On the Pioneers of AI podcast, former Labber Rana el Kaliouby sits down with Media Lab Professor Pattie Maes, head of the Fluid Interfaces group, for a timely conversation about the future of artificial intelligence. Professor Maes questions the tech industry’s race toward artificial general intelligence (AGI), advocating instead for AI that truly serves humanity—augmenting our abilities, preserving our relationships, and promoting critical thinking and wellbeing in everyday life.

Artificial general intelligence, or AGI, is the next horizon that could match or surpass human thinking. Companies are investing billions in it, but not necessarily in projects to help humans with our memory, health, or well-being. MIT Media Lab professor Pattie Maes believes a different approach to how we advance AI could center and even re-define the human experience. With more than 30 years of experience in AI, she co-leads the Advancing Humans with AI (AHA) initiative and explores what it will take to ensure that AI supports human flourishing. In this episode Maes shares her benchmarks for this goal, along with research on outcomes for humans using AI every day.