What does it mean to truly flourish? According to one definition, “flourishing” indicates “a period of thriving.”
A period of thriving. This fits the description that many AI company leaders promote as not only possible with AI, but ever-so-desirable: a blissed-out utopia in which the automation of work and an army of AI assistants have created a landscape where humans can sit back, write poetry, and ponder our existence.
But would this AI future actually serve us? When we truly break it down, how will AI enable our thriving — and what risks does it pose to our collective flourishing?
These are the exact questions that Tamara Lechner — today’s guest — explores on a daily basis through her work as the Chair of the AI for Human Flourishing think tank within the The Human Flourishing Program at Harvard, which strives to quantify and measure human flourishing through five central domains:
Happiness and life satisfaction
Physical and mental health
Meaning and purpose
Character and virtue
Close social relationships
The Human Flourishing framework’s science-based methodology is helpful when considering how we want to coexist alongside this new technology. As AI continues to infiltrate our ways of working, relating to one another and parenting — its applications will almost certainly impact all five of these areas in various capacities and, crucially, in different ways for different humans.
Because as you’ll hear in this conversation, what it means to flourish can vary person to person. It’s only when we understand what’s uniquely important to us can we identify the ways in which AI can actually help us to flourish — and where we should maintain firm boundaries in our use of the technology. Just because the technology exists doesn’t mean it’s healthy or beneficial for us to cement it fully into every task, especially if we derive joy and meaning from those tasks.
In this conversation, Tamara and I dive into her work as AI Chair for the Human Flourishing Program as we discuss how to use AI to truly help you flourish — a process that begins with deep self-knowledge that then guides our decisions in what to keep for ourselves versus what to delegate to AI tools.
Only then can we retain our agency, remain empowered, and remain human.
This episode also explores:
👉 Why considering the human flourishing integral framework for thinking about AI, as we consider how to reach our full potential as individuals and as a species.
👉 Why we must shift from being passive "users" of AI to active "consumers" to take control of how we integrate AI into our lives.
👉 Why AI should enhance, not replace, human relationships - it's best used as a tool to help us communicate better with each other rather than as a substitute for human connection.
👉 How the risk of AI systems profiting from human attention and intimacy is growing, making it crucial to establish boundaries and maintain our agency.
Until next time,
Cecilia
About Tamara Lechner
As Chair of the AI for Human Flourishing think tank within the Harvard Human Flourishing Program, Tamara Lechner is a distinguished expert in flourishing science and peak human potential. Through her "what, so what, now what" methodology, she transforms how organizations approach flourishing at scale, creating environments where people don't just succeed – they flourish. Tamara's work is reshaping our understanding of human potential and wellbeing in the modern world, building cultures of growth, trust, and sustainable wellbeing across organizations.
RemAIning Human is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Building community around ethical, responsible AI
Know someone whose interested in learning more about AI? Forward on this email or click the button below to share.
RemAIning Human is written and edited by Cecilia Callas.
Share this post