“Through the stories of people caught between civilizations,
“I wanted to discover the possibilities of the future.”

Modern civilization achieved by Homo sapiens
"In-Between Humans": People Standing Between Civilizations Transformed by AI

In a changing era, uncomfortable questions about the new humanity
Provocative imagination diagnosed by 15 of the country's top leaders
Bound together in just one book!

★★★ Choi Jae-cheon, Song Gil-young, Jang Kang-myeong, Yoo Hyeon-jun, Kim Tae-yong… Hear from experts in various fields about how AI will transform the world.
★★★ New questions for us and the next generation from neuroscientist Daesik Kim and choreographer Hyeyeon Kim.
★★★ A humanities book that presents realistic directions for the future of work, the future of industry, and the future of humanity.

Humans are moving towards a newer future from the civilization achieved by Homo sapiens.
Homo sapiens, having gained wisdom through experience, are now moving toward a new kind of human, Homopromptus, dependent on input. Neuroscientist Kim Dae-sik, who passionately explores the future of AI and humanity, and choreographer Kim Hye-yeon, who creates works using generative AI, predict that humanity, which has enjoyed modern civilization to date, will come to an end.
And today's humanity, standing before a civilization that is being transformed by AI, is called 'cyber humans.'
What kind of world will we, as inter-humans, face in the age of AI, facing both fear and anticipation? This book, through interviews with 15 of Korea's top leaders in fields such as humanities, social sciences, culture, arts, engineering, and language, explores what we, as inter-humans, must consider and remember.
In particular, it transforms vague fears about the unknown into clear possibilities through future projections based on concrete examples and evidence.

Today's humanity lies between the modern civilization achieved by Homo sapiens and the 'unknown world Terra incognita' that AI will create in the future.
That last generation also needed a name to call them.
We are preparing for the future with both fear and anticipation between humans and artificial intelligence.
We decided to name this Homo Medius, or 'human in between'.

--- From the "Prologue"

I think coexistence is the answer.
The reason we continue to fear AI from an adversarial perspective is because of the fear we feel.
I believe it's time to quickly dispel these fears and consider how we can coexist with AI, or perhaps utilize it more wisely.

--- From "Beyond Fear to Coexistence: Evolutionary Biologist Choi Jae-cheon"

They say that in this era, the 'selection' is coming to an end.
The old system was about choice.
In just one day, an individual's 'success' or 'failure' is decided, and if they fail here, they are immediately chosen to do something else.
(…) But not anymore.
(…) Instead of living in the old way, as a set character, I am moving in the direction of proving my own life.
--- From "Sell Abilities, Not Potentials: Mindminer, Author Song Gil-young"

Humans are imperfect, and within that imperfection, we understand and empathize with each other.
Technology can enhance human capabilities, but I believe that in the process, we must not lose our humanity.
(…) No matter how much technology advances, the purpose of our use of technology is ultimately to live a better life.
--- From "The Paradox of Weakness: Novelist Jang Kang-myeong"

Even tasks like generating initial ideas or suggesting intuitive shapes, once considered the exclusive domain of architects, are now handled by AI at a much faster pace, with hundreds or thousands of them processed.
(…) You become the person who chooses which of those numerous suggestions to make, explains why you chose it, and convinces others.

--- From "Design of Relationships: Architect Hyunjun Yoo"

In an age where machines can replicate works of art, the concept of 'aura' is said to be important.
I feel like ChatGPT's answer lacks this aura.
I think that aura is ultimately the axis of time.

--- From "Aura, the Axis of Time: Film Director Kim Tae-yong"

Ultimately, the cultural technology pursued by SM Entertainment laid the foundation for K-pop as a fusion of music, visuals, and technology through a scientific and systematic approach, and this philosophy continues to evolve and open up new possibilities to this day.
--- From "What to Create vs. How to Empathize: SM Entertainment CAO Lee Seong-su"

The paradigm itself will change in every aspect.
In the past, choreography required the expertise of a choreographer, CG required the expertise of a CG expert, and movies required the expertise of a film director, but now, any task can be accomplished by one person.
--- From "A World Where Truth and Lies Disappear: Documentary PD Han Sang-ho"

Going forward, I believe social physicality will become a more important topic than biological physicality. In the AI ​​era, big data will be crucial, and in the age of connectivity, "quantity" will overwhelm "quality."

--- From "AI, Beyond a Tool, Becoming a Philosophy: Artistic Director Daehyung Lee"

I don't want to see AI as just a tool.
(…) Instead, I want to see AI as a being with a fun attitude, a friend or companion with whom I can learn and travel.

--- From "Does Theatre Still Direct Humans: Director Lee Dae-woong"

We need to abandon the preconception that first-person experiences, perceptions, and explanations have less information value, and face the world we actually experience.
We must understand and accept that cognitive processes are complex, involving not only information but also emotions.
--- From "What AI Can Never Imitate: Indologist Kang Seong-yong"

In an age where biological and physical barriers are collapsing, I believe that the dichotomy between humans and machines is meaningless.
Therefore, I think it is time to rediscover humanity as a constantly changing being and ponder how to accept and interpret the newly emerging civilization.
--- From "Intellectual Diligence to Invent Oneself: Philosopher Jinseok Choi"

In the end, what matters is the process of experiencing difficulties, confronting them, and solving them.
The same goes for actual AI research.
What is needed is not the ability to solve problems with established answers, but the ability to define and solve new problems.
--- From "The Ability to Define and Solve New Problems: Entrepreneur Park Seong-hyeon"

AI learns information without learning physically.
(…) So, what I am saying is that the creative language of a person who learned through the body will be different from the creativity of an AI that has learned a wide range of information but does not have a body.
--- From "The Power of Creativity Through the Body: Cultural Critic Lee Gwang-ho"

Now, we are simulating scenes with AI during the planning stage.
I believe that if we continue to utilize it, a new creative method that naturally fuses analog sensibility and AI technology will emerge someday.
--- From "Recording Emotions, Not Moments: Photographer Kim Yong-ho"

The most important skill for preparing for the AI ​​era is not developing the ability to handle technology, but learning how to connect more deeply with people.

--- "The Emergence of Homopromptus: The Art of Questioning and Commanding: Linguist Shin Ji-young"

As technology surpasses human speed and art must rewrite its meaning, how should we live? (…) These are records that strive to keep the direction of the question open.
Perhaps we are living in an age where 'what we continue to ask' is more important than 'what we know'.

--- From "Epilogue"