7 hours Ago
In researching dignity in the age of AI, I almost overlooked the people who exhibit it every day in front of me. My hypothesis is that people’s sense of self-worth might be undermined as artificial intelligence outperforms them in several cognitive skills. The solution might lie in a recalibration of people’s aspirations to focus on the skills of human connection and constructive skepticism.
The project’s next stage requires a deep and wide review of the literature on self-esteem and technology adoption. One of my current students, Tanya Keyur Desai , asked to help. She has already done some good work researching and writing.
Here is her summary of two definitions: Tanya is particularly interested in understanding and improving the dignity of women and people of color. She wrote: In another portion of her essay to me, she wrote: While she is not banging on a pulpit, I cannot help but assume that she is talking from more than a small portion of her personal experience. She is physically small (at least compared to me) with dark skin typical of her native India.
She is quiet and calm, which might lead bystanders to assume that she is not wise or ambitious. This would be an entirely false assumption. From my experience as one of her professors, I can see that she is smart and accomplished – her Master’s degree in Marketing Analytics from Hult in San Francisco rests on top of a Master’s degree in Neuroscience and a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry.
Her insights in class are concise, cogent, and nuanced. Her offer to help me conduct research was a gift without strings that was sure to accelerate my project. And then I read the following paragraph in her draft: It took four readings of this paragraph for the bulb in my brain to finally light up.
My academic research will hopefully be impactful to improve the dignity of future generations of AI users and providers. Yet, I can act right now to recognize, validate, and honor a person’s dignity and the dignity of hundreds of her peers by publishing this article. In other words, I can achieve part of my goal here.
Tanya Desai has already changed our school, workplace, and community to advance her own, her peers’, and my capacity for self-determination. She is powerful and, just as importantly, empowering. She helps me achieve my goal as a teacher to improve my students' self-esteem.
To Tanya and all of my students at Hult and Harvard, I recognize and appreciate the energy, intelligence, and effort you bring to your education to improve your impact and change the world. From where I stand, you are already fulfilling this ambition. And I am grateful to watch and, if I’m lucky, participate in this growth of dignity.
P.S. Tanya, my reply to your draft will require more time, reading, conversation, and reflection before we advance to the next step.
Sorry for the delay..
