[Insight & Opinion] The Oldest Way to Thrive in the Age of AI

Humans Are Analog Beings
Let 21st-Century Humanistic Activities Flourish

A day is exactly 24 hours, without any margin for error. This was true thousands of years ago, and it remains true today. However, the patterns with which people use the hours in a day have changed dramatically.

Early humans lived in the raw flow of time. They traveled long distances on foot and relied solely on memory for information. As technologies such as the printing press, automobiles, computers, and the internet developed, the efficiency and quality of time usage improved significantly. Yet, with every gain comes a loss. Automobiles are convenient, but people move less as a result. Navigation systems make it easy to find any place, but our spatial memory is diminishing.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is likely to intensify these issues. The concern is even greater because AI is a superintelligent general-purpose technology modeled after humans. While the benefits of AI are welcome, we must guard against the pitfalls that come from over-reliance on AI. Time management is a prime example. We now spend much of our day online, and many aspects of daily life have become digitized. In this way, digital technology easily takes away several hours from the 24 hours in a day. Meanwhile, the wave of AI is approaching as well. AI will assist with, or even replace, almost all intellectual activities we engage in. There is also a high likelihood that AI will extend beyond intellectual tasks to emotional and leisure activities.

This is seen as an inevitable trend of our era. In line with this, AI should be used wisely. At the same time, however, we should intentionally create and pursue 'non-AI time'—time set aside to preserve and cultivate uniquely human capabilities that are distinct from AI. As such time increases, our lives can become richer. The author, for example, climbs a mountain every morning to exercise. Including stretching, this routine takes two hours. The author leaves their phone at home. Thanks to this, at least two hours a day are spent entirely in nature, enjoying a healthy and happy 'non-digital time' devoted solely to oneself.

Graham Lee, a renowned expert in digital technology education, made a similar argument in his book "Such Human Abilities." He advocated for making the most of advanced technology and AI while also protecting and strengthening our own human capabilities. He also introduced 12 human skills for taking control of our time: navigating independently, moving physically, conversing, being alone, reading, writing, drawing, creating, and thinking, among others. These may seem like very simple skills. However, they are essential habits for thriving in the age of AI. These are basic activities that humanity has practiced in daily life for thousands of years, and they are core human abilities. Yet, it appears they are gradually declining due to increased reliance on technology. For instance, we are the generation that spends the most time sitting in all of human history. We instinctively sense that we have less and less time to move our bodies and that face-to-face conversations are becoming rarer. The same goes for time spent writing by hand on paper or time spent thinking independently.

Humans are, by nature, analog beings. Even as we make good use of digital technology and AI, we must not lose the precious and valuable traits unique to humanity. While utilizing AI, we should continue to develop our inherent abilities to ask questions, be creative, empathize, and express emotion. As we coexist with AI, we must also strengthen various activities that keep us truly human. In other words, analog human activities and 21st-century forms of the humanities must flourish even more. This is the oldest and best way to thrive in the age of AI.

Kim Hyungon, Invited Professor at Chungnam National University Graduate School of National Policy and former President of the National Assembly Futures Institute

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.