Let's build humane technology together
We are the co-authors of the future
My AI journey
How do we choose our beginning? Was it the moment when I read “AI is mastering language — should we trust what it says?” in April ‘22, amazed by how GPT-3 mimicked the majesty of Italo Calvino’s language? Or in the weeks to come, when I convinced my business partner, a seasoned entrepreneur, to build an AI startup with me?
It could have been months before, in September ‘21, when I was co-hosting a dinner for startup founders on a rooftop in LA and heard someone declare, “To become a founder, you have to transform as a person.” At that moment, my future was set.
How about the dawning realization that the pandemic would stretch on and on, and I knew the life I was scrambling to save — as a writer and facilitator — was no longer enough? That there was more to give, more to become?
Or do we go all the way back to my birth on a hippie commune called The Farm, which highlighted the importance of consciousness and the pain of conflict?
But we like dates. Dates are satisfying. So let’s choose this one: November 1, 2022, the day we incorporated Storyell.ai.
1. Acknowledging our wholeness
I co-founded Storytell to bring humanity to AI. Why? So many reasons:
Algorithmic bias, which predominantly disadvantages people of color
The cost of digital forgery, especially for women and girls
The rise of misinformation, which tears the world apart
As a woman writer, I experienced the cost of social media. Part of the problem was that the engineers building the platforms didn’t know what it was like to get targeted. With AI, I wanted to be part of the building team.
So what do we do? Build thoughtfully and deliberately, envision the actual and potential harms, and do everything possible to avoid them — without creating new harms.
"Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better."
- Maya Angelou, poet, memoirist and activist
At some level, it all goes back to seeing through the eyes of the heart. Yes, I’m an idealist. And a pragmatist. To build AI that benefits humanity, we need both.
Yet many AI technologists insist that humans are no more than a set of neural networks.
I believe we are far more. We have a soul. A heart. Warmth and compassion. What makes us whole goes beyond what’s logical or rational. And our wholeness is integral to the work of building AI; it shapes our decisions and our approach.
Let’s move beyond my beliefs — science explores these questions, too:
Scientists Believe They’ve Unlocked Consciousness—and It Connects to the Entire Universe in Popular Mechanics
Does Consciousness Pervade the Universe? in Scientific American
As we develop AI, we face many questions, including: what does it mean to be human? How is human consciousness different than artificial consciousness? I am not talking about sentience. I am talking about prioritizing a depth of understanding in our work that builds AI in a way that honors and enriches our humanity. These are important conversations; I want to have them openly, in public.
Since 2017, I have been actively engaged in consciousness studies through a school of meditation. It informs my approach to human relationships, company building, and AI. If we’re not present to ourselves, how can we be present to each other? How can we write code that connects us instead of splitting us apart?
How do we navigate what will no doubt be difficult conversations at times? With Clean Communication, a framework I created in response to the cost of unproductive conflict. Clean Communication is one our values at Storytell; it’s something we train in and practice in our day-to-day. I see a future where AI can help humanity balance truth with harmony, not sacrificing one for the other.
2. Build Humane AI with me
Come one, come all: technologists, writers, and anyone interested in AI — from enthusiasts to skeptics — to join in a conversation about what it means to build AI with integrity. What does that look and feel like? Who’s doing it well?
How can we build AI that expands our consciousness instead of numbing it?
Resources
Human-Centered AI (HAI)’s report on the state of AI in 2024
Tristan Harris, co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology’s talk The AI Dilemma
The Foundations in Humane Technology — an impressive and heartfelt free course. My co-founder and I have taken it, and now our principal software engineer is, too.
God, Human, Animal, Machine by Meghan O’Gieblyn
The Worlds I See by Fei-Fei Li, co-creator of HAI
Podcasts: Ezra Klein, Sam Harris, Your Undivided Attention
Coded Bias, a documentary on Netflix
Coming soon: I’ll be creating a Humane Tech MeetUp group
What resources do you turn to?
3. Expectation setting
Here’s my hope: a weekly post, incorporating the feedback I’ll one day get from you.
Here’s the reality: as a startup founder, my number one occupation is supporting my company — our customers, employees, vision, and future.
So at least monthly, for sure several times a month, and hopefully weekly. And never paid.
