When Are We The Most Human?

from Peacock Magazine Spring 2019

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In an age when the distinction between artificial intelligence and human capabilities is becoming smaller and smaller, it is becoming more difficult to say what elements of the human experience cannot be replicated into a technological form.

The tech industry is continually discovering ways for advanced technology to carry out human activity, from self-driving cars to automotive manufacturing. On the one hand, this can seem like a benefit to humans as it supposedly makes human life easier but on the other hand it questions what elements of being human are unique to us and us alone.

Especially within industrial societies, where productivity and efficiency are of the utmost importance and are used to measure human worth, it can be difficult to remember the elements of the human existence that solely belong to humans.

When we asked people on the streets of Paris what they think humans have or can do that can never be replicated by robots or advanced technology, many of them agreed that it was human emotion and connection. While companies like Microsoft are heavily investing in the development of emotional intelligence in AI, the objective isn’t to connect it to humans, but rather to read their emotions to make efficient answers. Authentic connections and emotions still belong to humans and their relationships.

We asked people when they felt most loved and each of them responded with the moments they spent with close friends and family members, recalling memories of when they felt connected to others.

It may seem like an obvious answer, but the things that robots can’t do are the things that tend to make us feel the best. What makes us human beings are the things we feel and the people we feel them for. It’s the conversations that make us feel better; they are the moments we have while traveling when we feel connected to the world or when we connect to the people within it. And while technology will continue to grow and make people’s lives better in some ways and worse in others, this is for sure: there are still elements of life that can only ever belong to humans.

Anthony Williams, 23

Q: What do you think humans can achieve that robots can’t?

A: Imagination, human imagination. We have the ability to think outside the box. We can think about why or why not something happens, whereas robots are meant to just answer the question. For humans, even if they don’t find the answer it’s the talking part and doing it that counts.