Machines can do anything but only humans can witness humans.

Witnessing is not about eloquence nor facts.

It’s not about engineered imperfections nor generated perfection.

It’s not a sales tree or a slow build sales conversion. 

You know what witnessing is…

as much by when you’ve felt this gift 

as when you hoped for it and were denied. 

It’s what happens in that moment, when you bring out your deepest vulnerability 

and another human sees you in your hope, fear, longing and doesn’t turn away.  

Alexander Milov’s Burning Man Festival sculpture of the human condition illustrates this point perfectly.

Most likely, you’ve been here too.  

I know I have.

Can AI mimic this online?

Yes.  

But soon almost everything online will be made by GenAI, even if it isn’t labeled.

And while soon AI may be “good enough” to respond perfectly to your inner-child. 

It won’t bring the belonging of knowing a fleshy, imperfect, curious, human accepts you.

Flawed and imperfect as you are.

And when the Great Same-i-fication kicks in

You’ll have more content than ever, yet find something missing.

You’ve probably already stopped reading or watching once you get that “Gen-ny feeling.” *

I know I have.

As humans, we want and need to be together.

Our understanding of human togetherness advanced dramatically last year. 

Through tech like hyperscanning we’re getting closer to knowing what this really means.

I predict that we will eventually discover through science the miracle of us (more on that later). 

Expect the value of in-person to rise as we counterbalance the online Great Same-i-fication and that Gen-ny feeling. There will be more live events, live meetings, live music, and live creation.  

There will be more things to smell, and touch, and taste.

Expect Proof-of-Human to rise as we seek to confirm — in this comment, this response, this moment, have I been witnessed by another human?

I’m excited.

I want us to advance human intelligence by using tech to become Deep Humans i.e. deeply embodied humans. 

I want us to expand ourselves and our capacity. 

And I want it for everyone. 

Join me here to discuss now.  

Love,
Nichol

*“Gen-ny feeling” – New made-up word about how GenAI feels, or when you suspect something has been “Gen-ed”

WBO – Written by Human