AI and Humanity: A Path to Connection or Division?

Today, like so many others, I paused to remember 9/11. I can still picture the moment when the news broke that planes had hit the Twin Towers. I wasn’t teaching that year, and my daughter was just starting Kindergarten. I left to pick her up, heart pounding, wondering what else could happen and if Chicago, where we lived then, was next. The whole day felt surreal, and yet, the emotions were painfully real: fear, uncertainty, and an ache for safety and unity.

In the days that followed, despite the tragedy, I remember how people came together. There was a sense of shared humanity, a reminder that we needed one another. Unity didn’t erase our differences, but for a moment, it transcended them.

Fast forward to today, and my reflection feels heavier. Our country seems to be fracturing, not from an outside source, but from within. Division, distrust, and disconnection dominate so much of our public life. And in that context, I can’t help but ask: Can AI bring us unity or will it divide us further?

On one hand, AI could deepen divides if misused: spreading misinformation, reinforcing biases, or creating new inequities. But in the right hands, it also has the power to connect us in profound ways: bridging language barriers, giving access to those historically excluded, and amplifying voices that might otherwise go unheard.

Maybe that’s what I’m really wrestling with today. Just as after 9/11, unity will never come automatically, it requires intention. AI is just a tool. It’s up to us to decide whether we wield it to isolate, or to heal.

These are simply my reflections on a somber anniversary. You may agree or not, but I hold onto the belief that AI, like any transformative force, can be shaped for good. And perhaps, if we are thoughtful and courageous enough, it might even help us rediscover the unity we so desperately need.