“I know that I know nothing” - Socrates

In this era of rapidly advancing artificial intelligence, many people are feeling anxious. What will happen when AI becomes smarter than humans? Can we still remain special beings? What stance should we take before such questions?

If the great Greek philosopher Socrates were alive today, what insights might he offer about our modern concerns? In these turbulent times, we summon Socrates to pose ten essential questions.

1. “In a world where AI becomes smarter than me, am I still a special being?”

Young one, let me first ask: what do you think it means to be “smart”? If AI can calculate quickly and remember vast amounts of information, is that true wisdom?

I have spent my life saying “I know that I know nothing.” Isn’t this awareness of one’s ignorance a uniqueness that only humans can possess? Can AI doubt? Can it realize its own limitations?

What makes you special is not the quantity of knowledge, but your ability to contemplate, love, suffer, and constantly reflect on yourself as you live. This is the true meaning of “Know thyself.”

2. “What do we lose and gain as we become dependent on AI?”

A good question. But first, let’s examine what “dependence” means. Don’t we already live dependent on countless things? On language, on law, on others?

What matters is what kind of dependence it is. If we depend on AI and stop thinking, we will lose the movement of our souls. But if we use AI as a tool for deeper contemplation, we might approach a higher dimension of wisdom.

More important than weighing what we gain and lose is what choices we make. Technology is neutral. How we use it depends on our moral choices.

3. “Is it natural to feel anxious about AI?”

I believe anxiety comes from ignorance. We feel anxious because we don’t know about AI and its impact on our lives.

But consider this: is anxiety always bad? Doesn’t anxiety make us think deeply and seek better paths?

What’s important is not avoiding anxiety, but exploring where it comes from. Is your anxiety perhaps fear of change? Or worry about losing control? Once you know the cause, you can address it.

4. “How can we find peace of mind in a rapidly changing world?”

As Heraclitus said, “Everything flows.” Change is the essence of life. Then, instead of seeing change as an enemy, why not look for what doesn’t change?

The yearning for truth, the heart that seeks to do good, the soul that pursues beauty - these don’t change even as times change.

Peace of mind doesn’t come from external conditions. It comes from the conviction that you’re living rightly, from the awareness that you’re trying to become a better person each day, even if just a little. This foundation doesn’t change no matter how much technology advances.

5. “As we spend more time talking with AI, what happens to human relationships?”

This is a very important issue. What I’ve pursued all my life is genuine dialogue. But is genuine dialogue simply exchanging information?

Dialogue with people has unpredictability. Souls clash and new insights emerge. Sometimes even silence has meaning. Can AI provide this?

If people prefer comfortable conversations with AI and avoid difficult human relationships, we’ll lose opportunities to train our souls. We grow through conflict and reconciliation, misunderstanding and understanding.

6. “If machines do much of our work, what should humans do with their lives?”

This is the question I’ve always asked Athenian citizens: “What is a good life?”

If work disappears, wouldn’t we have time for more precious work? The work of knowing ourselves, understanding others, contemplating deeply about justice and goodness.

Like free citizens in slave societies, we might be able to focus on matters of the soul, freed from material needs. Of course, this is if we make wise choices. Otherwise, we might simply fall into laziness and debauchery.

7. “In a world with perfect AI, why are human mistakes and emotions precious?”

Is perfection truly desirable? I’ve never seen a person with perfect wisdom. If only gods are perfect, isn’t the learning and growth that come from pursuing perfection what makes us human?

Mistakes make us humble. They make us forgive others’ mistakes. Emotions make us alive. Through joy and sorrow, love and anger, we know the true taste of life.

If perfect AI knows all answers, where will we find the joy of inquiry? This process of doubting, being wrong, and starting again is the core of a philosophical life.

8. “Can we turn AI-era anxiety into an opportunity for growth?”

Every crisis is also an opportunity. Anxiety makes us re-examine things we’ve taken for granted. “What do I truly value? What is the purpose of my life?”

The AI era makes us contemplate more deeply about the essence of being human. Could there be a more philosophical opportunity?

We become stronger when challenged. There’s no reason to grow in comfort. Don’t avoid the challenges AI brings, but use them as opportunities to understand ourselves more deeply.

9. “What mindset should we have before uncontrollable changes?”

We need wisdom to distinguish between what we can and cannot control. We cannot stop the speed of AI development. But we can choose how to respond to it.

Will we shrink in fear, or approach new possibilities with an open mind? What matters is not external changes but our internal attitude.

Even in change, there are things that don’t change - the heart that seeks truth, the will to do good, the mind that loves beauty. If we hold fast to these, no change is fearsome.

10. “What is a happy life in an era of living with AI?”

I believe a happy life is a virtuous life. And virtue’s essence doesn’t change even as times change.

Courage, temperance, justice, wisdom - we can pursue these virtues even in the AI era. Isn’t it more meaningful to consider how to practice these virtues in new situations?

Technology can make our lives convenient, but it doesn’t bring happiness. Happiness depends on how we live and what we pursue.

In Closing

Young one, what I’ve said are not the right answers. These are all questions we must explore together. What’s important is not getting answers, but living with constant questioning. I hope you don’t lose this philosophical attitude to life, even in the AI era.

“The unexamined life is not worth living” - Socrates