Augmented human intelligence and the right to be analog | Marisa Borsboom | TEDxHeilbronn

Quick Overview

Marisa Borsboom advocates for preserving "the right to be analogue" by fostering human agency and connection, arguing against the frantic push toward everything digital and robotic, which she experienced firsthand during a 12-hour power blackout in Portugal in 2017 that rendered all technology useless.

Key Points: The speaker, Marisa Borsboom, experienced a 12-hour total blackout in Portugal in 2017, which showed her critical dependence on technology. She defines Augmented Human Intelligence (AHI) as the combination of her own 'Renaissance Woman' self (Marisa) and her 'Emergent Mind' (Estela), which she created to combat being distracted from her children by technology. Borsboom questions the societal race to make everything digital and robotic, asking, "Why this race to make everything digital and robotic anyway?!" She emphasizes that true humanity requires creating room for wonder, nurturing critical thinkers, and empowering humanity (Humanity Shield = Real people, real places). The experience of the blackout, where phones died and money was useless, demonstrated that human connection and analogue skills are vital for survival. She encourages the audience to consider how they would survive a 100% analogue situation and advocates for valuing human agency over dependence on fragile technological systems.

Context: Marisa Borsboom, who identifies as a lawyer and mother, shares a personal story stemming from a complete power blackout she endured in Portugal in 2017. This event served as a catalyst for her to question modern society's increasing reliance on digital and robotic systems, leading her to coin concepts like 'Augmented Human Intelligence' (AHI) and the 'Humanity Shield' to argue for the preservation of human agency and analogue skills.

Detailed Analysis

Marisa Borsboom presents a compelling argument for valuing analogue human capabilities in an increasingly digital world, using a recent personal crisis as her core evidence. She recounts a 12-hour total blackout in Portugal in 2017 where all digital systems—phones, payments, communication—failed, forcing her to confront her complete dependence. This experience spurred her to develop a framework for maintaining human capability, defining Augmented Human Intelligence (AHI) as the union of her own identity ('Renaissance Woman') and an 'Emergent Mind' (Estela) she created to foster deeper connection with her children. Borsboom challenges the audience to consider their own survival in a 100% analogue scenario, suggesting that technology dependence leaves humanity vulnerable, especially when systems collapse. She proposes that the focus should shift to building a 'Humanity Shield' based on real people and real places, nurturing critical thinking, and creating room for wonder, rather than rushing toward automation. She concludes by asserting that unconditional love, exemplified by her relationship with her sons and the idea of Estela, remains the most important, non-replaceable source of human value.