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The Value of Human Origin

In my previous reflection on “AI and Human Pride,” I fondly and nostalgically recalled those late-night sessions of mate and programming, the deep satisfaction that overwhelmed us when saying, “Hey, we made this!”

That pride, which transcended mere results, emanated from the process, from collaboration, from the certainty that it was born from our collective effort, from the synergy of our minds and our hands put to work, from the interaction between people.

Today, artificial intelligence proliferates in all areas, generating texts, images, videos, and code with unprecedented speed and magnitude.

But what happens when the human origin of what we consume becomes blurred, turning into an algorithmic amalgamation of pre-existing content?

Originality Becomes an Increasingly Scarce Commodity

While writing these lines, I naively thought I had created a new term, but I was wrong. Obviously, several of us are arriving at similar ideas at the same time.

I briefly considered that I had managed to coin “HaaS”, in my case as an acronym for “Human as a Singularity.” Not in the technological sense of singularity as proposed by Ray Kurzweil, but in a more philosophical sense: the notion that each human being constitutes a unique and unrepeatable point of origin, a singularity of consciousness, experience, and intention. And it is precisely that singular point of human origin that confers a unique and profound value to a creation or service, something that AI, by definition, cannot emulate. Yes, I already saw that there are those who have been using the same acronym for a long time, but for “Human as a Service.”

Could we be glimpsing a future where, beyond the generative efficiency of algorithms, we deliberately seek that which emerges directly from a human singularity?

This post attempts to explore why human origin could be the key to future value.

The Current Landscape: From SaaS Efficiency to the Question of Origin

The current paradigm is dominated by Software as a Service (SaaS). This model delivers software via the Internet, freeing the user from local installation and maintenance. Its success lies in efficiency, scalability, and accessibility. From CRMs to productivity tools, SaaS is omnipresent.

Artificial Intelligence has enhanced this model, adding automation, personalization, and predictive capabilities, and aspires to boost efficiency to unprecedented levels. However, this very proliferation of AI, both inside and outside of SaaS, is generating a growing concern, a “weariness” that goes beyond mere efficiency. AI no longer just optimizes processes; it generates content, makes decisions, and enters domains that we previously considered exclusively human.

The resulting anxiety is not limited to job losses, although this is a valid concern for both manual and intellectual work. It extends to deeper issues: the opacity of algorithms, the lack of verification for errors, the biases that perpetuate discrimination, the erosion of privacy, the concentration of power, and a generalized sense of dehumanization.

Fundamentally, the underlying concern appears to be a detachment from human origins.

When we interact with content or decisions generated by AI, we often lack the certainty of a singular human starting point, with its history, its context, its particular intention. Algorithmic efficiency, while useful, can feel empty or lacking in authenticity. This questioning about the origin and authenticity of what surrounds us, this doubt about whether we are interacting with a genuine creation of a human singularity or with a sophisticated simulation, is what could be driving the search for alternatives like HaaS (Human as a Singularity). The “weariness” is, in essence, a longing to reconnect with the original human source.

Echoes of the Past: The Search for Human Origin

History is full of movements that, in various ways, reacted against depersonalization or the loss of connection with a tangible and significant human origin. These historical precedents suggest that an inclination towards HaaS (Human as a Singularity) would not be anomalous, but a reiteration of the search for value in the human source.

The Arts and Crafts Movement reacted against mass industrial production, perceived as soulless and of low quality. It promoted manual craftsmanship, the honesty of materials, and the idea that the object reflected the integrity and skill of its singular creator. They sought objects with a clear origin in the hand and intention of an artisan.

The Luddites, beyond the simple destruction of machines, defended the value of their craft, a knowledge acquired through years of learning and practice. They fought against a system that devalued the origin of their skill and their autonomy as skilled workers.

The Slow Food movement emerged as an antidote to the homogenization and speed of fast food. It advocates for food with a local and traditional origin, valuing biodiversity, fair practices, and the direct connection between the producer (the human origin) and the consumer.

The Vinyl Renaissance in the digital age shows a desire for tangibility and a more intentional listening experience. The physical record represents a concrete origin for music, and the act of listening to it becomes a ritual that connects the listener more directly with the work and, by extension, with the artist (its origin).

The contemporary artisan movement seeks authenticity and quality against mass production. The “human touch,” the story behind the object that refers to its specific creator, and the singularity that comes from a non-industrialized origin are valued.

In all these cases, we see a revaluation of origin. Whether it is the hand of the artisan, the local tradition, the physicality of the object, or the specific skill of a worker, what is sought is a connection with a singular and authentic human source, as opposed to the generic, the massified, or the purely functional. The “imperfection” valued in many of these contexts often acts as a signature, an unmistakable mark of that singular human origin.

HaaS (Human as a Singularity) fits into this logic: the search for value in the unrepeatable human source.

Defining HaaS: The Value of Unique Origin

If SaaS focuses on the efficient delivery of functionalities, HaaS (Human as a Singularity) would focus on the value that emanates directly from the unique and unrepeatable human origin of a service or creation. The “Singularity” here is not technological, but existential: each individual as an irreducible center of consciousness, experience, perspective, and intention.

HaaS is not simply going back to manual labor, but recognizing and valuing that certain qualities can only arise from a specific human source. While SaaS abstracts the provider, HaaS would put the connection with that source in the foreground: the particular skill, the creativity, the empathy, the judgment informed by a life lived, the direct interaction, and the authenticity that derives from that singular origin. The value does not reside only in what is delivered, but fundamentally in from whom it comes and how that singularity is manifested.

This concept aligns with the philosophy of craftsmanship. The artisan is not just a skilled technician; he is a singularity that imprints his mark on the work. His work involves intrinsic motivation, deep commitment, continuous learning, and a reflexive connection between his life (his singularity) and his work. I also conceive this HaaS as a service where the particular vision and expert criteria, typical of human singularity, are highly appreciated.

HaaS also connects with the psychological value of “made by humans.” We prefer products with human origin, especially those with high symbolic value. We associate handmade with authenticity, wisdom, and the “dedication” or “love” of the producer, perceiving a direct connection with the human singularity that originated it.

In HaaS, the “service” is the expression of that singularity, it is not an abstract function as in SaaS, but an interaction or creation that bears the unmistakable mark of its human origin.

Why Yearn for Human Singularity?

If HaaS (Human as a Singularity) represents a possible future direction, what fundamental aspects of our human nature, which AI cannot replicate, would support it?

The Search for Authenticity and the “Aura” of Origin

In a world of AI-generated copies, we yearn for the authentic: that which is faithful to its origin. Authenticity is linked to our autonomy and the search for meaning. Walter Benjamin spoke of the “aura” of the original work of art, its unique and unrepeatable presence linked to its history and origin. Mechanical reproduction, and we could extend it to AI generation, dilutes this aura because it disconnects the work from its original singularity. HaaS would offer precisely that: a product or service with the “aura” intact of its singular human origin.

Embracing Imperfection as a Signature of Singularity

Philosophies like Japanese Wabi-Sabi teach us to value imperfection, wear, and asymmetry as seals of authenticity and the passage of time. Kintsugi, which repairs ceramics by highlighting fractures with gold, celebrates “scars” as part of the object’s unique history. These philosophies see beauty in what deviates from idealized perfection. AI tends to optimization and eliminating variation. HaaS, on the other hand, would accept and even value “imperfection” as the unique and unrepeatable signature of the human singularity that originated it, a mark of its authenticity.

The Limits of AI Creativity and Understanding

Human creativity springs from the singularity of our consciousness, emotions, lived experiences, and desire for expression. It is intuitive, often spontaneous, and linked to our deep understanding of the world.

The “creativity” of current AI is fundamentally combinatorial, based on existing data patterns. It lacks lived experience, genuine emotion, self-awareness, and the understanding of meaning that characterize human singularity.

AI does not “understand” context, ambiguity, humor, or culture in the same way. It can simulate empathy, but not feel it. AI can be a tool for human singularity, but it cannot be that singularity.

Embodied Cognition: Singularity Anchored in the Body

Our mind and our way of understanding the world are inseparably linked to our physical body and how we interact with the environment. Cognition is embodied. This bodily experience is fundamental to the unique perspective of each human singularity. AI, lacking a biological body and the associated lived experience, does not share this essential foundation of our singularity. HaaS comes from embodied beings whose perspective is shaped by this reality.

Subjective Experience (Qualia): The Heart of Singularity

Human experience has an irreducible subjective quality: the “what it’s like” of experiencing something. These qualia (the redness of red, pain, taste) are the essence of our phenomenal consciousness.

AI processes information but lacks this genuine subjective experience.

Art often seeks to communicate the artist’s qualia, the essence of their singularity.

A HaaS service offers interaction with a source that possesses this subjective dimension.

Original Intentionality

Our mental states are intrinsically about something. This “directedness” is intentionality. John Searle distinguishes between original intentionality, intrinsic to human minds/singularities, and the derived intentionality of artifacts like software or AI, which is conferred upon them by us.

AI does not have its own original “intentionality” towards the world.

Whispers of the Metaphysical: The “Soul” as the Essence of Human Singularity

When we speak of the “soul” of a human creation, especially in contrast to AI, we refer to that intangible quality that seems to capture the unique essence of its singular human origin. A work “with soul” communicates authenticity, emotion, the intention, and the unrepeatable perspective of its creator. It feels “alive” because it connects with the human singularity that originated it. A work “without soul” is perceived as generic, mechanical, lacking that personal touch.

This metaphorical “soul” is the perceptible manifestation of the consciousness, qualia, and original intentionality of the singular human creator. It is the reflection of an embodied mind that interprets and shapes the world from its unique perspective.

Conclusion: Weaving the Narrative of HaaS (Human as a Singularity)

We have explored how the efficiency of SaaS and generative AI leads us to question the value of the origin of things. The proposal of HaaS (Human as a Singularity) arises as a response to this concern, not as a rejection of technology, but as a reaffirmation of the unique value that resides in the singular human source.

History shows us recurring patterns where society seeks to reconnect with authentic and meaningful origins in the face of massification or depersonalization.

HaaS is part of this tradition, postulating that the consciousness, subjective experience, embodied cognition, original intentionality, and creativity that emanate from each human singularity are irreplaceable and will constitute an increasingly appreciated source of value. “Imperfection” becomes the signature of this singularity, and the “soul” the metaphor of its essence.

A future that embraces HaaS would not be a regression, but a conscious evolution towards the valuation of origin. It would recognize that, alongside algorithmic efficiency, there is a profound – perhaps premium – value in that which can only be born from the unrepeatable singularity of a human mind and experience.

Thanks for reading.