Being AI in the age of humans: Or what AI bots should aim for

The question is not how we humans will fare but how AI learns to thrive among us on our terms

- JASPREET BINDRA

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been with us for more than 60 years, but only in the post-ChatGPT years did talk of an 'age of AI' achieve popularity. The emerging narrative is that such an age is dawning upon us, and we humans need to figure out how to survive and thrive under AI dominance. I have been no less guilty of this refrain, arguing that as AI becomes more powerful, we humans will have to rediscover our human traits of curiosity, passion and connection, rather than becoming more AI-like. While I stand by this assertion, I want to question the narrative of an 'age of AI'—the idea that the rise of machines will make humans struggle to stay relevant in economies.

What if we have got it the wrong way around? This may be the age of powerful large language models and advanced 'thinking' and 'reasoning' algorithms, but it is still, fundamentally, the age of humans. We create AI models and derive meaning, draft regulations and face the consequences of our mistakes. AI does none of this independently. To imagine a future where AI 'replaces' us is to misunderstand both the role of technology and the adaptability of human beings.