By Ryan Gartrell | LEAN AI Expert | Business Operations Columnist

When we hear the term A.I., most of us default to the cold, silicon-etched definition: Artificial Intelligence. We envision neural networks, machine learning, and an increasingly algorithmic world where humans seem more like redundant appendages than the originators of thought. But perhaps it’s time we take a different view—one that might just save us from the very technological alienation we fear.

In a quietly viral phrase shared on social media recently, someone wrote, “A.I. doesn’t stand for Artificial Intelligence. It stands for Authentic Interaction.” In seven words, they reframed one of the most defining acronyms of our time.

It’s easy to dismiss this as pithy wordplay, a clever rebranding effort to soothe our techno-anxieties. But dismissing it would be a mistake. Because in those seven words lies a radical philosophical pivot—one that could determine how we shape the human-machine relationship for the next generation.

The Fear of the Unnatural

Historically, technology has been a mirror of our fears as much as our aspirations. When electricity emerged, some feared it would destroy the family unit. When the telephone arrived, many said it would kill face-to-face intimacy. Television, we were told, would turn us into screen-zombies. And the internet? Well, here we are.

Artificial Intelligence, in its classical definition, triggers a specific cultural anxiety: the erosion of humanity. The more intelligent our machines become, the less vital we imagine ourselves to be. The Terminator was not just fiction—it was prophecy disguised as sci-fi. We dread the moment when A.I. stops needing us, or worse, decides it doesn’t.

But what if the evolution of A.I. didn’t have to be an arms race against our own relevance?

What if, instead, we guided its trajectory toward deeper empathy, more inclusive access to information, and scalable pathways for genuine dialogue?

That’s where the idea of Authentic Interaction enters.

The Redemption of the Algorithm

In the digital age, authenticity is our most valuable currency. We distrust institutions, politicians, media outlets—even each other. But we crave realness. We scroll for truth. We reward vulnerability. In a world defined by speed and surface, depth is now radical.

Ironically, A.I.—when developed with intention—has the power to bring us closer to that truth.

When a chatbot makes your grandmother feel less alone on a Friday night, that’s not artificial. When machine learning helps detect depression in online language before a person recognizes it themselves, that’s not inauthentic. When tools powered by A.I. help small business owners tell their story, find their voice, or reach the right audience—what you’re seeing isn’t a machine replacing a human. It’s a machine amplifying one.

Authentic interaction, then, isn’t about machines pretending to be human. It’s about machines enabling humans to show up more fully.

A New Covenant Between Man and Machine

Of course, none of this happens automatically. A.I. can just as easily be used to deceive, manipulate, surveil, and suppress. The difference is intent. The difference is the people who build and deploy these tools—people like you, reading this, deciding whether your next innovation will be extractive or expansive.

In the early 20th century, Walter Lippmann wrote that we live in “a world that is out of reach, out of sight, out of mind.” If Lippmann were alive today, he might marvel—and recoil—at how close our machines have brought the world. But he would also likely remind us that proximity without empathy is dangerous.

Authentic interaction is not about convenience. It’s about conscience.

It’s about designing systems where A.I. is not a mask but a mirror. Where the point of the tool is to reflect our best selves, not replace them.

Final Thoughts: The Rewriting of A.I.

The most revolutionary technology of our time may not be the one with the most processing power—but the one built on the deepest human values.

So, let’s reclaim the acronym. Let’s insist that A.I. becomes less about artificiality and more about authenticity. Less about data, more about dignity. Less about replacing jobs, more about restoring voices.

If we do it right, A.I. won’t stand for Artificial Intelligence at all.

It will stand, unapologetically, for Authentic Interaction.

And that, at this moment in history, might be the most intelligent move we can make.

Harvard’s AI Ethics Guidelines