Mission
Compassion is an important human quality. As AI becomes more human-like, it is helping us to understand why compassion is so important for innovation, business, and leadership. We created Project AI+C because compassion is no longer optional in the era of AI. We are using insights from social science to help entrepreneurs build tech ventures with intentional compassion. Not only is this good for the world, but critical for success.
“We stand on the brink of a technological revolution that will fundamentally alter the way we live, work, and relate to one another.”
We are at an important crossroads for humanity as we transition to the Fourth Industrial Revolution. As Schwab explains, this is very different from anything humankind has ever experienced because of its “velocity, scope, and impact.” We are witnessing unprecedented transformation across industries due to major technological breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, robotics, quantum computing, and life sciences.
What makes this transition so critical for all of us is because of the unprecedented challenges this is bringing to humanity. It is forcing us to ask important questions about humanity - what makes us humans as AI is becoming more human-like? It is prompting us to ask questions about capitalism - what is the purpose of corporations? It is also demanding us to ask questions about technology - what is the purpose of technology? At the root of these questions is about being humans and our human values.
We are being intentional about compassion because if there is one thing that we need as we enter the Fourth Industrial Revolution, it is compassion. As we rely more and more on machines to make critical decisions for us, compassion is foundational. As machines are becoming more human-like, it is helping us to think harder about humanity and why our systems, including capitalism, wouldn’t function when compassion is “rationalized” out.
“I’m not worried about artificial intelligence giving computers the ability to think like humans. I’m more concerned about people thinking like computers without values or compassion, without concern for consequences.” Tim Cook, CEO of Apple
Compassion is the foundation behind sustainability, tech for good, conscious business, and stakeholder capitalism. It is a key to unity for all of humanity. It is also a key to unity between humans and machines.
We created Project AI+Compassion with the mission to bring compassion to tech. As we enter the Fourth Industrial Revolution with the rapid advances in AI, doing good for humanity is paramount. The mindset of compassion is an essential first step. It has a profound impact on everything we do from the product we design, the company we build, to the world we create.
We thank you for your interest in the work that we are doing. We invite you to join our mission!
Cognitive Dissonance - Humans vs. Machines
What separates humans from machines is cognitive dissonance
Back in the 1950s when Silicon Valley was just born, it was a very interesting time at Stanford University because so much was happening in engineering, in social science, and in Silicon Valley. Frederick Terman, who is recognized as the founding father of Silicon Valley, was serving as Stanford's provost. Leon Festinger, who is recognized as the founding father of cognitive dissonance, was doing groundbreaking research across the campus from Terman. On the other side of the country, Abraham Maslow, who is known as the father of humanistic psychology, was teaching at Brandeis University in Massachusetts. While Festinger was known to be highly analytical and very scientific in his approach, Maslow was all about improving the human condition through positive psychology. One is focused on the mind while the other focused on the heart. The two worlds could not be further apart until a graduate student of Maslow, Elliot Aronson, went to study under Festinger at Stanford. Aronson would go on to become one of the most distinguished social psychologists in the world for his contribution to cognitive dissonance and the invention of the Jigsaw Classroom. He is the only person in the 120-year history of the American Psychological Association to have won all three of its major awards for his lifetime contributions.
According to Aronson, co-author of Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me), “The engine that drives self-justification, the energy that produces the need to justify our actions and decisions – especially the wrong ones – is the unpleasant feeling that Festinger called cognitive dissonance.” The theory of cognitive dissonance is one of the most important frameworks in social psychology. This theory helps us to understand how we can be blinded when we operate without compassion. As Aronson explains in his theory, “it happens one step at a time down the pyramid of choice and self-justification will do the rest.”
While AI doesn’t have cognitive dissonance, humans do. When we are conflicted between doing well for ourselves vs. doing good for others, we rationalize and self-justify. When compassion is rationalized out of the equation, this can lead to serious consequences. As entrepreneurs, technologists, and leaders, we need to understand the science of cognitive dissonance because it has an impact on the technology we build and the world we create.
Why Compassion Matters
“To build a highly effective team, we need both performance and trust.” Trust needs compassion.
Pat Gelsinger, CEO of VMWare, is showing us how to lead compassionately in life and in business.
Marc Benioff, CEO and Founder of Salesforce, built his business based on compassionate capitalism - “It’s possible to do well and do good.”
Dr. Darcia Narvaez shows us how to break the cycle of the competitive detachment culture of today and bring back the cooperative compassionate culture of the past.
Jessica Herrin, CEO & Founder of Stella & Dot, has managed to find success by embracing a compassionate culture.
Dr. James R. Doty, the founder of the Center for Compassion and Altruism at Stanford, talks about the science behind compassion.
Dr. Telle Whitney co-founded the Grace Hopper Celebration (GHC) with Anita Borg, and served as the President and CEO of AnitaB.org for 15 years.
John Hennessy, 10th President of Stanford University, talks about the importance of compassion at Stanford.
Adam Grant, author of Give and Take, helps us to see that we can indeed succeed by lifting others - by being compassionate!