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The drumbeat of AI breakthroughs is relentless — and almost always accompanied by the question: What does this mean for our jobs? Across classrooms, boardrooms, and dinner tables, the same fear keeps surfacing: Will AI replace me? What will happen to my job, my career, my purpose?
Instead of shrinking in fear, what if we embraced this as our moment to grow? What if we could reframe the question entirely? Rather than seeing AI as a looming threat, what if we saw it as an opportunity — and reflected on our unexplored potential instead of brooding on our obsolescence?
Perhaps a better question might be: What can I do that AI can never replicate? The answer lies not in competing with machines, but in leaning deeper into what makes us human.
Related: AI Is an Answer, But Not the Only Answer — Here’s Why It Can’t Replace Humans
Absolute Intelligence
This is the moment to awaken our Absolute Intelligence: the uniquely human capacity for creativity, compassion and consciousness. While AI can generate answers in milliseconds, only humans can generate meaning. It’s our ability to connect ideas, feel empathy and imagine new realities that gives AI its context — and its direction.
We must help the next generation understand that they were not just born with intelligence, but with Absolute Intelligence — an intelligence that machines cannot replicate. Their creativity, their empathy, their ability to connect deeply with others — these are the gifts that will carry us through the AI era towards a brighter future for us all.
This idea has been explored in depth by international humanitarian and spiritual leader Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, who draws a clear distinction between AI and what he calls “Absolute Intelligence” — our innate, limitless human potential.
Now the question arises: How do we access this Absolute Intelligence?
How to access Absolute Intelligence
It begins with mastering our own minds. The ability to observe and manage our thoughts and emotions is the first step. Breathing techniques and meditation are invaluable tools — simple yet profound — that help settle the mind and connect with our inner source strength. When we are in touch with this inner reservoir of energy, we are not only able to better manage our stress and negative emotions, but we are also able to connect with others in more meaningful ways, thus enhancing mutual trust and strengthening community.
With regular practice of meditation, we can overcome fear of the unknown, navigate uncertainty with greater clarity and cultivate a calm, centered awareness. This inner stillness is the wellspring of creativity and intuition — and the gateway to Absolute Intelligence.
We’ve all heard of the old saying, “Your attitude determines your altitude.” I would say this makes a lot of sense in our current context. We would do well to embrace a critical shift in our mindset: to move from reacting with anxiety to responding with awareness when faced with challenges and uncertainty.
History shows us what happens when societies resist innovation. In the 1990s, the U.S. leaned into the internet and digital tools, while parts of Europe hesitated, and the resulting innovation gap still echoes today. We cannot afford to let fear or hesitation hold us back. The real opportunity with AI isn’t just to keep up; it’s to lead with integrity, curiosity and conscience. That’s how we don’t just adapt to the future — we help define it.
Related: Thriving in the Age of AI: Where Humans Have the Advantage
I recall the early discussions in one of my graduate AI classes at the University of Southern California, back when the field was still in its infancy. At the time, our challenge was to model fundamental aspects of brain function — particularly in areas like machine vision and image processing. We explored whether biologically inspired visual systems could be applied to complex problems like automatic target detection in cluttered environments or autonomous navigation for robots, on land and underwater.
What once felt like theoretical exploration has now become a practical reality, with these innovations playing a critical role in enhancing security, advancing exploration and improving the quality of life through real-world applications in medicine and beyond.
Shaping the future
At its core, AI is a tool — an extraordinary one. But it is still just a reflection of the intelligence that created it. And that’s the deeper truth: The future doesn’t belong to artificial intelligence alone. It belongs to those who know how to ask the right questions, build with wisdom and lead with the uniquely human characteristics that machines can never mimic.
And while AI can mimic language and predict behavior, it cannot replicate the foundation of trust that underpins human society. Trust is built on the two pillars of connectedness and competence. And no algorithm can replace the warmth of a friend, the presence of a mentor or the sense of belonging that comes from shared human experience.
We are not here to fear what we’ve created. We are here to evolve with it.
AI is not the enemy of human progress; it is a catalyst. It offers us a rare opportunity to leap ahead — accelerating innovation, deepening insight and expanding our collective potential. But to harness this fully, we must drop the adversarial lens through which we often view the unknown.
Related: The Perfect Blend: How to Successfully Combine AI and Human Approaches to Business
Instead of bracing for disruption, what if we welcomed discovery? What if we replaced fear with curiosity, resistance with openness and anxiety with awareness? When we meet the future with confidence in our deeper intelligence, we not only shape technology — we elevate it.
By harnessing Absolute Intelligence as our guide, we can move toward a future that is not just faster but more meaningful. A future where AI amplifies human ingenuity, not replaces it. A future defined not by competition with machines, but by collaboration — with purpose, with heart and with the highest vision of what humanity can become.
The drumbeat of AI breakthroughs is relentless — and almost always accompanied by the question: What does this mean for our jobs? Across classrooms, boardrooms, and dinner tables, the same fear keeps surfacing: Will AI replace me? What will happen to my job, my career, my purpose?
Instead of shrinking in fear, what if we embraced this as our moment to grow? What if we could reframe the question entirely? Rather than seeing AI as a looming threat, what if we saw it as an opportunity — and reflected on our unexplored potential instead of brooding on our obsolescence?
Perhaps a better question might be: What can I do that AI can never replicate? The answer lies not in competing with machines, but in leaning deeper into what makes us human.
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