Michael cares deeply about humans, and he sees patterns at a scale most of us don’t. With Humans on the Loop he is putting much-needed energy into ensuring we retain agency as we’re absorbed into complex technological systems

Let's dream together better!  Exploring wisdom for a world of magical technologies with paleontologist-futurist Michael Garfield.

**If you could do anything with technology, what will you do?**

Humans On The Loop is a transdisciplinary inquiry into the nature of agency in our age of automation.

In our AI-infused society, the gap between imagination and “reality” is smaller than it’s ever been — and now it’s time for humankind to graduate from asking if our dreams are possible to asking how we can dream better. This means cultivating deeper self-awareness, more discipline and humility, and a better metaphysics of technology to help us wield these new superpowers. But decades into a period of rapid information scaling, our grasp of consensus reality and executive function have eroded, causing an epistemic crisis. The wicked problems of this century require coordination at unprecedented scale, but our greatest natural resource — attention — has worn even thinner than our topsoil. How do we regenerate it and restore the faculties we need to be good stewards of this new ecology of minds?

Navigating the challenges that come with new information technologies is a group exercise and demands inherently plural approaches. The right response to tools that amplify our biases is to lean in with curiosity and play, not fearI have spent two decades studying and synthesizing  perspectives on intelligence and technology, innovation, and human-technology co-evolution…as well as testing bleeding-edge creative tools in public, helping cultivate systems literacies for navigating transformation, and fostering a massive network of mentors and collaborators with whom I share a devotion to the cultivation of a healthy Biosphere and Technosphere. As AI comes of age, this is the moment to recruit as many of them as we can into a multimodal public inquiry on wisdom and technology, power and responsibility, holistic practices for cultivating saner futures…and how we can keep Humans On The Loop and at the wheel.

It's going to be a trip — how can we make sure that it’s a good one?

This project exists to foster a renaissance of collaboration and the conditions for new ways of knowing. Its goals include to:

– Boost public discourse at the intersection of technology and wisdom
– Create a legacy of public goods that help train instruments for deepening our understanding
– Prototype and demonstrate experimental tools for thought
– Promote the adoption of reflexive AI for both private and public good
– Help map the emergent ecosystem of changemaking orgs and wise innovators
– Fertilize new narratives and strategies for navigating "wicked problems"
– Bridge domains and cultures in positive-sum collaboration

***Explore this project's [vision document](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kIoDlRD721UhZW4SjXIeccpCo2-v3ngoF1iZDwNyfPU/edit?usp=sharing), [pitch deck](https://bit.ly/hotl-slideshow), and* [essay/podcast archive](https://michaelgarfield.substack.com/t/humans-on-the-loop)*.***
***[Subscribe](https://michaelgarfield.substack.com/subscribe) for weekly dialogues plus articles, reviews, monthly hangouts, and more.* And please** [email my secure inbox](mailto:humansontheloop@proton.me) **with questions or partnership requests!**

Humans On The Loop

Mental Health

Discover nonprofits supporting community participation in government decision making and the political process.

Join us in supporting nonprofits working on civic participation.

Civic Participation

Humans

Culture

Research

Discover nonprofits supporting a free press.

Join us in supporting nonprofits working on freedom of the press.

Free Press

Discover nonprofits supporting science and technology.

Join us in supporting science and technology nonprofits.

Science & Technology

1124428876

1258415673

1435915265

148788709

1491356586

1766541537

We are a nonprofit, so instead of charging fees we rely on the generosity of donors like you.

Choose a donation for Every.org

2074652487

2246022067

2535103040

2547000601

2869979572

2883383521

3128160991

3389178628

339774024

3605944885

3797661376

3868271524

410756082

4124487947

485522301

496574456

761293274

2729980760

3440869557

671754822

1014384873

1112422858

153399038

2028390811

220342792

2266630408

2456389719

2519810400

2539558839

2826465835

2843798242

2898624300

2916352438

3259439560

3583328878

3642494300

3902459442

4136002033

4177183036

4250940449

585491400

641510716

91682487

Humans On The Loop

Join Jeff to support Humans On The Loop

Join Jeff to support Humans On The Loop

Humans On The Loop

Donors

Become a supporter!

Become a supporter!

Turn this donation into a movement

Humans On The Loop

.css-hhokrz{display:inline-block;--textSize:1.25rem;--lineHeight:1.5rem;line-height:var(--lineHeight);font-size:var(--textSize);width:100%;}Humans On The Loop

Join Jeff to support Humans On The Loop

Join Jeff to support Humans On The Loop

Humans On The Loop

Donors

Become a supporter!

Become a supporter!

Turn this donation into a movement

Humans On The Loop

Humans On The Loop