The NexGen Patriots exists to inspire, inform, and empower every generation of Americans by connecting faith, values, and community with the issues that shape everyday life. Through meaningful conversations and real stories, the podcast provides a platform where local voices meet national discussions—bridging the gap between small-town perspectives and broader cultural and civic topics. We highlight the strength and resilience of communities while promoting informed citizenship rooted in integrity, responsibility, and hope for the future.
As AI continues to evolve, one question matters more than ever: what will always make us human? This conversation explores why trust, integrity, and shared experiences will never be replaced by technology.
Yeah, and actually just got a discussion on this one. So uh a year ago, one of the things I said, and I've since changed my opinion on, um, was I thought, oh, empathy. Like empathy is gonna make us uniquely human, right? Because we can empathize with that person. And interestingly enough, there was a study uh from a university not long ago that showed people felt AI was more empathetic than other humans were. Um and so, okay, what does that mean now, right? Like if we take empathy away. And this is where I go back, okay, what is it really then? It's actually that shared experience and that bonding that we can get to. And it's, you know, there's something that's deeper than a voice level. Like when you if you walk into a concert sometime and like you feel the energy in the air, yeah, like that's something a computer's never gonna be able to experience and never be able to communicate and feel. And the communing with one another human and like getting that the energy and the feel of it, uh is something that is going to very much be uniquely human and something that AI is not going to be able to replace. And this is where I think we have to lean in on our human ability and like our human skills and say, can we hold one another accountable? Can we be empathetic? Because if we can't be empathetic, AI is definitely going to be. So, but we have to be, or we're really gonna be looked down upon. Um, how do we have accountability systems for ourselves that others can look at and like, hey, that person's accountable to themselves, therefore they're trustworthy and accountable to their. If we're not accountable and AI is not accountable, why don't I just go to AI? So we have to be accountable to other people and trustworthy to them. And so those are fundamental things that I think are just gonna become really, really important. Like, you know, integrity is gonna become more important than ever. Because if I know I can't trust the AI, if I can't trust you too, I might as well use the AI. But if I can trust you, yeah, and I know your integrity is impeachable, and you're gonna stand behind what you said, and I'm gonna be able to hold you accountable. And when what you said goes wrong, you're gonna jump in and help me figure out how to get it right. Like those are things that just AI isn't gonna be because now you're willing to get in there, now we have a shared experience together because oh yeah, you didn't say the right thing and it turned out bad, but you're willing to go into that uncomfortable with me, and now we're gonna have a shared experience that we bond over. Those are some pretty important things that just are not taught anywhere. Yeah, and those are things that were, and they are taught, but I don't think they're talked about enough, right? Like, um we don't have a class in school on those. We don't have those. And this is where I say it's really important to lean into being a lifetime learner around hey, how are you daring to lead even in your own life? How are you getting into those uncomfortable situations? Um, how are you making sure that you're, as Patrick Lincioni says, humble, hungry, and smart, right? Like so, and smart when he says that is do you understand interpersonal dynamics? Because those are still gonna be a play, right? And probably even more so when people feel frustrated that they don't have agency because AI took their job. Yeah, how are we giving them agency back? How are we working through that with them? How are we leaning into that? Those are gonna be really important things. Um, and how to take agency for ourselves and make sure that we just step out and say, I'm gonna go do what's right, even though there may be an easier route. I think it's really important to find that self agency.
