What is uniquely human in the shadow of generative AI?

Generative AI is rapidly changing the way people work and live. Through the generation of language reproduction, text, images, and even music, generative AI is invading areas previously considered “uniquely human.” As machines' linguistic and cognitive capabilities evolve, an existential question emerges: What unique qualities will humans retain in the shadow of generative AI?

Over 50 years ago, Stanley Kubrick's groundbreaking film 2001: A Space Odyssey The film was one of the first to give moviegoers and society at large a glimpse into the future of AI. In the film, the spacecraft's onboard computer verbally communicates with the human crew, executes all technical aspects of the mission, and even plays (and wins) a friendly game of chess with the astronauts. At one point in the story, the computer (HAL 9000, or simply “Hal”) is interviewed remotely by a news reporter on Earth.

A short time later, when the interview returns to the crew, the reporter says that he felt Hal exhibited feelings of pride when talking about his technical perfection. When the reporter asks if he thinks Hal is capable of experiencing emotions, the mission commander replies that he is skeptical.

“Well, he acts like he has real emotions, but… I don't think anyone can honestly answer whether he really has emotions or not.”

More than half a century later, the capacity to experience feelings and emotions remains, at least for now, a uniquely human quality.

Interestingly, in contrast to Hal's conversational abilities in the fictional setting, language has never been a particular strength of computers. Today, however, Generation AI has revolutionized Natural Language Processing (NLP) tasks such as Large Language Model (LLM)-driven language translation and sentiment analysis, enabling chatbots to understand and respond to questions and commands. In one particularly notable example, AI has enabled a computer to pass the Turing Test while simultaneously convincing multiple human judges that it was a human and not a machine.

Beyond Technology

As Generation AI continues to automate human tasks, especially without “emotions,” we humans will be able to appreciate other uniquely human qualities that machines cannot replicate. Along with emotions, there will remain uniquely human traits, such as creativity and out-of-the-box thinking based on imagination, and complex problem-solving that requires cognitive flexibility and intuition. It will also be important to note how morality and ethics, which go beyond the scope of technology that we may not have experience with as members of society, influence human decision-making.

The five human senses and the associated wide range of inputs processed by the brain are another example of something that may be considered uniquely human. Sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch intertwine with notoriously fallible memory to create an embodied human experience, and it is difficult to imagine technology replicating this uniquely human experience of sensory fusion.

Delving deeper into the unique properties of the mind, the discovery of mirror neurons represents another human trait that technology has yet to replicate. Mirror neurons are neurons that fire when an individual performs a particular motor act or experiences an emotion, and when they observe the same or a similar act or emotion performed by another individual. First observed in primates, mirror neuron-driven behavior can be described in the simplest terms as “monkey sees, monkey imitates.”

According to a study on mirror neurons published by the National Institutes of Health, “From a functional perspective, the execution and observation of actions are closely related processes, and the ability to interpret the actions of others requires the engagement of our own motor system.” These mirror neurons enhance experiences such as empathy, competition, and teamwork. These are just a few examples: JMs can infer what we are feeling, but they themselves cannot feel it.

Changing organizational mindset

In tandem with the rapid development of Gen AI and the thought-provoking existential questions that come with it, humans are grappling with the question of how to manage, control, and regulate AI technology. Going forward, organizations will have to make choices when delegating tasks to Gen AI technologies.

McKinsey research says business leaders need to take a broad view of generative AI's capabilities and “consider deeply the impact on their organizations.” Survey results reveal that many C-suite executives around the world share the same sentiment: “We were behind on automation and digitization, but we've finally closed the gap. We don't want to fall behind again, but we're not sure how to think about generative AI.”

Many organizations are approaching Gen AI cautiously, lest they repeat past missed opportunities. Companies leveraging Gen AI must establish a clearly defined talent adoption and utilization strategy to execute responsibly on their adoption roadmap. This becomes increasingly important as new regulations are created to ensure Gen AI is used ethically and standards are established to ensure data privacy and security. This means that organizations with a legitimate stake in Gen AI will be held accountable for how they develop and deploy it.

Because it's technology can Please do something…

Traditionally, technology has had a huge impact on what we think of as “work.” 60% of jobs employed in 2018 did not even exist in 1940. As the world becomes increasingly mediated by AI, it remains to be seen what new endeavors humans will take on as AI reshapes the 9-to-5 work environment. Going forward, governments, businesses, and organizations of all types will have to make important and conscious decisions about what to outsource to computers and what roles to leave to humans. In this process, it is important to consider the following: Just because technology has evolved, can Doing something does not necessarily mean that you should do it.

When futurists Arthur C. Clarke and Stanley Kubrick teamed up in the 1960s to write a screenplay that put AI at the heart of the story, did they know just how prescient their work would become?

Richard Sonnenblick is Principal Data Scientist at Planview.