Who is intelligent? Someone who learns from AI. Who is wise? Someone who learns from every human being.

You might recognize the second half of that line from Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers) - one of the most widely studied texts in Jewish thought. At first glance, it might seem to contradict my last post. Didn’t she just say learning from people is overrated - that AI could teach us everything?

There is so much that AI has to teach. Any concept, topic, or field of study is just a few keystrokes away. You can ask any question you like, probe as deep as you wish, explore all the wild hypothetical questions that you dream up. So what’s left for us humans? 

Experiences. Interactions. Memories. Wisdom that only comes with time. AI has none of that. It can pretend, but it doesn’t know what it’s like to feel awkward or nervous before saying something important. It can’t teach you how to be social, how to listen, or how to make friends. Some lessons are only learned by watching others. Seeing your parents shake hands with a friend or feeling slightly uncomfortable hearing your great-aunt speak to a waiter are quiet lessons in how to interact with people.

And there are stories only humans can tell. What it felt like to live through a World War or an economic depression is something only your grandparents can tell you. And once they are gone, so are their stories. 

One of my biggest fears for the future is that we will forget how to be human. How to treat each other. How to be friends. How to stay close to our grandparents and learn from them. I’m afraid we’ll begin to think, “why do I need other people?” 

Let this serve as a reminder that there is always more to learn from the people around you. My grandfather has lived by this belief his entire life. My father too. Learn to ask others the right questions. Watch how they lead their lives. After all, they’ve made it this far for a reason. 

Religious Jews believe that the Torah is eternal; always has been and always will be relevant and correct to our lives. “Who is wise? One who can learn from every human being.” We are being reminded that no matter how far society progresses, how much technology we have access to, a person who is wise will be a person who remembers that wisdom cannot be taught by AI. 

Intelligence can be artificial. But wisdom is human. 

The Thought Edit follows my experiment in designing a personalized, AI-guided education. Along the way, I explore bigger questions about how we learn, think, and stay human in a rapidly changing world.