Fareed Zakaria: AI Redefines Our Humanity

During the graduation ceremony at Bard College in New York, Fareed Zakaria, the renowned journalist, CNN host, and Washington Post columnist, approached the topic of artificial intelligence (AI) from an unexpected angle. Unlike other recent speakers who have sparked negative reactions by discussing this subject, Zakaria chose to focus on what makes human intelligence unique.

Zakaria described AI as a rapidly growing technology, advancing at a speed and with a power that is "astonishing." However, he encouraged graduates not to focus on competing with machines but rather to reflect on what distinguishes human intelligence. "People naturally ask, 'What will there be left for humans to do?'" he stated. "But perhaps that's the wrong question. The better question is: 'What does AI tell us about all the things we, as humans, already do — and that are distinctive and irreplaceable?'"

This speech comes at a time when mentions of AI during graduation ceremonies often provoke strong reactions. Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google, was booed while discussing AI and automation at the University of Arizona, while Gloria Caulfield, a real estate executive, was loudly heckled for mentioning technology during her speech at the University of Central Florida. Aware of this trend, Zakaria warned his audience right from the start: "I’m going to say the two most provocative letters in the English language today: AI." This introduction immediately elicited boos from the crowd, to which Zakaria humorously responded, "Feel free to let it out."

In the remainder of his speech, Zakaria highlighted another acronym, "HI," for human intelligence. He reminded the audience that the human brain, weighing about three pounds and operating on just 20 watts of energy, is remarkably efficient compared to AI systems that require energy-hungry data centers. According to him, human intelligence is better suited for complex tasks such as reading emotions, understanding context, and creating art. "A machine can write a sad poem, but it cannot cry at a funeral," he illustrated. For Zakaria, the rise of AI could lead us to rediscover and appreciate the intrinsically human qualities even more.