Hi there, human. Welcome to RemAIning Human — your safe harbor during the AI transition.
This is a publication and community space about the questions that humans face in the advent of artificial intelligence.
For as long as our species has existed, we’ve traveled through time in lockstep with technological innovation — from fire to the wheel to automative vehicles to the internet, we intuitively invent that which catalyzes us into new ways of being.
The development and deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) is one such catalyst. AI will catapult us into a new future once again, and yet this time — it feels different. For the first time, humans are creating a new form of intelligence that aims to match or surpass human cognitive capabilities — a feat that could happen in the next few years.
There is so much good to come from this innovation. AI is already drastically minimizing time spent on mundane tasks; it’s assisting us in devising new cures for previously incurable diseases. Its applications can improve quality of life for the disabled, predict the path of wildfires, and fuel our understanding of the secrets of the universe.
But as we solve these incredibly important problems, we are creating new ones. Teenage girls are being targeted by classmates with highly realistic nude deepfakes made in their likeness. Widespread access to AI tools means bad actors could more easily manipulate biological weapons. And while AI may help us to reduce the effects of climate change, training and using these models gobbles vast amounts of energy and depletes natural resources. Policymakers and AI companies themselves are working to control some of these issues, but misaligned incentives and the AI race makes containing these effects difficult.
We’re in a time of great uncertainty, one that begs an endless slew of questions: in the AI age, what will we work on if AI can do the work for us? Where will we find fulfillment? How can we both augment and preserve human creativity? How will we protect the most vulnerable members of society during this transition?
RemAIning Human explores some of these questions, in a space that feels like a safe harbor in an uncertain time of transition.
It seeks to understand the question of how we might create human-centered artificial intelligence to augment that which makes us beautifully human — our capacity for empathy, creativity, awe, interconnectedness, stories, spiritual inquiry — while ensuring it does not amplify our greed, ignite geopolitical conflict, increase inequality and cement our siloes. In doing so, it explores the question of how we might remain human in the face of unprecedented technological change.
And it strives to do so in simple terms.
AI will impact every human, regardless of technical proficiency. My goal is to demystify jargon, make AI palatable and equip readers with knowledge around topics that can feel both exciting and daunting.
What will be covered?
I’ll share what I learn and observe as a journalist and AI Ethicist living and working in San Francisco, the epicenter of global AI innovation. Example include:
Job disruption, displacement and the future of work
AI’s augmentation of and impact on human creativity
Creating safe, values-based and ethical AI for all
Human-centered AI companies striving to positively impact humanity
AI and spirituality: Singularity, sentience and artificial consciousness
Many, many more!
This is a publication about questions. And its never been more important to ask the questions, to demand accountability, to hold AI companies and policymakers to account to create and control technology that does no harm.
And it is up to all of us — right now, in this very moment — to urgently craft what kind of answers we want to find.
Thank you for being here.
In an age where attention is currency, I appreciate your engagement with my work! I promise to reciprocate by creating what feels supportive and educational during this transition.
My writing is currently free, but if you have the means, I’d be grateful if you’d consider becoming a paying subscriber (one month’s subscriptions is about the price of an oat milk latte!). Each essay requires hours of work and research, and every bit of support helps me to continue creating quality content.
Hi, I’m Cecilia. I’m a community-builder, marketer and AI safety advocate based in San Francisco, California. I’m passionate about creating a new relationship between humans and technology in which we live in harmony with technology, rather than at the mercy of it. I strive to do so through my writing, retreats, and my work at the Ai Salon — an organization that creates community and conversation around the meaning and impact of AI.
For questions, comments and inquiries, simply DM me on Substack or email me at Cecilia@ceciliacallas.com.
Building community around an essential topic
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RemAIning Human is written and edited by Cecilia Callas.
