Finding Purpose in the Age of AI

Key points

• AI has threatened our purpose in life.
• Consider what makes us human and use that to find purpose.
• Being in touch with death helps us live.

I’d stopped writing Psychology Today posts, at least for a period of time. Part of what I love about writing is the pleasure in the discovery, in making unique connections, in framing an idea in a new way, in stitching ideas together, and feeling like I had something original to offer. With AI, that sense of discovery and mastery has felt diminished. Couldn't people just explore these ideas on their own? Were my ideas original enough? I wanted to add something new to the conversation, but worried that there was a far superior conversationalist.

It has me wondering (along with the rest of humanity): As AI becomes more capable, what will give our lives meaning and purpose?

Will AI take our jobs? Can it do our work better than us? Why are we still bothering when there is a tool that is superior and fully accessible, with no energy on our part? Could AI even be a better therapist or friend? I like to think not, but the threat is not entirely unfounded.

It also raises the question, what is it that makes us human and how are we distinct? In a recent podcast from The Daily, “When AI Comes for Your Purpose in Life,” professor of mathematics at Cornell University Steven Strogatz grapples with this question, as AI has been solving the world’s most vexing math problems. You ride his emotions throughout until the end when he explores what it is to be human. He highlights the ephemeral nature of our lives. We are born and we die. And we get to decide what we do in the middle.

We can use our five senses to explore our world and be present to our lives. We can turn to people — and not technology — to feel human and focus on building loving relationships. We can keep in mind that life will end. And, while it may sound doomsday, that is not the intention. It is the opposite: When we are in touch with our mortality, we can fully appreciate and have gratitude for our lives. It can be grounding, and can give us much-needed perspective when we find ourselves in the weeds of life. We want to find a balance — neither being consumed by ruminative thoughts of death, nor ignoring it, but rather acknowledging it so that we can create meaning in the middle. We get to decide where we want to put our energy in the limited time we are allotted.

So here is my human touch Psychology Today post To be human, let’s:

1. Turn toward each other.
2. Focus our attention on our five senses as we explore our world.
3. Acknowledge the end, so we can appreciate the in-between and maintain a balanced perspective.
4. Explore how we feel, what’s important, and move towards our unique constellation of values, so that in the end we can say, “It was a life well lived.”