As AI Grows Smarter, What Makes Us More Human?

As AI Grows Smarter, What Makes Us More Human? 

Today I spent the day at Spirit Rock studying the Dharma of money and work with Spencer Sherman. Amazing! I reached a level of deep connection, coregulating with a lovely group of people. As we all dropped into states of deep embodied relaxation, new ways of looking at challenges became very clear. Space to loosen my grip and allow wisdom to arise. 

I began to think about AI and what it means to be human. As artificial intelligence becomes more capable, what becomes uniquely valuable about being human? 

For generations, we've measured success by how much we know, how quickly we solve problems, and how efficiently we produce results. But AI is changing that landscape. It can summarize information, write code, generate ideas, and analyze enormous amounts of data in seconds. 

If intelligence is becoming more accessible, perhaps our greatest competitive advantage is no longer intelligence alone. 

Perhaps it is our humanity. 

Our ability to sustain attention. 

Our creativity. 

Our intuitionm, which often arises from the heart rather than the head. 

Our capacity for compassion- being more gentle with ourselves offers space around difficult situations.  

Our wisdom- which requires space and time to be accessed. 

Our ability to connect deeply with one another and with the living world. 

These are qualities that cannot simply be downloaded. They emerge under the right conditions. 

That question has been shaping my work in new ways. 

For years, I've guided people through Forest Therapy, mindfulness practices, somatic awareness, and myofascial release. While each of these disciplines is different, I've noticed they all seem to support the same shift. 

People arrive carrying the pace of modern life. 

Their attention is scattered. 

Their nervous systems are activated. 

Their bodies are often tense without them even realizing it. 

Then something begins to change. 

As they slow down, breathe, notice the sensations within their bodies, and reconnect with the natural world, they often describe feeling more present, more creative, more connected, and more capable of seeing situations from a new perspective. 

I've become fascinated by these transitions. 

Not because they feel relaxing, although they often do, but because they seem to create the conditions where our uniquely human capacities begin to flourish. The truth is human flourishing directly impacts performance and employee retention.  

The Space Between Doing and Being 

One idea that continues to capture my attention is the concept of liminal space. 

Liminal comes from the Latin word for "threshold." 

It describes the space between one state and another. 

Between rushing and arriving. 

Between thinking and sensing. 

Between certainty and discovery. 

Between doing and simply being. 

These moments can feel surprisingly uncomfortable at first. Our minds often want to fill the silence or return to productivity. Yet it is frequently within these quieter spaces that new insights emerge. 

Some people experience this while walking beneath redwoods. 

Others while watching waves roll onto the shore. 

Some discover it after releasing long-held tension in their bodies. 

Many simply describe it as finally feeling like themselves again. 

It makes me wonder: 

What if these states are not accidental? 

What if they can be intentionally cultivated? 

Designing for Human Potential 

As organizations continue integrating AI into everyday work, I believe an equally important question deserves our attention: 

How do we intentionally design environments that cultivate the qualities only humans can bring? 

This may involve mindfulness. 

It may involve movement- protecting our fascial systems form the prolonged holding postions that lead to chronic pain. 

It may involve restorative time in nature and biophilic design. A place where reset is valued.  

It may involve creating spaces where people can transition between focused work, reflection, collaboration, and recovery. 

Imagine workplaces that include quiet nature trails, contemplative gardens, outdoor meeting spaces, or simply places designed to help people recover their attention before returning to complex work. 

Imagine leaders who understand that creativity doesn't always emerge during another meeting, it often appears after we've given our minds and bodies permission to slow down. 

Imagine teams that recognize that innovation isn't simply about generating more ideas, but about creating the conditions where the best ideas can emerge. 

From Wellness to Human Development 

For a long time, nature-based experiences have been viewed as wellness programs. 

I wonder if we've been thinking too small. 

What if Forest Therapy, mindfulness, and somatic awareness are not primarily about reducing stress? 

What if they are practices that help us cultivate the very capacities that will become increasingly valuable in an AI-enabled world? 

Attention. 

Creativity. 

Embodiment. 

Compassion. 

Connection. 

Wisdom. 

Perhaps the question is no longer, "How do we compete with AI?" 

Perhaps the better question is: 

How do we become more fully human? 

An Invitation 

I don't pretend to have all the answers. 

In many ways, I'm simply following my curiosity. 

I'm interested in exploring how mindfulness, somatic awareness, Forest Therapy, neuroscience, biophilic design, and emerging technology might work together to help people cultivate the conditions where they do their best thinking, experience deeper connection, and discover greater meaning in their work and lives. 

As AI continues to evolve, I believe this conversation will only become more important. 

The future may not belong solely to those with the most advanced technology. 

It may belong to those who best understand how to cultivate the extraordinary capacities that have been within us all along. 

Nature has been teaching those lessons for thousands of years. 

Perhaps it's time we listened.