully emulate core human traits, such as empathy. We have such a screwed-up society that we have to educate kids about empathy, a natural human trait, and AIs today can out-empathize the average human. It is my hope that some human traits will become more highly valued among humans than before the AI era. I’m hard-pressed to say which, or why, but a real hug is likely to retain its value.
“How much AI did I use for this short essay? That’s for me to know, and you to guess.”
This essay was written in January 2025 in reply to the question: Over the next decade, what is likely to be the impact of AI advances on the experience of being human? How might the expanding interactions between humans and AI affect what many people view today as ‘core human traits and behaviors’? This and nearly 200 additional essay responses are included in the 2025 report “Being Human in 2035.”