Artificial Intelligence Through a Human Lens

This page brings together reflections written at different stages of a rapidly changing technological landscape. The earlier piece below was written in 2020; newer reflections will examine how my thinking has developed as artificial intelligence has become part of everyday life.

FROM THE ARCHIVE · 2020

Early Reflections on Artificial Intelligence

The following reflection was written in 2020, before generative AI became widely available. I am preserving it here as a record of the questions and possibilities that shaped my earlier thinking. Some references and expectations belong to that moment and should be read in their historical context.

Read the original 2020 reflection

Being concerned about artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer limited to scientists. Developments in this area are moving very quickly and massively reshaping the everyday lives of societies and individuals. Regardless of exaggerated viewpoints about AI—and reactions ranging from extreme praise to deep distrust—the changes are here, their impact is universal, and there is no going back.

According to Kai-Fu Lee, author of AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order, it seems that these changes may create more space and opportunity for individualised and customised approaches in certain areas. The individualisation of healthcare, greater participation by people in their own health, and the individualisation of education and learning according to each person’s uniqueness are among them.

Harnessing each person’s unique gifts and capabilities through learning systems and education is of particular interest to me. I am excited about these possibilities, provided that we have robust philosophical support and a clear vision of what we intend to design and apply.

I have found the work of thinkers such as Neil Postman, Ivan Illich, George Lakoff, Noam Chomsky and Daniel J. Siegel valuable and inspiring while adapting to this changing life.

I am more interested in the human side of these changes than in the technology itself. I believe there is an urgent need for visionary and philosophical ideas to guide our adaptation to these fundamental shifts and our responses to the possible collapse of familiar structures.

Not long ago, visionaries and scientists forecast the reimagining of manufacturing, trade, transportation, money, economics, media, retail, medicine, governments, agriculture, housing, fashion, communication and even warfare.

Within a relatively short period, some of those changes are already with us—or, more accurately, we are already living within them. For the rest, it may only be a matter of gathering more data and developing more capable systems.

Revisiting These Questions · 2026

Artificial intelligence is no longer a concern limited to scientists and technologists. It is increasingly shaping how people learn, work, communicate, make decisions and participate in society. Reactions range from enthusiastic celebration to deep anxiety, but the more important task is to understand what these changes mean for human lives.

My interest lies less in the technology itself than in the choices surrounding its design and use. AI systems are not introduced into empty spaces; they enter existing educational, economic and social structures, carrying assumptions about people, knowledge, ability and value.

The Possibility of Personalisation

One of AI’s most promising possibilities is its capacity to support more individualised approaches to areas such as learning and healthcare. In education, this could mean recognising that people learn at different speeds, bring different experiences and possess different combinations of strengths.

Technology alone, however, cannot determine what meaningful personalisation should look like. We need thoughtful educational principles, human judgement and a clear understanding of what we are trying to support. Efficiency is not the same as learning, and personalisation should not come at the cost of privacy, agency, connection or shared experience.

Questions That Matter

As AI becomes part of everyday systems, I am interested in questions such as:

How can AI support confidence, curiosity and genuine learning?
Whose knowledge and experiences are represented in its systems?
How can people retain agency when decisions are increasingly automated?
What forms of human interaction should technology strengthen rather than replace?
How can AI be designed and used responsibly across different cultures and communities?

Intellectual Foundations

My thinking is informed by writers working across technology, education, language, cognition and human development. These include Neil Postman, Ivan Illich, George Lakoff, Noam Chomsky and Daniel J. Siegel. Kai-Fu Lee’s writing on the social and economic consequences of AI has also contributed to my interest in its potential for more individualised services.

These perspectives remind me that technological change is never purely technical. Artificial intelligence requires not only better data and more capable systems, but also philosophical direction, social responsibility and an ongoing conversation about the kind of future we want to create.