AI Can’t Find Meaning, But We Can
AI is everywhere. It pops up in casual conversations, on media feeds, and in board rooms. Depending on your perspective, it evokes either fear or hope. Like it or not, it has rapidly transformed our world. According to a 2025 Harvard study on generative AI, finding purpose and meaning is now the third most popular use behind therapy/companionship and organizing life. AI can do remarkable things. It can synthesize information in a nanosecond. It can compute complex equations with precise accuracy. It can find a speck of cancer on an X-ray better than a human. But there is one essential thing that it cannot do: AI can’t find meaning.
Finding meaning is a profoundly human experience. According to renowned psychiatrist Viktor Frankl, it is the primary motivational force of human life and a key factor in our mental health. Meaning is always specific to the individual and to the moment. It cannot be given or created; it must be discovered. Finding and fulfilling meaning is how we live out our values and priorities. We are equipped with a conscience that serves as a guide and have the freedom to choose whether to listen to it. We are always directed towards something or someone other than ourselves.
Meaning is not an output generated by computer inputs. It is found in our engagement with the people and world around us. It’s the intuitive pull we feel when our conscience points us toward the right thing to do, something only we, given our particular circumstances and traits, can do. If someone is drowning, the right thing to do is try to help. But if we can’t swim, jumping in wouldn’t be the best response.
No machine can live this experience. No algorithm can replace conscience. We are the ones responsible for answering life’s demands, and in doing so, we experience the full range of human emotion, from suffering to joy. The search for meaning is our dance with life as we respond to its pull through our deeds and actions, our relationships and experiences, and finally, our attitude when confronted with an undesirable fate. The tension created from pursuing meaning is how we move from who we are to what we can become.
With the advent of industrialization, we became enamored with systems that could handle responsibilities that we chose not to. We then digitized and corporatized these systems to the point that they, not our communities, dictate our daily lives. We now live in a society of systems. We are processed through the healthcare system, the education system, the judicial system, the foster care system, and the corporate system, like widgets on a conveyor belt. Rather than having these systems support our communities, we have become answerable to them. We are relational beings in a transactional world.
AI is another iteration of this transactional way of life. It provides us with answers quickly, eliminating the struggle and reflection that help us learn and grow. As we have embraced mechanistic shortcuts, we have become disconnected from ourselves, each other, and our communities. Ignoring the uniqueness and dignity of every person in favor of rapid processing is dehumanizing and anti-meaning.
Human beings need meaning as much as we need oxygen. We notice when it is missing, as it often is in our modern society. Over 100 years ago, Frankl cautioned about our mechanistic approach to human life. He coined the term “existential vacuum” to describe the void that is created when our search for meaning is frustrated. This void is often filled with aggression, addiction, and depression. This pain is visible all around us, evidenced by the mental health crisis affecting young and old alike. We live in an era of the existential vacuum.
Humans are more than a mind and a body. We have what Frankl referred to as the “noetic dimension.” This powerful (nonreligious) spiritual dimension is what provides us with the resources and strength we need to deal with the complexities of life. Modern science is now catching up to Frankl’s observations with quantum physics. Scientists have discovered a quantum field of possibilities that exists all around us, and we humans possess the unique ability to convert these possibilities into reality. Unlike AI, our multidimensional being can tune into this field using our conscience as a guide.
Each of us feels the pull of meaning in a way that is uniquely our own. We resonate with it. There is no general meaning for everyone. Consider Ben Franklin, for example. He didn’t invent electricity; he discovered it by following the intuitive pull he felt. He was curious about electricity and searched for ways to bring it into reality. Through trial and error, his pursuit led to the discovery that changed the world. That was on a large scale, but even in smaller moments, we all do the same–both consciously and unconsciously.
AI can’t find meaning because it doesn’t have the biological, psychological, or spiritual capabilities to tap into the quantum field of possibilities. It can only synthesize the known universe of information. It creates variations from this base knowledge, but cannot sense the possibilities beyond it. It cannot experience wonder or choose sacrifice. It can’t feel moved by beauty or transformed by grief. Humans can. AI keeps us externally focused in our search for life’s answers, rather than being internally focused on the powerful capacity of our human spirit. Although advanced AI can mimic human emotions, it doesn’t have a benevolent consciousness. It is a really good personal assistant, but it shouldn’t be the CEO.
Why are we so enamored with data and cognitive intelligence? Why do we view these as the way to save the world? They play a role, but they are not what makes the world go around. More information at faster and faster speeds has not produced a happier, healthier society. Compassion, empathy, responsibility, and, above all, love are the essentials that make life worth living. We are part of a universe of interactive relationships; nothing is separate. Our unique talents and characteristics, as well as our decisions, are essential to the fabric of existence. It is our responsibility to contribute who we are to this beautiful tapestry.
The time has come for us to choose the kind of future we want to live in and the legacy we want to leave for future generations. We stand before a large scale. On one side is the transactional life, the continuation of our mechanistic society of systems with AI as the latest version. At this moment, the balance of power is weighted towards this scenario. On the other side is the relational life, the reclaiming of our human responsibilities, the recognition of the dignity of each individual, the necessity of intergenerational connection, and the value of community. To balance the scale, we must put our attention and energy toward things and people that reflect our human values. Where we each decide to stand can shift the course of humanity. Will we choose wisely?
