The Art of Obligation in the Age of AI
The fact our Presence is better Protected by Obligation than Intention will always make us better than machines
Imagine a world where AI systems have overtaken nearly every aspect of our lives, from the arts to decision-making. Every day we question more the dangers of AI stripping away our privacy, decreasing human interaction and even reducing personal growth. Amidst this growing dominance, we are left pondering a critical question: what truly makes us human?
As the UK’s late former chief rabbi, Jonathan Sacks, wrote in his book Morality, “If we seek to preserve our humanity, the answer is not to elevate intelligence … [It is] self-consciousness that makes human beings different”. The solution, I believe, comes from one of the oldest ideas of humanity — obligation. A driving force that can help us maintain our distinct identity and edge in a landscape dominated by AI.
The Concept of Obligation
In this article, “obligation” refers to our commitment to responsibilities and relationships rather than merely external factors. An obligation is more than being forced into fulfilling tasks or roles by external factors. It represents a deep-seated sense of duty that has guided human societies for centuries and is unlikely to be replicated by AI systems any time soon. Examples include humans building thriving communities, most religious practices, and even simply caring for one's family.
While AI systems can process vast amounts of data and complete tasks efficiently, they have no idea what it means to be human — they lack the emotional and social understanding that comes with real-world obligations.
One of the benefits of, say, going to a yoga class or church or a playground with your kids is that it’s impossible to work while you’re there. Presence is better protected by obligations than intentions. Caring about obligations is crucial because they help focus our attention and immerse ourselves in the task at hand, leaving no room for distractions.
Obligations are rooted in our social and emotional development, making them a distinctly human trait. Psychologist Michael Tomasello’s research on the moral psychology of obligation highlights how historically, obligation distinctly motivates people and is a force with insistent nature that bonds us with others and encourages us to honour agreements.
The fact that someone took the day off and decided to spend it with you doing something fun suddenly becomes meaningful. The fact that someone would take the little time they have to find a way to live in service to others through a sense of obligation suddenly becomes a sacrifice we all respect.
Practical Obligation in the Face of AI
By fulfilling our obligations, we strengthen our social connections and foster a shared sense of identity, which in turn enhances our motivation, concentration, and personal development. It's all about building a stronger "we."
Consider the following examples of obligation:
- A close friend's wedding: sure, an AI system could help with the wedding planning, photo taking and table setting, but it cannot experience the emotional connection and joy shared by family and friends. Your presence and participation in such an event are invaluable.
- Volunteering at a charity: An AI could help with organisation donations and logistics but has no sense of empathy or genuine human compassion for those in need. Your time spent helping and connecting with others has the potential to make as much difference in other people's lives as it does for yours.
- Being present when a family member needs you: You could program an AI to offer comforting words or reminders, but they lack any ability to truly understand and respond to complex emotions. It's our support and understanding as a human that is essential during challenging times.
- Meeting a deadline: I’ve been guilty of using AI to help write stuff at work, but I’ve realised that still only humans can apply creativity, critical thinking and personal investment into a project. When our work is motivated by the obligation to meet something like a deadline, something interesting happens — we are more likely to produce high-quality work that reflects our unique perspective.
It's important to acknowledge and fulfil our responsibilities, especially in a world full of distractions. Doing so keeps us grounded and helps us avoid being mere spectators in a sea of shallow interactions, allowing us to truly connect with the world around us.
Cultivating Obligations
Cultivating obligations need only start with a calendar and a notepad. Start by identifying areas where you feel unfocused or disconnected and set specific commitments with action plans, deadlines, and measures for accountability. Start with constructing a daily framework that fosters focus by booking time for various activities, including work, reflection, and personal life.
All it is is a plan — even if you do nothing else, doing this first step is valuable for reminding ourselves of the value of respecting our time, presence and intent.
Examples of cultivating obligations include:
- Reserving time for leisure activities, such as playing with your kids, meeting friends, helping your parents or engaging in hobbies
- Blocking our time to work on a particular task for a dedicated amount of time to enhance motivation and concentration
Caring about cultivating obligations is essential because it helps protect our biological, psychological, and social presence.
For example, committing an hour to work on a particular task can amplify our motivation and concentration, as opposed to letting our attentions drift aimlessly. If you’ve scheduled time to play video games, there’s nowhere else you should be nor anything else you should be doing. Enjoy leisure time without guilt!
Personally, I’ve found that keeping a daily diary is one of the most effective tools for cultivating, tracking and reinforcing my obligations. To get started, create a template with crucial questions, such as “What’s top of mind right now?”, “What would make today great?”, “What am I thankful for?” and spending the first 10 minutes of each day answering them. Having a practice of keeping such a daily diary and simply writing all this stuff down has helped me out a lot.
For those looking to streamline the process, I suggest checking out tools like Obsidian, which can help simplify and enhance the journaling experience. I’ve written about my daily process here for those interested.
“Show me your calendar, and I’ll show you what you value,” Stanford business school professor Joel Petersen famously tells his students. We mostly think we should invest in activities only if we find them meaningful. Still, I believe the causal relationship more often goes the other way: we find activities meaningful through our investment in them.
Obligations needn’t be a source of stress and dread. Embracing obligations can allow us to connect with our uniquely human traits and forge meaningful connections in a world filled with more AI and automation. By taking time to cultivate obligations in our personal and professional lives, we can remain grounded in the present moment.
Happy obligating everyone.
