Rana el Kaliouby on why AI needs a more human future

AI is moving fast. But are we really keeping humans at the center? AI scientist, founder of Affectiva, investor at Blue Tulip, and host of Pioneers of AI, Rana el Kaliouby makes the case that human-centric AI isn’t just a safety guardrail; it’s the key to thriving socially, economically, and emotionally. She also cuts through the noise on the buzziest AI myths, including whether we’re in an AI bubble.  This is an abridged transcript of an interview from Rapid Response recorded live at SXSW, hosted by former Fast Company editor-in-chief Robert Safian. From the team behind the Masters of Scale podcast, Rapid Response features candid conversations with today’s top business leaders navigating real-time challenges. Subscribe to Rapid Response wherever you get your podcasts to ensure you never miss an episode. You exited Affectiva in 2021. You’re an investor now at Blue Tulip. But you’re also the host of the podcast Pioneers of AI. Are these tools, between the investing and the podcast, that you’re using to try to shape where AI goes from here? What is your goal in that? Affectiva was my baby. It was literally my third child. It really was a big part of what I did and my identity. When I sold it in 2021, I spent a lot of time thinking about, What do I want to do next? And I kept coming back to this idea/question that we absolutely need to build a future of AI that is human-centric, that prioritizes how these technologies are going to affect our everyday lives and our relationships. And I mean, I believe that AI has massive economic opportunity. It really does. And at the same time, it has this opportunity to unlock human potential. So my point of view is that AI should not replace our abilities. It should really amplify and augment what we can do. And ideally, we can harness AI and use it to solve really meaningful problems facing society today. So that’s kind of my thesis around that. And then I was like, Okay, how do I shape that? How do I become a real player in th