Late last month, Former Infosys CEO Vishal Sikka had tweeted “Wonderful and thoughtful talk by my friend @kaifulee on AI helping us to reconnect with our humanity and amplifying it…” which piqued this reporter’s interest in Kai-Fu Lee.  Lee’s TedTalk opens a window to complex questions such as how to balance work and life? How important are work ethics? Or how exciting is the work that propels one to be totally immersed in it – to the extent of remaining oblivious to everything else around him or her? Lee’s 14-minute TedTalk is a revelation. He opens with a confession about erring in his values. This draws viewers into the journey of a computer whiz (AI boss), dictated by a ‘996’ work routine. 

Lee points to the link to technology through an experiential story where personal life took a back seat to career. In 1991, he was all set to make a presentation about AI to his boss, the Apple CEO. Lee looks back at this incident admitting to the possibility of having to scoot from the hospital where his wife was due for delivery, to make his presentation.

In his narrative, he draws the viewer to the changing landscape of technology. The Chinese economy has leap-frogged in AI – imagine $18.8 trillion dollars being transacted on mobile internet, thanks to robust technologies built behind it. It seems even bigger than China’s GDP. From the time when the US led the discovery of AI to deep learning, it is now the era of China’s dominance, when it comes to implementation. 

“…What really matters is execution, product quality, speed and data. And that’s where China comes in. Chinese entrepreneurs, who I fund as a venture capitalist, are incredible workers, with an amazing work ethic. My tryst in the delivery room is nothing compared to how hard people work in China. 

As an example, one start-up tried to claim work-life balance: “Come work for us because we are 996.” And what does that mean? It means the work hours of 9 am to 9 pm, six days a week. That’s contrasted with other startups that do 997.”

Lee cautions by stating that despite the rapid pace with which companies are embracing AI, the bottom line is AI cannot create anything by itself. Instead of becoming totally dependent on it, he wants people to realise the serendipitous nature of AI which is “here to liberate us from routine jobs, and to remind us what it is that makes us human.”

Title: How AI can save our Humanity?

Synopsis: Kai-Fu Lee, a celebrated AI expert shares his mantra on balancing work life and the personal front and how AI can be effectively employed to take over menial jobs from humans in order to make our lives much fulfilling