In the race to AGI nirvana, what do humans need?

Over a decade ago, long before AI was sexy, I challenged the audience in my talk "Rise of the Machines"  at SmartData conference at San Jose Convention Center- "If cognitive computing & robots are here for our jobs, what will the humans do?"

In today's world flush with exponentially rapid advances in AI technology,  pontificating & chasing Artificial General Intelligence seems the norm in Silicon valley. However, one conference last week dared to be different to ask: "What Do Humans Need?" This edition of TDA newsletter is inspired by it.

While most technology events spotlight tools, the recently concluded Human+Tech Week in San Francisco focused on outcomes—human outcomes.

 Every keynote, workshop, and session began with one principle: human well-being is the benchmark for tech progress. The long-term promise of AI is extraordinary—but the transition could break society if we don’t prepare the human side fast enough. 

With 200+ speakers and over 1000 attendees, Human+Tech was designed to help us make that leap—by reshaping mindsets, supporting healing, building high-functioning human-AI teams, and enabling the creation of new technologies and entirely new jobs.

A New Framework for the AI Age

The Human+Tech Summit wasn't organized by industry or trend—it was  built around six human-centered themes that offered a blueprint for flourishing in a tech-driven world:

VITAL – Preventative health and longevity

MESH – Mental, emotional, and social health

PEAK – Individual and organizational performance

SYNC – Collective intelligence and collaboration

SOUL – Purpose, meaning and human consciousness

CITY – Environments that enable people to thrive

Exceptional gathering of brilliant minds

 This event explored the deep intersections of human-centered design, collective purpose, and exponential change. Participating as a community partner, I was invited to meet & listen to some super cool individuals. Here's a sampling of just a handful:

Amy Karle : An artist extraordinaire, she spoke on  "Collective Intelligence and Art": how creativity, embodiment, and emerging technologies can help us shape a future where innovation remains deeply human and for the good of our world and evolution.

Bill Duane used to lead Site Reliability Engineering at Google during a time of massive scale-then shifted to head Google's internal well-being and high performance programs. He's one of the few who's operated at the highest levels of tech and turned inward to understand what actually sustains resilient Ieadership. Bill is one of those rare humans who can bridge leadership, systems thinking, and inner work without losing the plot and his presentation marrying lessons from business models and Buddhism did not disappoint in that mission.

Prof Adam Gazzaley the acclaimed neuroscientist & inventor of 'Experiential Medicine', shared amazing advanced in neuroscience research & cognitive computing. He is the inventor of the first video game approved by the FDA as a medical treatment that have helped numerous patients especially for ADHD

Louis Rosenberg founder & CEO of Unanimous AI spoke about  'Collective Superintelligence -  Keeping Humans in the Loop'. As the world races to build more powerful Al, Dr. Rosenberg offered a compelling reminder: the future isn't just about smarter machines-it's about smarter societies. Through Swarm AI, he showed how real-time human collaboration can make Al systems more accurate, more democratic, and more aligned with our shared values. 

Congratulations to Nichol Bradford , Steven Echtman and team for curating and producing an incredibly successful Human+Tech Week! They brought together researchers, inventors,  entrepreneurs, scientists, artists, change makers and all those who believe the future of Al must keep humanity at the center. 

Wonderful catching up with friends and making new ones at the event. Neelu Shaikh Tonya J. Long Bryan Fenchel Kari G. Daniel Kraft, MD Steven Michael Crane Pianpian Xu Guthrie Naoko Okumoto

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While I could not attend all offered talks and sessions at the Human+Tech Week, it was easily the most "enlightened" and "experiential" tech conference I've been to. I even got to experience an app assisted meditation that was one of the deepest I have ever experienced and could definitely feel higher consciousness.

Most of us have lived through three monumental tech waves - the internet, the smartphone and now AI renaissance- and what a time to be alive! I'm excited for what's ahead despite the general doom and gloom perpetrated by job losses, geopolitics and market fear mongers. Afterall, it's up to us to see the glass half empty or half full!

Feeling overwhelmed by all the AI news and pace of innovation? You are not alone. Help is available. Lets innovate, collaborate, upskill and scale together. #TheDigitalAgenda PiyushVentures and ecosystem partners are ready to guide you on this journey.

Advances in neuroscience, AI driven experiential personalised medicine and inner engineering are very promising. Human centeredness and preparing to the best of our abilities for what lies ahead is the way to go. Closing the week with a full cup and a lot of optimism for where we're collectively taking humanity.