Last Sunday, I volunteered for a 1-day retreat called “AI + Relationships.” The day included many conversations around the role of Artificial Intelligence in our lives, and how technology is a good servant but a bad master.
In breakouts, deep questions were asked and answered on the impact of AI on relationships, how people in big and small groups are using AI while augmenting human-to-human connections, and the power of shifting from ME to WE.
Nipun Mehta, the founder of ServiceSpace, talked about the accelerated pace at which AI was taking over our lives, the ethics of large companies, the debate between “can” and “should,” and various aspects that were at one, unsettling, but also, intriguing, and insightful.
Mahatma Gandhi, Vinoba Bhave, and Martin Luther King came into the discussion often, reminding us of values, life-defining principles, and the power of human connection.
As we traversed the day, we also journeyed from transaction to connection, using head (knowledge), hands (talking to strangers on the street, pinning hearts and hugging), and heart (self-reflection and insights based on the day’s activity). The atmosphere was unlike any formal event as strangers looked at each other with softened gazes and gentle smiles.
As a volunteer, I connected with my fellow volunteers, some of whom I have worked with before. It was like coming home to a harmonious rhythm, making me question why I don’t do this more often.
But then also, ServiceSpace is no ordinary organisation. It is a completely volunteer-driven, non-fundraising space that connects millions of people across the globe. In the last 2-3 years, I have made deep heart connections with people on different continents, who are doing amazing work on the ground, changing the world by walking the path of transformation themselves.
The world is changing rapidly. The waters are choppier than ever. But as Fukuoka says, “It takes a forest to grow a fruit.” So too can many MEs become WE, and from there, the Mettaverse becomes the container and the path for heart intelligence to transcend artificial intelligence.
“From smart to heart, from noise to stillness,
we’ll make those bridges because it’s all on us.
The more I shift, the more I see.
The more I see, I see you in me,
And I will be you, and we will hold preciously
the collective wisdom of our hearts.”
