Top tips: How to stay human in the age of AI

Top tips is a weekly column where we highlight what’s trending in the tech world and list ways to explore these trends. This week, we’re diving into how to stay human in an increasingly AI-powered world.



We live in a time where your playlist knows your moods better than your best friend and your smart speaker has become your unofficial therapist. Long gone are the days where you would call a friend at midnight just to ask, “Hey, what should I watch tonight?” Now, algorithms serve up recommendations before you even finish your sentence.

Impressive? Absolutely.

However, there's a challenge in the midst of all this convenience and automation: How do we stay human when machines and algorithms do so much of the heavy lifting.

1. Use AI as a tool

Think of AI like a calculator. It’s brilliant for solving math problems quickly, but it can’t understand why you're calculating something in the first place. If you're using AI to write emails, analyze data, or create content, remember: AI runs on logic, but you bring the purpose.

Before handing over a task to a machine, ask yourself: Am I outsourcing convenience or creativity?

Let AI automate the boring bits, but keep the thinking, feeling, and meaning-making to yourself. That’s your edge.

2. Prioritize real connections

A heart emoji doesn't feel like a warm hug, and responding with “K” on WhatsApp doesn't foster a real conversation. In this hyper-digital era, it’s easy to mistake constant communication for genuine connection.

Think about the last time you made a friend laugh till they cried—chances are, it didn't come from a predictive text suggestion or an AI-generated message.

Make time for face-to-face chats, voice notes, and even awkward phone calls. Being present with another person, without autocorrect or filters, reminds us of something AI cannot replicate: the messy, unedited, imperfect nature of being human.

3. Stay curious

AI will happily give you the answer, but it doesn’t care whether you understand the why. That’s your job.

As humans, our ability to question, explore, and make weird connections is something uniquely us. AI can simulate curiosity, but it can’t feel it.

So when ChatGPT tells you a fact, don’t just stop there. Dig deeper and follow the rabbit hole.

4. Create from experience

You don’t have to be an artist to create. Draw with crayons, sing off-key, and write stories with plot holes. The point isn’t to go viral, it’s to feel something and express it.

AI can remix Beethoven or hop on the latest Studio Ghibli trend, but it doesn’t know the rush of your favorite song playing during a rainy drive. It doesn’t feel the way you do.

So create from that messy, magical, one-of-a-kind experience called life. Forget perfection; it's your expression that truly matters.

5. Take breaks

Ever caught yourself switching between five tabs, answering emails while watching Youtube, and wondering why you feel exhausted after?

That’s your human brain waving a tiny white flag.

Take screen breaks. Let your eyes rest on a tree, or a ceiling fan, or literally anything that’s not glowing. Let your brain wander aimlessly for a bit—like it used to in childhood car rides or shower thoughts. That stillness is where clarity often hides.

Final thoughts: 

AI is brilliant. But it’s not you. In a time when technology is louder, faster, and more impressive than ever, staying human isn’t about resisting the future—it’s about remembering your roots.

So go ahead, use the tools. But don’t forget to laugh at yourself, ask strange questions, send a voice note just to say hi, or sketch your dreams on a napkin.

In a world dominated by synthetic intelligence, it’s your authentic humanity that truly sets you apart.