Connections with AI, Emotions, and Humans
My usual “study partner,” ChatGPT, is not working today. Several times, I attempted, unsuccessfully, to open his application. I also did my typical African internet troubleshooting, such as rebooting my router, using a VPN, and restarting my computer. Perplexed, I did a quick Google search and discovered my newfound friend, ChatGPT, was experiencing a worldwide system failure![1] It is rather ironic that the day I must blog about artificial intelligence (AI) and Eve Poole’s book Robot Souls: Programming in Humanity is also the day of his unexpected leave of absence. Yes, I did indeed make this AI application masculine. I personalize select inanimate objects I regularly use—my truck, Walter, Freddy, my cast iron skillet, and Hilda, my new air fryer, to name a few.[2] I have found that personalizing these objects helps solidify them in my mind. This helps me give them the needed attention and respect for the services provided to me. It also makes for great conversation starters and connections with real humans. After this bizarre glimpse into my personal life, you may wonder, “Where is she going with this?” The answer is, “I don’t know! ChatGPT is out of the office! Where do I start?”
To clarify, I am not going through technology withdrawal or experiencing mental health illness from living in Africa for 12 years. My behavior may be explained in what Eve Pool calls human junk code, which I will expound on below. In the book Robot Souls, Dr. Poole addresses the connection between AI and humanity. She examines traits that make us uniquely human and the challenges of incorporating those into AI. While Dr. Poole remains neutral in the book, there is a sense of an underlying theological belief in a divine creator. In looking up her background, I discovered that Dr. Poole has a diverse background, including an undergrad degree and PhD in theology.[3] This helped set the tone for her distinction of humans as created beings versus humans creating AI, especially pertaining to junk code.
In my limited understanding, junk code is an extra aspect of computer programming that does not affect its purpose but helps make the program more difficult to copy or hide behind.[4] If deleted, the junk code elimination would not change how the system runs and functions. Poole uses the analogy of junk code for human traits, “It seems that we may have dismissed as junk code in our own programming something that is not redundant at all, which is in fact crucial to our core programming. Instead of being dismissed, this [our souls] should be articulated, nurtured, and protected.”[5] Dr. Poole delves into the characteristics of our souls’ junk code: emotions, capacity for making mistakes, storytelling, intuition, dealing with uncertainty, free will agency, and finding meaning in the world.[6] According to Poole, all of these aspects of the human soul are meant to bring us together into relationships and community with others.[7] We have been designed to be in connection with others.
In thinking about this innate need for human connection, I want to step a bit deeper into the emotions of the human code. Dr. Marc Brackett, a voice for emotional intelligence, addresses how emotions impact humans in Permission to Feel: Unlocking the Power of Emotions to Help Our Kids, Ourselves, and Our Society Thrive. He identifies five specific areas that emotions directly affect: attention, decision-making, social relationships, health, and creativity.[8] I see how this directly affects society in my host country. In my research for my NPO, there is a consensus that there is a lack of emotional intelligence in the culture. Dr. Brackett has designed this acronym, RULER, to help people successfully investigate their emotions.
Recognize what we are feeling.
Understand what we have discovered about what we are feeling and why.
Label our emotions and identify the nuances and intricacies of our feelings.
Express our feelings.
Regulate [emotions] to use them wisely to achieve desired goals.[9]
Applying these elements to our emotions, Dr. Bracket believes the world will see a healthier and more connected society that “[creates] a more inclusive, compassionate, and innovative world.”[10] The desire for a better and healthier world is a drive behind developing and creating AI as a societal tool.
As we step back from the focus on emotions and back to the idea of the human soul and AI, I like this statement from Eve Poole:
Soul is the active ingredient in our humanity. It is our birth-right, and it tells us that we are not here to become more efficient, but to become more human. So if we program for soul, it may be the eucatastrophe we need to nudge our storyline back towards a happy ending. We will all need meaning and purpose then, and can work together with AI towards that shared goal.[11]
As followers of Christ, we must remember our call to be a light to the world and see others glorify our God.[12] In being a light to those around us, we can do so through our emotions—our love for Him and others.[13] It is His ultimate love for us that gives our lives meaning, purpose, and connection with our Creator and His creation.[14]
[1] Tom Gerken, “ChatGPT Back Online After Outage Which Hit Thousands Worldwide,” BBC (blog), January 23, 2025, https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c30d80lg579o.
[2] These names were not all my original work. Friends also helped to come up with some of these names.
[3] “Eve Poole | About Eve, Speaker, Author and Pioneerer of the Leadersmithing Movement,” Eve Poole, accessed January 23, 2025, https://evepoole.com/about/.
[4] Eve Poole, Robot Souls: Programming in Humanity, Kindle Ed. (Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 2024), 120.
[5] Ibid, 120-121.
[6] Ibid, 121.
[7] Ibid, 150.
[8] Marc Brackett, Permission to Feel: Unlocking the Power of Emotions to Help Our Kids, Ourselves, and Our Society Thrive, Kindle Ed. (New York: Celadon Books, 2019), 27.
[9] Ibid, 67.
[10] Ibid, 240.
[11] Poole, Robot Souls, 204.
[12] Matthew 5:14-16.
[13] John 13:34-35, Matthew 5:43-44, 1 John 4:19.
[14] Romans 5:8.
About the Author
Kari
Kari is a passionate follower of Jesus. Her journey with Him currently has her living in the Sahara in North Africa. With over a decade of experience as a family nurse practitioner and living cross-culturally, she enjoys being a champion for others. She combines her cross-cultural experience, her health care profession, and her skills in coaching to encourage holistic health and growth. She desires to see each person she encounters walk in fullness of joy, fulfilling their God-designed purpose. “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” Romans 12:12 ESV16 responses to “Connections with AI, Emotions, and Humans”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Hi Kari, your post had me smiling from the very beginning with your names for your vehicle, skillet, and air fryer as a Poole object lesson of humans giving meaning to the world around us – perhaps naming stars – or even trucks. I also appreciate the mention of Marc Brackett. It seems he could be a resource. Thanks for that. Do you see AI as an augmentation for humans or as something different?
Hi Diane, I’m glad you enjoyed it. Yes, I think AI is a valuable tool that, given the proper regulations and ethical guidelines, can be of tremendous value to us.
Hi Kari, Thanks for this post and for revealing the weird names we give to kitchen appliances and vehicles. As I was reading through your post and reflecting on Brackett’s RULER acrostic, I couldn’t help but think if we as humans deal with our “junk code” in a healthy way, perhaps our priorities would look different (i.e., AI wouldn’t be the main topic of conversation)? However, at this intersection in humanity’s AI journey, do you think there are ways to harness it to foster better human connection?
Elysse, I agree with you that humans need to deal with our “junk code” in healthy ways. AI is a great tool for finding conversation starters, icebreakers, and other ideas for connecting with humans. As you saw, I could connect more with a friend by introducing her to ChatGPT. It was a fun bonding experience.
Thanks for your insight into your world, Kari. Often I find that our western authors only address issues from a western perspective, and rightly so. What would the particular ethical challenges be in your context with the development of AI?
Hi Graham, Thanks for your comment. I suspect AI is already causing some ethical dilemas in education and with hacking. There is a huge gap with technology– those 50s and up are still using old Nokia phones. Gen Z is discovering AI and teaching themselves how to hack the ancient (and insecure) computer systems that the country is using. There has been a HUGE ongoing problem with cheating, especially at the higher education level. The government has been turning off the nationwide internet for at least a decade during major testing times to limit how students can cheat. I suspect we’ll see continued issues with AI in these areas.
Thank you Kari. Given your cross-cultural experiences and the emphasis Poole places on ‘junk code’ fostering human relationships, how might different cultural perspectives influence the integration of AI into communities?
Thanks for the great question, Glyn. I give some more specific examples above in Graham’s response. There is a delay in technological advances and capacity in developing countries. I have seen this cause issues with AI and cultural acceptance. In my context the older generation seems relatively clueless to AI and the younger generation is fearless of it. This seems like a lethal combination to me.
Thank you Kari. As I was reading your article, I thought about how our creator “programmed” us with our own junk code. One of the ways in which we are like our Creator is that we are also creators. Which elements of our junk code do you think are most important to “program” into AI? Why?
Thanks, Debbie. Your comment about us being creators is my first choice. Programming creativity in AI can help us enhance our own creativity which increases depth and beauty in our world.
Hi Kari,
How does Dr. Eve Poole’s concept of “human junk code” help us understand the unique traits that are crucial to our core programming, and how might these traits be articulated, nurtured, and protected in our communities?
Hi Shela, Dr. Poole does a great job expounding on those character traits. Recognizing, acknowledging, and prioritizing these in our communities is a way we can articulate, nurture, and protect them. It is hard to nurture and protect things that are hidden or ignored.
Hi Kari, I laughed out loud as I was reading your introduction! Thanks for bringing some joy to my day.
This was a great example of why the ‘junk code’ programmed into humanity is a gift from God. It’s hard to imagine humanity without joy and laughter. What other ‘junk code’ are you thankful for?
I’m glad you could experience some joy, Christy! Joy and laughter are so vital to life. I also am especially thankful for gratitude and creativity. These bring hope, meaning, and beauty to our world.
Kari,
Are there ways that you see AI being used in your local economy? Is there a desire among others to use AI or is there a generalized fear or concern?
Great question, Adam. I have not seen this personally. As I commented to a few others above, there is a big gap in technology knowledge and use between the older (50+) generations and the younger generations (especially Gen Z). Concerning AI, there seems to be ignorance in the older generation and fearlessness in the younger generation. In asking ChatGPT, I learned there have been a few national and international initiatives over the past two years to incorporate AI in the local economy. It does not yet seem to be general knowledge.