AI and wisdom: A human being cannot be reduced to a performance statistic

In cricket, football or hockey, merit and performance determine a player's place in the team. A player who repeatedly fails to perform may be replaced. People accept this competition because the objective is collective excellence and the pursuit of victory. But can we apply the same replacement principle to our lives? In government, business, engineering, manufacturing and construction, AI increasingly performs tasks once carried out by human beings. It can process enormous amounts of information, recognise patterns and assist in decision-making with remarkable speed. Yet, efficiency cannot become the only measure of human worth.

The rapid growth of AI has raised a profound question: if machines become increasingly capable, will they eventually replace human beings? Some technology leaders and researchers have warned about the risks of advanced AI, while others emphasise its potential to transform human life. Human beings are endowed with something beyond computation: consciousness, compassion, intuition, imagination, moral responsibility and the capacity to love.

On the playing field, a player may be replaced when performance falls. In life, however, a human being cannot be reduced to a performance statistic. We must keep thinking more deeply, because intelligence should always lead to wisdom.