How AI Can Make Us More Human | Ian Slade and AI Hannah | TEDxPacific Avenue
Algorithms know us better than we know ourselves. But what if that's not the threat? What if AI could make us more human, not less?In this groundbreaking TEDx talk—the first to feature an AI co-speaker—healthcare technologist Ian Slade upends our assumptions about artificial intelligence. Through unexpected stories from his own life, Ian reveals how technology can amplify our capacity for empathy, presence, and connection.Drawing from his work in healthcare innovation, Ian doesn't just theorize about compassionate AI—he demonstrates it live on stage with Hannah, his AI companion now deployed in California rehabilitation centers. Together, they show us something radical: that the path to becoming more human might run straight through the machines we've built.This isn't another warning about technology's dangers or breathless promises about its potential. It's an invitation to stop asking if machines will replace us—and start asking how they might complete us. Ian Slade is a healthcare technologist, educator, and internationally recognized advocate for ethical AI. Author of Flow Like Water (#10 Amazon Business Ethics), he co-founded the Kennedy Center for Cybersecurity with Fmr. Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy. He teaches management and clinical informatics at UCLA.A pioneer at the intersection of human and artificial intelligence, Ian makes TEDx history with Hannah, the first AI co-speaker—now supporting addiction recovery in California rehabilitation centers. Together, they demonstrate how technology can amplify our humanity.During the Biden administration, he helped with the Partnership for Digital Access for Africa. Named the 2022 HIMSS Global Advocate of the Year, Ian challenges us to see AI not as our replacement, but as our mirror—reflecting back who we really are. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
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