The Gift Hidden Inside AI

A few days ago, ChatGPT told me something that it has told me many times before.

And for some reason, this time I smiled.

I was asking it questions about Orykl. Why people were taking certain actions. Why they weren't taking others. Why some things seemed to resonate and others didn't.

After a thoughtful response, it said something along the lines of:

"Now go and ask real people."

At first glance, that doesn't sound particularly profound.

Of course I need to ask real people.

But the more I thought about it, the more interesting it became.

Here I was, speaking to one of the most powerful technologies humanity has ever created. A system that can write, reason, analyse, explain, brainstorm, summarise, translate, and help me think through incredibly complex problems.

And yet, when it came to understanding what people actually thought and felt, it pointed me straight back to humans.

"Go ask them."

Over the past few years, I've noticed something fascinating about AI.

The better it gets, the more it reveals what makes us unique.

Many people worry that AI will replace humans.

Perhaps it will replace certain tasks.

In fact, I hope it does.

There are countless things that most of us don't particularly enjoy doing. Endless admin. Repetitive paperwork. Sorting, organising, formatting, processing, scheduling.

If AI can help with those things, wonderful.

That gives us more time to focus on what matters.

What interests me is not what AI can take away from us.

What interests me is what it can't.

It can't have your childhood.

It can't have your memories.

It can't know what it felt like when you fell in love for the first time.

It can't know what it was like to lose someone you cared about.

It can't know what it feels like to stand on a mountain, hold your child, start a business, follow a dream, recover from heartbreak, or sit quietly watching a sunset after a difficult year.

It can understand these things conceptually.

Remarkably well, in fact.

But it cannot live them.

And perhaps that difference matters more than we realise.

For most of human history, we have measured ourselves by what we can do.

How much we know.

How productive we are.

How fast we can calculate.

How efficiently we can work.

Now, for the first time, we are creating tools that can do many of those things better than we can.

So naturally, the question arises:

What is left for us?

I think the answer is everything that matters most.

Creativity.

Meaning.

Connection.

Intuition.

Perspective.

Wisdom.

Love.

The experience of being alive.

The irony is that AI may end up pushing us closer to ourselves.

As it takes over more of the mechanical aspects of life, we may find ourselves spending more time exploring the human aspects.

Who am I?

What do I care about?

What excites me?

What feels true?

What do I want to create?

What kind of life do I want to live?

These are not technological questions.

They are human questions.

And while AI can help us explore them, it cannot answer them for us.

Only we can do that.

I also suspect that AI will accelerate our understanding of ourselves in ways we haven't fully grasped yet.

Already, millions of people are using it as a thinking partner, a teacher, a coach, a brainstorming companion, and a mirror.

It can help us spot patterns in our behaviour.

Challenge assumptions.

Organise our thoughts.

Help us articulate things we struggle to express.

In many ways, it helps us see ourselves more clearly.

And when human beings begin seeing themselves more clearly, interesting things happen.

We become more conscious.

More intentional.

More aware.

More curious.

That's why I don't feel fear when I think about AI.

I feel curiosity.

Not blind optimism.

Not blind scepticism.

Curiosity.

The same curiosity that has always moved humanity forward.

Because every time I go looking for answers in AI, I seem to arrive at the same place.

Back at people.

Back at experience.

Back at life itself.

Back at the mystery of what it means to be human.

Perhaps that is the gift hidden inside AI.

Not that it will show us how powerful technology can become.

But that it will show us how extraordinary human beings have been all along.

CURIOUS TO EXPLORE FURTHER?

If this article sparked something in you, you’re not alone.

Many people are beginning to use AI as a mirror, a thinking partner, or a way to better understand themselves, but the deeper questions still have to be explored from within.

At Orykl, we connect seekers with vetted spiritual practitioners who can help you explore your purpose, intuition, creativity, inner truth, and the parts of yourself that no technology can answer for you.

AI can help you think more clearly.

But your life, your meaning, and your next steps still belong to you.

Not sure who to speak to? Answer a few simple questions and we’ll match you with a practitioner who feels aligned with your situation, interests, and preferences.

👉 Find Your Practitioner: https://orykl.com/orykl-sessions