Purpose as a topic has long been pondered in the philosophical and existential worlds. Here are three of my favorite quotes about life’s purpose:

1. “As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being.” – Carl Jung
2. “He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.” – Friedrich Nietzsche
3. “The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” – Pablo Picasso

The actual content of one’s purpose or meaning differs from person to person; the underlying narrative does not. That narrative is to find solitude in confusion, solace in war, and singularity in complexity. As humans, we have an innate desire to simplify the uncanny and discover individuality in a group-driven, conforming world. Life would be so much easier if purpose was ascribed to us the day we were born; the only result would be if we do or we do not. But alas, life is not so simple. Everyday we wake up to chase materialistic outcomes, pursue fleeting pictures of our imagination, and indulge in habits that only deepen our sense of turbulence. The primary feeling we are all seeking is fulfillment; to believe that life has meaning and that we weren’t just placed here to live out a simulation (although this is possible and you can read my simulation blog post here.) So, what are the current means of fulfillment and ascertainment, in a world filled with intricacy, and how can this be either perpetuated or negated with the proliferation of Generative AI?

Current Means of Fulfillment and Ascertainment

As it currently stands, I believe there are two means of fulfillment and ascertainment:

1. Personal Fulfillment
2. Group Fulfillment

Personal fulfillment is what I think we [humans and on average] all crave the most. It’s that burning desire deep in our hearts that’s constantly challenging us and making us question what we’re doing with our lives. I genuinely believe that, as humans on a linear timescale, we are constantly seeking a level of fulfillment that can never be satisfied, because the majority of what we stake our purpose and meaning on is frivolous, incomplete, and transitory. Whether it’s pursuing purely materialistic possessions, chasing superficial beauty standards, or pitching our lives online for likes, innate fulfillment will never come; it has to come from within. This means more focus on the qualities that make us human. Interconnectedness, social networks, love, experiences, pain, etc. The things that AI may NEVER have are those qualities, and so if we cannot create those in a lab or a workshop, then we must embrace them as our guiding light.

Group fulfillment is where purpose is satisfied together. I think this is what makes humans human and, evolutionarily speaking, it makes sense. When we start a new job or join a class or play on a sport’s team, we are working collectively to fulfill a common goal. This group fulfillment, at least for me, has meant much more than my personal fulfillment, yet we treat life selfishly like we are the main character in a movie. We deeply desire personal fulfillment, but group fulfillment is where the real meaning in life exists; we were literally encoded this way. And I think the modern world has switched these two types of ascertainment strategically, and for the benefit of soullessly driven algorithms that dictate our behaviors and will eventually determine our meaning; but that’s what we want right?

Generative AI and Fulfillment

So, where does Generative AI fit into this? Well, imagine there is a Magic Genie that can grant you whatever it is that you want. You might be saying to yourself, “Yea, well I wouldn’t use that Magic Genie to give me what I want because that would take the pursuit of achieving, which is my purpose, out of the equation.” Yea, sorry to break it to you, but that’s bullshit and you would wish for whatever you want in a heartbeat; any sane human being would. Anyways, this “Magic Genie,” is akin to Generative AI in that the future of AI is heading towards a singularity and a point where we won’t be able to define our own meaning and purpose, because incredibly sophisticated and advanced neural networks, which will operate trillions of times faster than us and with billions of nodes of greater depth, will define human purpose.

Every day I hear of a new “groundbreaking” development in Generative AI. Years ago, the belief was that AI is coming to take blue collar jobs. What we’re seeing however, is a potential mass upheaval of traditional white collar systems as sophisticated AI models look to overthrow their work. In other words, nobody is safe from AI and Generative AI, but the one thing that humans can do (they can’t learn millions of new topics daily by scraping the internet and incorporating what they’ve learned into informed, actionable dialogue like AI agents can do now) is define their purpose. Don’t base fulfillment on your career status, celebrity status, or any status; base it on what matters most to you as a person. Base it on those around you and embrace the turbulence, together. Fulfillment will come from the collaboration of human desire, not the individuality of selfish pursuit. So in an era of inevitable Generative reality, where do we find purpose? In the experiences and people who make us who we are.

Conclusion

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to watch the Apple WWDC event today (as it was my first day as an Account Executive at WellSaid Labs), however I was able to catch the recap. What I witnessed was incredible; Apple Vision Pro. Apple Vision Pro is the next augmented reality(AR)/virtual reality(VR) headset hitting the market early next year. This device has the capability to conflate reality with computerized and simulated settings, interfacing our own minds with the environment. And although it isn’t that one step even closer to direct human interface (see Neuralink), it’s pretty damn scary. Insert Generative AI into hyper-realistic AR/VR headwear, and we’re in store not only for a good time, but also a scary one.

I believe that Generative AI will enhance human purpose and provide the majority with equality of opportunity, a metric so important to fight for in an era of inequality and discrimination. Regular developers can now become 10x developers. Content writers can now produce 100x more content, and not just crappy content, but content that is creative, personalized, and important. Financial analysts can generate reports simply by entering a ticker symbol. These examples, along with hundreds of others, highlight the enhancements that will be made due to Generative AI. However, everything good must end and a deciding point must be made. This “deciding point” is when Generative AI can act autonomously and perform actions at speeds and accuracy much greater than humans can. There will be no need for human intervention, and purpose will dwindle.

The reason I tell you this is to have you imagine a future of simulated reality; one where you can have anything you want and you can live out your ultimate dreams as if a Magic Genie were real. But where does one find purpose in a situation like this? Where will fulfillment come from when machines perform better than humans, which will inevitably happen? I pose these questions so you can dig deep within your own mind and find solace in the fact that there are people around you who love you, need you, and care for you. There are experiences to be had that cannot be defined objectively. There is an entire universe to base your purpose and meaning on. Don’t fade into the dying embers of the night and base your life’s value on that which can be objectively defined; grab it by the reins and orient yourself for real, human purpose.