The human advantage in the age of AI

Welcome back, explorers.

This week, Meta’s chief AI scientist reminded us of something important: AI may be smart, but it still lacks core human traits. In this issue, I break down what that means for professionals and leaders navigating the AI-powered future - and how to play to our irreplaceable human edge.

 🔥Today’s big AI story

The human advantage in the age of AI🧠

We’re in an era where AI can write code, generate documents, and even hold human-like conversations. But according to Yann LeCun, Chief AI Scientist at Meta - we’re far from human-level intelligence.

In a recent statement, he pointed out that current AI systems lack four core human abilities:

1. Physical World Understanding: AI still doesn’t “get” the real world. It can describe a beach but can’t truly experience sand, sun, or surf. This limits its grasp of context.

2. Long-Term Memory: Today’s AI doesn’t remember what it said yesterday -at least not in a meaningful way. It lacks the continuity that gives human judgment its depth.

3. Goal Persistence: Humans stay focused. We chase dreams, push through obstacles. AI? It follows instructions but doesn't care about the outcome.

4. Planning & Reasoning: Even the best AI models struggle with abstract thinking, logical planning, and scenario-based decision-making - something we do naturally in business and life.

As AI gets smarter and more embedded in our tools, feeds, and workflows, it’s easy to forget what it can’t do. But for professionals and businesses building for the future, this gap isn't a flaw - it's the frontier.

🧩 The Real Edge: Human Drives

Think about it:

• AI doesn’t wake up with a dream.

• AI doesn’t hustle harder when the odds are stacked.

• AI doesn’t get discouraged, but it also doesn’t get inspired.

These deeply human qualities — our why, our drive, our grit — are still where the real value is created.

🧑‍💼 So, What's the Play for Professionals?

If AI is your co-pilot, what does that make you? Answer: The strategist, the visionary, the leader.

Here’s how you lean into that:

• Let AI handle the heavy lifting: research, summaries, routine content.

• You focus on the narrative: the insight, the angle, the why now.

• Train like a leader: build clarity, resilience, and the ability to adapt faster than any algorithm.

🔍 For Businesses: Train for Complementarity

Stop asking: “Will AI replace this job?”

Start asking: “How do we design workflows where AI complements our best people?”

• Hire for judgment, creativity, and ambition — the traits AI can’t learn.

• Build cultures where experimentation is encouraged and humans stay in the loop.

• Treat AI not just as a tool, but as a teammate.