Po-Shen Loh on Building Thoughtfulness, Empathy, and Strong Networks for Success in the AI Era

EO

Introduction [0:00]

• Po-Shen Loh, a mathematician and math professor at Carnegie Mellon University, observed the rapid advancement of AI, particularly ChatGPT.
  • Initially, he believed creativity was a unique human trait AI couldn't replicate.
  • However, he changed his view after seeing Google's AI solve four out of six International Math Olympiad problems, which are highly original.
    • These problems are designed to be entirely new, ensuring no prior exposure.
    • AI's ability to solve them indicates its capacity for creativity.
  • Loh now believes the only truly unique aspect of human intelligence is the inherent care for human existence.
• As a social entrepreneur, Loh aims to create educational solutions that foster thoughtfulness in the world.

AI’s #1 Target in Schoolwork [1:28]

• AI is primarily used by students for writing assignments, which poses a significant problem for human civilization.
  • AI, as a large language model, excels at pattern recognition in language.
  • Over-reliance on AI for writing prevents students from developing logical thinking skills.
    • He compares it to driving a car for exercise instead of running a mile: no personal mental fitness is gained.
  • Writing and other communication skills are crucial for developing a good way to think and navigate unseen situations.

How a Carnegie Mellon Professor Tests Creativity [3:28]

• When interviewing high school students, Loh tests for intelligence by posing math questions they have never encountered before.
  • He observes their body language to confirm the novelty of the problem.
  • The expectation is not for them to solve it immediately.
  • He then provides hints, which are new ideas or ways of thinking not typically taught in school.
  • He assesses how quickly they can synthesize these new hints into a solution for an unfamiliar problem, which he also considers a form of creativity.

What Matters More Than Creativity [4:25]

• Beyond creativity, the most essential skill for people in the future is the desire to create value and delight in others.
  • As AI surpasses human capabilities, collaboration will be crucial for survival.
  • Authentically valuing and creating for others makes one a desirable partner; without it, one becomes a "bad partner" and risks being left behind.
  • In a future where AI handles most jobs, human employment and teamwork will likely depend on the value and positive "vibe" a person brings.
  • Solving real problems requires empathy and the ability to relate to others, as one must visualize the problem through their eyes.

Simulating the World [5:54]

• Loh dedicates a significant part of his life to improving his ability to "simulate the world."
  • He uses AI as a tool for this, not to outsource his thinking, but to build internal logic and understanding.
  • Example: After seeing a talented singer in Nashville, he used AI to research the difficulty of securing a Broadway performing spot there, not for a report, but to understand the industry's competitive landscape.
    • This helps him build a mental model of how the world works.
• "Simulating the world" is a superpower for entrepreneurs, enabling them to imagine products or strategies and predict their outcomes.

Why School Makes You Depressed [7:28]

• Loh initially focused on helping students with math problems, believing math proficiency was paramount.
  • However, as the national coach of the US Olympic Math team, he observed highly clever and capable students who were depressed and lacked direction after graduation.
  • They mistakenly believed life's purpose was to constantly prove superiority over others.
  • This competitive philosophy leads to perpetual dissatisfaction.

A Life Goal That Truly Makes You Happy [8:13]

• Loh proposes an alternative philosophy: finding happiness in making others happy.
  • This pursuit is "addictive"; the more people one delights, the more one wants to do, correlating with traditional success.
  • His personal realization led him to shift his educational efforts globally, away from pure competition and test performance.

Scaling Critical Thinking [9:13]

• Loh teaches his Carnegie Mellon math classes by presenting problems and asking students for ideas, providing feedback.
• His social entrepreneurship initiative, "Live," scales critical thinking education online.
  • The limiting factor in scaling is the number of qualified coaches.
  • He created a win-win model:
    • 10-13-year-olds are at a great age to learn critical thinking.
    • 15-18-year-old high school students, who are academically clever (especially in math), are excellent coaches for younger kids.
    • These high schoolers often lack communication and leadership skills.
  • Loh hires professional comedians and actors to train these high schoolers in charisma and communication.
  • For every hour of math coaching they provide, an actor provides real-time feedback, helping them become more enthusiastic, empathetic, and develop a "winning personality."

Building Networks for the AI Era [11:16]

• The "Live" program's architecture connects kind and thoughtful high school students with middle school students, showcasing fulfilling role models.
• High schoolers teach in pairs, fostering connections among clever and kind individuals.
  • This builds a large network of trustworthy, capable people who can collaborate on future "civilization-threatening challenges."
• Loh emphasizes the importance of human society's robustness in facing technology-driven challenges, which starts with thoughtfulness.

Taste: AI’s First Theft [12:35]

• Loh's work focuses on building "autonomous human thinking."
• He observes a decreasing interest in thinking, partly due to entertainment from devices like iPads, which reduce concentration.
• AI could exacerbate this, leading to a loss of personal contribution and self-expression.
  • Humans enjoy creativity, adding their "flavor" to things like drawing or fashion.
  • If AI dictates everything for efficiency, this self-expression ("taste") is lost.
• He advocates for people to discover the joy of thinking and injecting their own ideas.

Truth: AI’s Second Theft [13:40]

• The second danger of people losing the ability to think and reason is increased susceptibility to deception.
  • The world is complex; stories can be told with only true statements but still convey a biased or misleading feeling.
  • Everyone, including Loh, has an agenda. Critical thinking is essential to discern these agendas.
  • Without independent thought, people become vulnerable to detrimental agendas from authorities.

5 Perspectives vs. 7.5 Billion [14:44]

• The technology revolution highlighted the impact of bias in tools developed by a few providers (e.g., Claude, OpenAI, Gemini, Deepseek).
  • This is like saying the world has only five viewpoints, when in reality there are 7.5 billion unique human perspectives.
  • The beauty of humanity lies in this diversity of ideas and philosophies.
• To avoid one-sided thinking, Loh actively seeks news from diverse sources (e.g., CNN and Fox News) and tunes his social media to track both right-leaning and left-leaning viewpoints.
  • His goal is to understand where disagreements lie, often in underlying values, which then shape story reporting.
  • This critical approach is even more vital with AI, which can present highly convincing but incomplete narratives.

How to Stay Hopeful Despite It All [17:43]

• Loh is optimistic because thoughtful people stick together.
  • His three years working with high school students have shown him a growing community of clever, kind, and interconnected young people.
  • He believes this network demonstrates the power of bringing together individuals who genuinely care about others and want to make the world better.

Making Money While Solving Real Problems [18:40]

• Loh aims to foster more social entrepreneurs.
  • A social entrepreneur consciously prioritizes purpose over immense wealth, finding happiness in delighting many people.
  • While challenging, social entrepreneurship must be sustainable; it should make a "net profit" from every person helped.
  • A common pitfall is wanting to solve a problem without finding its inherent monetary value.
  • Entrepreneurs should identify who is currently paying the "cost" of a problem and offer a solution for which they would pay.
  • Loh's education program is an example: it provides high-quality enrichment math classes that customers pay for, generating profit.
    • This profit then subsidizes students from other regions, creating a self-sustaining ecosystem for building a thoughtful world.
    • The unique model (actors coaching math stars) was developed over 8 years and executed over 11 years.

Destroy Your Ideas [21:10]

• Loh constantly seeks new, "weird" ways to approach tasks.
  • His process involves generating new ideas with excitement.
  • Immediately after, he actively tries to "destroy" or "shoot down" these ideas by identifying their flaws.
  • He estimates 99% of his new ideas are fundamentally flawed, but the remaining 1% are valuable.
  • This continuous cycle of generating and rigorously testing ideas for their own sake is key to innovation.