NewYork took several weeks to call many of its elections in 2020, including multiple races in New York City and a congressional race upstate. Pennsylvania, Nevada, North Carolina, Arizona and other swing states failed to report election results on election night, leaving voters to question whether anything nefarious had taken place when the election was finally called on Nov. 7 for Biden. Its time to reset "To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven" Life is a cycle or season of events that serves God's purpose on the earth. Acomputer losing time or having the date and time reset is a symptom of an issue relating to the computer hardware or software. There are multiple causes for date and time loss or resetting issues. The most common causes are detailed below. Review each possible reason for help with how to fix the problem. Computer CMOS battery failing or bad Justnow, "It's almost time to restart your device". I thought it might be Windows 10 updates which I thought finished earlier today - it took over an hour. I pressed ctl-alt-dlt, and the "Confirm" Its time to RESET! 1. Ask God to show you the areas that need a reset Many times we know things right off that we could use a reset on, but it's always good to go to God in prayer and ask him to reveal to you areas in your life that you need a reset on. He will show you and guide you on the right path to improve in those areas. Timeto reset your life? Claire Hinchley. Apr 22, Like you would a mobile phone when it's not working as it should — press 'settings' and then 'factory reset'. I had to do this Todo this, refer the steps mentioned below: Press Windows logo key + R, to open Run dialog box. Type click on OK. Look for Windows Time service, and double click on it. Now, click on the drop down for the Startup type and select Automatic. Click on Start and click on OK. Timeto reset One of the things I'm doing is shifting from a lot of Facebook writing and connecting directly with people through my blogs, other writing avenues, teleclasses, and public speaking. It's a forum where those working through the book can interact, engage, learn, and help one another. I'll also include people who sign up bkfT. Life is a marathon, a journey that will inevitably bring many ups and downs. And, if you’ve been on this journey for any amount of time, you know that there are times when you just need to hit the reset button so that you can keep moving forward with strength, focus, stamina, and even passion in your life. For a long time, the thought of voluntarily hitting the reset button in my life was a little terrifying to embrace. Any time I had heard someone talk about needing a reset in their life, it was connected to something negative—a failure, burnout, a breakup or divorce, or related to a physical or mental health concern. I had internalized the need to hit the reset button with failure. And, it didn’t help that most of the successful people I had seen on television or known in my personal life appeared as if their life was perfect. After a while, I started to realize that everyone, even those successful people I admired, had many moments when they needed to hit the reset button. Honestly, it’s normal and a healthy part of living. Successful people know when it’s time to hit the reset button. It’s not a matter of if we will need to, it’s a matter of when and how many times. If we can increase our self-awareness, we can learn how to hit the button before things spiral too far out of our control. Yes, there are factors that are out of our control in life, but there are also many within it. The key is to find and focus on those factors. When I started realizing that the practice of resetting is natural, I began seeing it as a necessary part of life. Our skin is naturally regenerating and turning over new cells every day. As our hair grows, trimming creates the conditions for strong and healthy hair. These are just a few examples of how our bodies are trying to teach us the natural practice of resetting. If you have a cellphone or computer, you are used to receiving notifications that it’s time to reset for an important update. These devices analyze tons of available data, notice areas for improvement, and develop updates to ensure the device works effectively. If we intend to live our best life, it’s just as important to apply this practice so we can make greater long-term gains. When it comes to any basic technology, you know it’s time for a reset when programs start running slow or applications begin shutting down without warning. Similarly, there are personal signs that it might be time to hit the reset button. The goal is to use what’s within our locus of control to reset before we are forced to. Here are 10 signs that it might be time to hit the reset button You feel like you are in a physical or mental fog. Just like our electronic devices slow down or glitch when it’s time for an update, you might find yourself feeling burnt out, sluggish, or like your brain is foggy, distracted, or cluttered. In some cases, you aren’t feeling any of these yet, but you can see the road ahead and know that this is possible if you don’t take action soon. You are having more negative than positive thoughts about yourself and life. There is tremendous power in words and thoughts. Your thoughts become your words that then become your actions. Those actions become habits that build who you are, which then become your destiny. Want to change your destiny? Start by changing your thoughts and beliefs. You have not been prioritizing your health physical, mental, spiritual. If you have put any of these areas in the back seat for an extended period of time, you will definitely see and/or feel it eventually. It is important to make time for exercise and movement, self-care, reflection, prayer/mediation in whatever way you chose, and check-ins on your mental health. If it’s been a while, it might be time to start incorporating new routines that include these. You’ve found yourself living for people’s approval rather than living in your purpose. It’s very easy to focus on people-pleasing and the expectations of everyone around you without making sure that your actions align with your unique path and purpose. Your purpose is to stay on your path and to keep discovering what that means for you. If you’ve been spending too much time in someone else’s lane, then it’s time to set new intentions and embrace what’s designed for you. You feel like your mental health is unstable. Emotional and mental balance takes a lot of work to maintain and life is great at challenging it. Life can throw you into negative thinking patterns and behaviors that compromise your mental health. If you’re feeling unstable, it might be time to take a step back to process your emotions and thoughts. If necessary, don’t be afraid to schedule time with a therapist or coach to help you come back to alignment within yourself. You realize a pattern of making the same mistakes in your life. It’s OK to take an advanced version of the same test at different points in your life. It’s not productive to repeatedly fail the same level test. If this happens, it might be a sign that you still need to learn valuable life lessons. Listen to your life. Consider it a blessing that you are noticing the patterns and find the lesson so that you can move forward. This might be a sign there are still places in you that need healing and that’s OK. Your work and life balance are out of control. If you want to be on a fast track to crashing and burning, then ride the lack of work/life balance train. I’ve spent much of my career as an educator and senior manager, so I know firsthand what it feels like to work insane hours to tackle a never-ending to-do list. As a former sprinter, I know that it’s impossible to run miles at a 100-meter sprinter’s pace. It’s especially impossible to do that in every run. Life is a marathon; therefore, sprinting through life is not sustainable. You are constantly comparing yourself to other people. There are times when you might find yourself spending too much time comparing yourself to other people. This can leave you feeling frustrated, stuck, and depressed. There is no doubt that constant comparison leads to feelings of inadequacy, anxiety, depression, and/or frustration. So, if this is you, it might be time to hit the reset button and start focusing on learning more about who YOU are. Staying in this place for too long just delays you from finding your authentic path. You’ve lost interest in many of the positive things that you used to enjoy. The keyword here is “positive.” There are times when your interests and habits might change as a result of your growth and self-development. However, if you find yourself no longer wanting to be around people, places, and things that you love and know positively impact your growth, then it might be a sign that you need a mental health reset. You have stepped into a new space, role, job, or season that requires you to develop new skills, ideas, and/or capacity. This one is for those times when new doors, relationships, and experiences take place in your life. These moments create an opportunity to reflect and move forward with intention. Hitting the reset button helps you leave unnecessary baggage at the door. This is the perfect time to optimize your physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health. After reading through these signs, you might have discovered a few areas that need a reset. But, where do you start? How do you reset? Here are some steps I use to help me hit the reset button Take inventory. Start by reflecting on your physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health, and any other life goals. Where do you notice areas for improvement? Write these down without judgement and move on to the next steps. Check your WHY. After you have identified areas for improvement, consider why you want to improve these areas. The goal is to improve your focus, stamina, and productivity. If your reason is rooted in seeking acceptance, you are almost guaranteed disappointment and chasing many dead ends. So, before you move forward, make sure your why is rooted in principles, values, and a purpose that are enduring and inspire you for the long journey ahead. Gratitude. All opportunities to reset are a blessing. Life is either teaching you want to do or what not to do; both are great sources of data you can use to improve your life. Before you move forward, write down a few things that you are thankful for and a few lessons you have learned. Journal. Manifestation and visioning are important parts of hitting the reset button. You need to envision what it will look, feel, and sound like after you’ve reset. What will be better and/or different? How will you know? Take some time to let your mind imagine an improved version of yourself. Then, you can focus on activating the faith to get there. Make a plan. If you are going to change your thoughts and habits, you will need to make a plan to establish new routines and thinking habits. Remember, you should only focus on the things within your locus of control. For the things that are outside of your control, you can focus your energy on healing and dealing with your response and its impact on you. Positive Self Talk and Affirmations. When things are going well, celebrate your efforts. Tell yourself you are proud of your growth. When you are struggling, still celebrate even the smallest progress. Tell yourself you are capable and worthy of more growth. Just be careful of spiraling into negative self-talk. Remember, words have power. Learn to be your own cheerleader when you are having a hard time and when times are great. If you speak positively about yourself long enough, you’ll start to believe it. If you start to believe it, you will become it. Check-in on your progress. The most successful people I know practice the concept of failing fast. They don’t wait for things to be perfect before they start taking action; they take actions to learn fast and better assess when and where to adjust. Failure is just feedback and learning you can use to improve. Don’t wait for things to fail before you implement changes or upgrades. Proactively analyze the data your life and schedule a “reset” as needed. It’s not only important to know when it’s time to hit the reset button; it’s also imporant to schedule time to assess whether you are due for another upgrade. Life will unexpectedly throw challenges your way and that’s OK. You didn’t fail, you are just living. We have two options be forced to hit the reset button or proactively pay attention to the signs that it’s time for one. As we keep on living, let’s remember that every day presents an opportunity to hit the reset button, if we need it. You don’t have to wait for a new year or a special day. Keep looking for the opportunities to hit that reset button and improve your life. [Editor’s note This is the third installment of a continuing series on issues that 600 CEOs told us keeps them awake at night. Today's topic The challenges of making organizational decisions in this uncertain environment.] While we may be living in unprecedented times, past events provide insights and practices as pandemic recovery plans are developed. Consider these five elements of organizational decision-making information gathering; strategy; combining long-term thinking with short-term actions; clear communication internally and externally; and a review of policies and processes to ensure the organization’s preparedness for future crises. Information gathering The flow of high-quality information is more important than ever. A United States military framework for thinking about the external environment that has gained traction in the business world is VUCA Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity. While these words seem similar in many respects, a key point of VUCA is that each of these terms describes a different situation that requires a specific response. Nathan Bennett, a professor with the Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University, and G. James Lemoine, an assistant professor in the Organization and Human Resources Department of the School of Management at the University at Buffalo, have written extensively on VUCA, and argue, “If VUCA is seen as general, unavoidable, and unsolvable, leaders will take no action and fail to solve an actual problem.” Thus, diagnosis of the situation is a prerequisite to crafting a response. They argue that volatility should be met with agility; uncertainty with information; complexity with restructuring with internal operations reconfigured to address external complexities; and ambiguity with experimentation. Uncertainty in this sense refers not to scientific questions about the coronavirus, but to what effect the virus will have on the future. What new realities will it generate? What will recovery look like? How long will it take? What will a post-COVID world entail? "Seek out new data sources and gather new perspectives." Bennett and Lemoine recommend reaching out “to partners, customers, researchers, trade groups, and perhaps even competitors” in times of uncertainty, in order to understand the impact of this phenomenon. Seek out new data sources and gather new perspectives. Here’s how one CEO we’ve talked with builds in multiple perspectives to his decision-making. At his industrial products company, he has established bi-weekly meetings with his senior team focused on two questions What do we know now that we didn’t know before? How can we use that information to make decisions? Each team member is responsible for research within their area talking to big customers, participating in supplier forums and webinars, scouring competitor websites. At the meeting, team members share their findings and discuss the available data, what assumptions can be drawn from it, and insights to be leveraged. These discussions are then translated into action points. Organizations should ensure internal decision-making processes incorporate conflicting points of view, if necessary designating a devil’s advocate or what the military calls a “red teamer.” Colonel Eric G. Kail, who writes about VUCA and its application in the business world, says red teamers “don’t simply shoot holes in a plan … [they require] leaders to move beyond that won’t happen’ to what if this occurs.” Red team membership should be rotated, he says, and leaders must be careful to protect them from backlash from other organizational members. In response to the broader perspective offered by his team’s devil’s advocate, one CEO shared that he took proposed across-the-board price cuts and implemented them in a much more nuanced way, with price decreases segmented by customer and channel. Another hallmark of stressful situations is that they can lead to paralysis and inaction, what Nathan Furr calls “unproductive uncertainty.” He recommends three strategies for decision-making in such circumstances Managers need to step back and consider all options, both near term and long term. This is because gathering information in this environment can cause us to become “so focused on the immediate situation that we overlook the broader possibilities.” Rather than focus on binary outcomes, which rarely play out, managers should consider the full spectrum of possible outcomes and assign probabilities to each. Keep in mind that “possibilities always exist.” Even in the worst situations, there are opportunities and choices to be made. Thinking about strategy A clear sense of organizational direction is central to knowing what information is significant and avoiding information overload. David J. Collis, the Thomas Henry Carroll Ford Foundation Adjunct Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, and Michael G. Rukstad, the late senior research fellow at HBS described a firm’s organizational direction as being a hierarchy that flows from the most enduring element, the corporate mission, through values, vision, strategy, and, ultimately, the implementation and monitoring of that strategy via tools such as balanced scorecards and key performance indicators KPIs. The strategy includes an organization’s objective, scope, and competitive advantage. In times of turmoil, CEOs should revisit their strategy and ask key questions What is the organization’s ultimate objective? In which directions products, customers, geographies, vertical integration will it go? In which directions will it not go? Finally, what does the organization do better or differently than others—in other words, what is our competitive advantage? "Another hallmark of stressful situations is that they can lead to paralysis and inaction." “In times of economic distress, clarity of strategy becomes even more important,” wrote Michael Porter in 2008. In an economic downturn, figuring out what part of the industry that you want to serve becomes incredibly important.” It’s also important to not take actions in the short term that seem expedient but could ultimately undermine what’s different or unique about the company, he says. Porter provides the example of a company focused on high-end features and service that is tempted during a recession to cut back in response to a customer’s price concerns. This is the wrong move, he says. By cutting back on what has made it successful, that company risks becoming just like its competitors. He also contends that downturns can provide a little flexibility because the pressure to deliver short-term financial results is lessened. When all companies are reporting poor results, acting to make your company look a little better is not particularly value-added. We see this in action with the CEO of a B2B company who has responded to current pressure from customers by agreeing to cut prices in the short term in exchange for contract extensions; thereby being sensitive to their customers’ short-term needs while simultaneously improving the firm’s long-term competitive positioning. Strategy execution and implementation Strategic planning, converting strategic objectives into activities, is central to most organizations. Still, it is not possible to anticipate every event that might impact those plans. Executives need to be agile in order to adapt plans in response to unforeseen problems or opportunities. In doing so, they need to balance flexibility and speedy reaction times with long-term strategic focus. It is difficult to get this balance right! When surveyed on execution challenges, 29 percent of managers said that their company reacted too slowly, while 24 percent responded that their company reacted with sufficient speed, but in doing so lost sight of their strategy. Darrell K. Rigby, Sarah Elk, and Steve Berez write about the importance of building an “agile enterprise.” Their message—CEOs and other executives need to adopt a “humble agile mindset” to effectively lead an agile enterprise—can be aptly applied to the type of leadership required in the current environment. The authors highlight the importance of a rapid feedback loop, such as a brief daily check-in to give and receive feedback. These sessions can be used to eliminate barriers and ensure continued progress. Shifting leadership style from commanding to coaching is another agile leadership tool. Leaders use two-way communication methods and positive language, focusing not on what can’t be done but on how we can get it done. Rigby, Elk, and Berez also advise abandoning old school meeting formats in favor of “collaborative problem-solving sessions.” These are action-oriented, beginning with a list of issues that need to be resolved, focused on constructive conflict, and ending with a decision. “Swarming sessions,” which bring together participants from multiple groups and functions impacted by a single issue, can be used as needed to facilitate rapid decisions. Many companies measure strategy execution with KPIs assessed annually or maybe quarterly. In times of crisis, consider assessing more frequently. This is even more important in a virtual work world where employees don’t have the benefit of ongoing conversations that happen when people are physically together, a distance that can easily result in misalignment. A dispersed working environment can only succeed if everyone is clear on their role. What are the objectives? What work should be prioritized? How is work being divided among employees? It is important to avoid duplicative efforts. Implementing 30- or 60-day KPIs drives action and keeps people accountable and aligned. Communication around the establishment of short-term measurements should stress that these are not an effort to micromanage, but an acknowledgement of the awkward and tricky working situation. Assessing short-term goals keeps everyone on the same page and pushing forward together. As employees start to shift gradually back into the office with hybrid at-home/in-office work schedules likely in many places, short-term goals will provide transparency, visibility, and some stability. Communicate Your recovery strategy will need to include a detailed communication plan focused on all internal and external constituents. Internal communication is as important, if not more important, than external communication. In Crisis Communication Lessons from 9/11, Paul Argenti writes, “What I discovered is that, in a time of extreme crisis, internal communications take precedence. Before any other constructive action can take place—whether it's serving customers or reassuring investors—the morale of employees must be rebuilt." Many of the CEOs we heard from highlighted their concerns about getting communication right, particularly communication with their employees. How often? What platform? What tone? In Leadership on the Line Staying Alive Through the Dangers of Leading, co-authors Marty Linsky and Ronald Heifetz discuss the importance of “achieving a balcony perspective” in structuring a communication plan. They advise stepping back from a situation—getting on the balcony—to get “a clearer view of reality and some perspective on the bigger picture by distancing yourself from the fray.” Then, you “must return to the dance floor...The process must be iterative, not static. The challenge is to move back and forth between the dance floor and the balcony, making interventions, observing their impact in real time, and then returning to the action.” This exercise allows leaders to assess their people’s mindsets and tailor their communications accordingly. Stepping onto the balcony is even more challenging in a virtual world. But CEOs can test out different messages before disseminating them widely, seeking feedback and using it to fine-tune their communications. Some leaders have opted to keep their normal employee communication sessions in place, conducting those sessions virtually. One CEO explained that he was continuing to host regular town hall meetings, weekly listening sessions, and skip-level employee lunches, all on Zoom. In these forums he asks employees about their concerns and where they would like more information. These interactive sessions allow for feedback that would not be available with one-way communication tools. After-action review Take the time to review how your organization responded to the current situation and ask, “What can we do better next time?” This is not about placing blame after the fact. The US military uses after-action reviews AARs to gather and record lessons to apply in the future. The Army’s Opposing Force OPFOR is a brigade whose function is to prepare troops for combat, in part by engaging them in simulated combat. Despite the fact that they provide the trainee forces with detailed advance information on their methods, OPFOR almost always win. Part of OPFOR’s secret to success is its use of after-action reviews. They begin reviews while the event is still ongoing, with multiple AAR meetings often hosted by the unit’s commander. Each meeting starts with the recitation of the rules “Participate. No thin skins. Leave your stripes [ indications of rank and status] at the door. Take notes. Focus on our issues, not the issues of those above us…Absolute candor is critical.” Meetings address four questions “What were our intended results? What were our actual results? What caused our results? And what will we sustain or improve?” Admittedly, the corporate world has seen less success with AARs, despite the popularity of the practice, according to Marilyn Darling, Charles Parry, and Joseph Moore in Learning in the Thick of It. In their study of more than a dozen non-military organizations, they found numerous problems with their after action review procedures, including those that were conducted so long after the event that recollections were hazy and that failed to effectively apply the lessons learned. They recommend organizations use AARs selectively given the significant amount of resources required to do them well. AARs should also focus on areas that are mission critical for the greatest payoff. They offer four fundamentals of the AAR process the learnings must be primarily for the benefit of the team involved in the AAR; the process must start at the same time as the activity being reviewed; lessons must be linked explicitly to future actions, and everyone involved must be held accountable. The midst of a pandemic may not seem like the best time for an after action review, but Darling, Parry, and Moore write that during periods of intense activity, brief daily AAR meetings can help teams coordinate and improve the next day’s activities. AARs can be done on discrete projects like a pandemic-focused marketing campaign in order to improve response quality and long-term effectiveness. "Managers throughout the organization should understand their exposure." Following the 2007-09 recession, Harvard University conducted its own AAR and, in 2019, captured those learnings in a “recession playbook” with the goal of ensuring financial resilience, defined as “stewarding resources to support and maintain excellence in teaching, research, and scholarship in perpetuity” during the next recession. The framework has four steps Managers throughout the organization should understand their exposure. What might the next economic crisis look like? How might it impact revenues under the current operating model? How might that exposure change as the organization’s operating model evolves over time? Groups should develop a clear set of principles that can serve as a guiding force when the time comes to make tradeoffs and balance priorities. Take a strategic approach to modeling downside projections by categorizing activities and businesses into “areas to invest, areas to maintain, and areas that can be reduced or eliminated.” Identify areas where revenues can be increased and costs cut in advance of a downturn. Strengthen the organization’s financial position proactively. Prepare for change. At some point, leaders will need to make a determination as to when and how this plan is put into action. Conclusion Inaction is not an option While the current uncertainty can be daunting for leaders of all types, it is critical not to fall back on inaction as the default position. A good starting point Ensure you are considering all available, relevant information but are not overwhelmed by information overload. Being clear about your organization’s strategy will provide focus to information-gathering and a roadmap for decision-making. Even then, many decisions will have to be made with imperfect data. Flexibility is important. Revisit your conclusions and pivot as needed. Utilizing short-term KPIs 30-day, or so is one way of monitoring decisions and assessing performance. This is a period of continuous learning. The lessons may be unchosen and unwanted, but they can be leveraged to guide future actions. It is important not to let them go to waste. Firms should ideally emerge from this crisis sturdier, wiser, and better prepared for future crises and events. [Image iStock Photo] Other Stories In This Series How Remote Work Changes What We Think About Onboarding What Leaders Can Do to Fight the COVID Fog About the Authors Boris Groysberg is the Richard P. Chapman Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School. Sarah Abbott is a research associate at Harvard Business School. Share your insights below. The Coming Humanist RenaissanceWe need a cultural and philosophical movement to meet the rise of artificial by Jo ImperioListen to this articleListen to more stories on curioOn July 13, 1833, during a visit to the Cabinet of Natural History at the Jardin des Plantes, in Paris, Ralph Waldo Emerson had an epiphany. Peering at the museum’s specimens—butterflies, hunks of amber and marble, carved seashells—he felt overwhelmed by the interconnectedness of nature, and humankind’s place within the July/August 2023 IssueCheck out more from this issue and find your next story to MoreThe experience inspired him to write “The Uses of Natural History,” and to articulate a philosophy that put naturalism at the center of intellectual life in a technologically chaotic age—guiding him, along with the collective of writers and radical thinkers known as transcendentalists, to a new spiritual belief system. Through empirical observation of the natural world, Emerson believed, anyone could become “a definer and map-maker of the latitudes and longitudes of our condition”—finding agency, individuality, and wonder in a mechanized was crackling with invention in those years, and everything seemed to be speeding up as a result. Factories and sugar mills popped up like dandelions, steamships raced to and from American ports, locomotives tore across the land, the telegraph connected people as never before, and the first photograph was taken, forever altering humanity’s view of itself. The national mood was a mix of exuberance, anxiety, and the June 2018 issue Henry A. Kissinger on AI and how the Enlightenment endsThe flash of vision Emerson experienced in Paris was not a rejection of change but a way of reimagining human potential as the world seemed to spin off its axis. Emerson’s reaction to the technological renaissance of the 19th century is worth revisiting as we contemplate the great technological revolution of our own century the rise of artificial before its recent leaps, artificial intelligence has for years roiled the informational seas in which we swim. Early disturbances arose from the ranking algorithms that have come to define the modern web—that is, the opaque code that tells Google which results to show you, and that organizes and personalizes your feeds on social platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok by slurping up data about you as a way to assess what to spit back imagine this same internet infrastructure but with programs that communicate with a veneer of authority on any subject, with the ability to generate sophisticated, original text, audio, and video, and the power to mimic individuals in a manner so convincing that people will not know what is real. These self-teaching AI models are being designed to become better at what they do with every single interaction. But they also sometimes hallucinate, and manipulate, and fabricate. And you cannot predict what they’ll do or why they’ll do it. If Google’s search engine is the modern-day Library of Alexandria, the new AI will be a mercurial the May 2018 issue The era of fake video beginsGenerative artificial intelligence is advancing with unbelievable speed, and will be applied across nearly every discipline and industry. Tech giants—including Alphabet which owns Google, Amazon, Meta which owns Facebook, and Microsoft—are locked in a race to weave AI into existing products, such as maps, email, social platforms, and photo technocultural norms and habits that have seized us during the triple revolution of the internet, smartphones, and the social web are themselves in need of a thorough correction. Too many people have allowed these technologies to simply wash over them. We would be wise to rectify the errors of the recent past, but also to anticipate—and proactively shape—what the far more radical technology now emerging will mean for our lives, and how it will come to remake our that stand to profit off this new technology are already memorizing the platitudes necessary to wave away the critics. They’ll use sunny jargon like “human augmentation” and “human-centered artificial intelligence.” But these terms are as shallow as they are abstract. What’s coming stands to dwarf every technological creation in living memory the internet, the personal computer, the atom bomb. It may well be the most consequential technology in all of human are notoriously terrible at predicting the future, and often slow to recognize a revolution—even when it is already under way. But the span of time between when new technology emerges and when standards and norms are hardened is often short. The Wild West, in other words, only lasts for so long. Eventually, the railroads standardize time; incandescent bulbs beat out arc lamps; the dream of the open web window for effecting change in the realm of AI is still open. Yet many of those who have worked longest to establish guardrails for this new technology are despairing that the window is nearly AI, just like search engines, telephones, and locomotives before it, will allow us to do things with levels of efficiency so profound, it will seem like magic. We may see whole categories of labor, and in some cases entire industries, wiped away with startling speed. The utopians among us will view this revolution as an opportunity to outsource busywork to machines for the higher purpose of human self-actualization. This new magic could indeed create more time to be spent on matters more deserving of our attention—deeper quests for knowledge, faster routes to scientific discovery, extra time for leisure and with loved ones. It may also lead to widespread unemployment and the loss of professional confidence as a more competent AI looks over our Lowrey Before AI takes over, make plans to give everyone moneyGovernment officials, along with other well-intentioned leaders, are groping toward ethical principles for artificial intelligence—see, for example, the White House’s “Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights.” Despite the clunky title, the intention is for principles that will protect human rights, though the question of civil rights for machines will eventually arise. These efforts are necessary but not enough to meet the should know by now that neither the government’s understanding of new technologies nor self-regulation by tech behemoths can adequately keep pace with the speed of technological change or Silicon Valley’s capacity to seek profit and scale at the expense of societal and democratic health. What defines this next phase of human history must begin with the as the Industrial Revolution sparked transcendentalism in the and romanticism in Europe—both movements that challenged conformity and prioritized truth, nature, and individualism—today we need a cultural and philosophical revolution of our own. This new movement should prioritize humans above machines and reimagine human relationships with nature and with technology, while still advancing what this technology can do at its best. Artificial intelligence will, unquestionably, help us make miraculous, lifesaving discoveries. The danger lies in outsourcing our humanity to this technology without discipline, especially as it eclipses us in apperception. We need a human renaissance in the age of intelligent the face of world-altering invention, with the power of today’s tech barons so concentrated, it can seem as though ordinary people have no hope of influencing the machines that will soon be cognitively superior to us all. But there is tremendous power in defining ideals, even if they ultimately remain out of reach. Considering all that is at stake, we have to at least the June 2023 issue Never give artificial intelligence the nuclear codesTransparency should be a core tenet in the new human exchange of ideas—people ought to disclose whenever an artificial intelligence is present or has been used in communication. This ground rule could prompt discipline in creating more-human and human-only spaces, as well as a less anonymous web. Any journalist can tell you that anonymity should be used only as a last resort and in rare scenarios for the public good. We would benefit from cultural norms that expect people to assert not just their opinions but their actual names is the time, as well, to recommit to making deeper connections with other people. Live videochat can collapse time and distance, but such technologies are a poor substitute for face-to-face communication, especially in settings where creative collaboration or learning is paramount. The pandemic made this painfully clear. Relationships cannot and should not be sustained in the digital realm alone, especially as AI further erodes our understanding of what is real. Tapping a “Like” button is not friendship; it’s a data point. And a conversation with an artificial intelligence is one-sided—an illusion of soon, a child may not have just one AI “friend,” but more AI friends than human ones. These companions will not only be built to surveil the humans who use them; they will be tied inexorably to commerce—meaning that they will be designed to encourage engagement and profit. Such incentives warp what relationships ought to of fiction—Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Rod Serling, José Saramago—have for generations warned of doppelgängers that might sap our humanity by stealing a person’s likeness. Our new world is a wormhole to that uncanny the first algorithmic revolution involved using people’s personal data to reorder the world for them, the next will involve our personal data being used not just to splinter our shared sense of reality, but to invent synthetic replicas. The profit-minded music-studio exec will thrill to the notion of an AI-generated voice with AI-generated songs, not attached to a human with intellectual-property rights. Artists, writers, and musicians should anticipate widespread impostor efforts and fight against them. So should all of us. One computer scientist recently told me she’s planning to create a secret code word that only she and her elderly parents know, so that if they ever hear her voice on the other end of the phone pleading for help or money, they’ll know whether it’s been generated by an AI trained on her publicly available lectures to sound exactly like her and scam elementary-school children are already learning not to trust that anything they see or hear through a screen is real. But they deserve a modern technological and informational environment built on Enlightenment values reason, human autonomy, and the respectful exchange of ideas. Not everything should be recorded or shared; there is individual freedom in embracing ephemerality. More human interactions should take place only between the people involved; privacy is key to preserving our a more existential consideration requires our attention, and that is the degree to which the pursuit of knowledge orients us inward or outward. The artificial intelligence of the near future will supercharge our empirical abilities, but it may also dampen our curiosity. We are at risk of becoming so enamored of the synthetic worlds that we create—all data sets, duplicates, and feedback loops—that we cease to peer into the unknown with any degree of true wonder or should trust human ingenuity and creative intuition, and resist overreliance on tools that dull the wisdom of our own aesthetics and intellect. Emerson once wrote that Isaac Newton “used the same wit to weigh the moon that he used to buckle his shoes.” Newton, I’ll point out, also used that wit to invent a reflecting telescope, the beginnings of a powerful technology that has allowed humankind to squint at the origins of the universe. But the spirit of Emerson’s idea remains crucial Observing the world, taking it in using our senses, is an essential exercise on the path to knowledge. We can and should layer on technological tools that will aid us in this endeavor, but never at the expense of seeing, feeling, and ultimately knowing for future in which overconfident machines seem to hold the answers to all of life’s cosmic questions is not only dangerously misguided, but takes away that which makes us human. In an age of anger, and snap reactions, and seemingly all-knowing AI, we should put more emphasis on contemplation as a way of being. We should embrace an unfinished state of thinking, the constant work of challenging our preconceived notions, seeking out those with whom we disagree, and sometimes still not knowing. We are mortal beings, driven to know more than we ever will or ever passage of time has the capacity to erase human knowledge Whole languages disappear; explorers lose their feel for crossing the oceans by gazing at the stars. Technology continually reshapes our intellectual capacities. What remains is the fact that we are on this planet to seek knowledge, truth, and beauty—and that we only get so much time to do a small child in Concord, Massachusetts, I could see Emerson’s home from my bedroom window. Recently, I went back for a visit. Emerson’s house has always captured my imagination. He lived there for 47 years until his death, in 1882. Today, it is maintained by his descendants and a small staff dedicated to his legacy. The house is some 200 years old, and shows its age in creaks and stains. But it also possesses a quality that is extraordinarily rare for a structure of such historic importance 141 years after his death, Emerson’s house still feels like his. His books are on the shelves. One of his hats hangs on a hook by the door. The original William Morris wallpaper is bright green in the carriage entryway. A rendering of Francesco Salviati’s The Three Fates, holding the thread of destiny, stands watch over the mantel in his study. This is the room in which Emerson wrote Nature. The table where he sat to write it is still there, next to the the October 1883 issue Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Historic Notes of Life and Letters in Massachusetts’Standing in Emerson’s study, I thought about how no technology is as good as going to the place, whatever the destination. No book, no photograph, no television broadcast, no tweet, no meme, no augmented reality, no hologram, no AI-generated blueprint or fever dream can replace what we as humans experience. This is why you make the trip, you cross the ocean, you watch the sunset, you hear the crickets, you notice the phase of the moon. It is why you touch the arm of the person beside you as you laugh. And it is why you stand in awe at the Jardin des Plantes, floored by the universe as it reveals its hidden code to article appears in the July/August 2023 print edition with the headline “In Defense of Humanity.” When you buy a book using a link on this page, we receive a commission. 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