The Rise of AI and the Birth of the Human Being
This article is an adaption of an opinion piece published on LinkedIn, written by VALR’s CMO, Ben Caselin.
I have been thinking a great deal lately about the rise of artificial intelligence. It is becoming clear that AI and robotics are set to transform nearly all forms of human labour. They are already reshaping creative and intellectual work, from writing, design and music composition to data analysis and scientific research, while robots gradually take over the physical world, from farming and manufacturing to logistics, cleaning and precision surgery.
What interests me far more than the future of commerce is the deeper question of human purpose. If machines end up performing most of the work that has traditionally given shape to our days, what will become of us? When the struggle for survival no longer dominates our time, how will we live?
Acknowledging Legitimate Concerns
Society’s unease is understandable. Fears of rogue super-intelligence, safety failures, mass unemployment and a deep crisis of meaning fill the headlines. Some concerns may be overstated, but many deserve genuine attention. The transition ahead will not be easy.
Yet to focus only on what we stand to lose would be a mistake. Instead of seeing AI purely as a threat, we can view it as a rare invitation to reconsider what truly gives life meaning. In that sense, I take an optimistic approach.
Towards a World of Shared Abundance
Imagine a world, perhaps within the coming decades or a generation, where robots manage fields and supply chains, AI agents perform complex surgeries and digital systems handle most administration and finance. Much of the physical and mental drudgery that has defined human existence could fade. In such a future, scarcity itself may sharply recede. The cost of food, goods and basic services could fall drastically.
This possibility raises difficult but necessary questions. Who will own the robots and the powerful AI models driving this productivity? If control remains concentrated in too few hands, inequality could grow dangerously. Ideas such as robot taxes or mechanisms that let ordinary people share in the gains through investment have been proposed.
Talk of universal basic income often arises, yet we should approach it with caution. Simple handouts risk weakening personal initiative and responsibility. At the other extreme, complete state control of production has its own well-known dangers. The wiser path lies in balanced stewardship, through fair ownership shares in AI systems, profit-sharing mechanisms, or public investment funds. Wealth created by automation should serve the common good while still rewarding creativity and enterprise. Governance rooted in justice and foresight could turn technological abundance into a shared inheritance rather than a source of division.
Rediscovering Our True Purpose
Economic considerations, important as they are, form only the stage. The central question remains one of purpose. What will we do when survival no longer demands endless toil? Throughout history, humanity has used technology to liberate itself from raw necessity. From fire and agriculture to machines and flight, each advance has lifted us toward higher possibilities. AI and robotics represent the next great release.
Technology’s greatest gift is the freedom to become more fully human: the cultivation of noble virtues, the life of the spirit and the soul. Time once swallowed by repetitive tasks could flow instead into true learning, philosophy and quiet reflection. Families could gather with genuine presence. Communities might engage in thoughtful consultation, listening to one another with patience and wisdom. The arts would flourish, not as mere hobbies but as vital expressions of beauty and truth. Contemplation and worship, or simply quiet inner reflection, could find natural space, drawing hearts closer to the divine.
We would have room to care for the earth more attentively, tending rose gardens and forests, rearing animals with compassion and practising better stewardship. Children and the elderly could receive the unhurried attention they deserve. Most profoundly, service to humanity could become the natural occupation of our days: teaching, healing, creating, comforting and building bridges of understanding.
Cultural traditions across the ages have spoken of a time when life on earth will mirror the harmony of heaven: a world of worship, elevated discourse, loving community, artistic endeavour, and virtue. That promise is not delivered by technology alone. It emerges from within the human heart. Our inner life must be cultivated through moral effort and disciplined practice. Only then can outer conditions truly come to reflect our nobility.
But while artificial intelligence cannot create paradise on its own, it can surely remove many of the burdens that have long distracted us from higher pursuits. In a world where basic needs are met without ceaseless struggle, the divine spark within each person has room to shine more brightly. Work itself could transform from mere survival into an act of joyful service.
The Birth of the Human Being
These are special days. Handled wisely, I believe the rise of AI can help elevate us. By facing legitimate concerns with honesty, shaping our economy with justice and turning our gaze toward the soul’s true potential, we prepare for an age of genuine flourishing. Humanity’s story has always been one of progressive liberation. I see it as a long-arced journey from a self-centered struggle for survival to selflessness, from the animalistic to the divine. In that sense, and quite ironically, one might say that the rise of AI could effectively mark the long-awaited birth of the Human Being.
Risk Disclosure
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Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article are the personal views of the author and should not form the basis for making investment decisions, nor be construed as a recommendation or advice to engage in investment transactions.
