What Are Your Core Values In The Era of AI?

As AI tools rapidly eclipsed all other news on the horizon by promising that they could do everything for us. That is, they can relieve us from common chores like writing (ugh!) or reading (gosh, no!), or even thinking (who does that?), so we can have more free time for what matters. Is it just me, or does this beg the question, “Well, what matters then?”

The big names in the AI field are basically telling the same tale: “We’ll handle the repetitive tasks, so you can focus on what matters most!”

It sounds so convincing, convenient, and probably most of all… handy. I no longer need to do unimportant stuff like actually sit on a chair and attempt to come up with captivating words that are supposedly making other people think and act – like the ones I’m putting on this page. No, I just prompt my way out of writing.

Which means that the AI bot creates a mediocre article that is thrown into existence to contribute to the ever-expanding internet void. And while what I’ve published might not be as intriguing as I desired, hey, at least “I published something”, and at least “I freed up time for what matters most to me!”

But on the other hand, the thought “what matters most” reveals an unexplored corner of my headspace. Like a dusty cabinet filled with old stuff and apparently useless materials. Instead of feeling relieved that I have the time to do what I want, I’m crippled by anxiety because I don’t actually know what I want to do.

I bet it’s not just me.

Many of us are wandering the earth accompanied by the same feeling of unease.

Sometimes, it’s evident that we have trouble articulating our place in the world because of our inability to define what are our core values. We lose our enthusiasm, we feel lifeless, and sometimes we have panic attacks that lead us to the therapist.

Other times, it’s not so obvious. Millions of people are successfully dodging the need to talk about, and identify, their personal core values because they are so busy trying to look successful online.

Sooner or later, though, we realize that something is lacking. That something is just not right. Yet, we’re not quite sure what is causing this emptiness. At this point, we begin to wonder: “Do I need more money, more stuff, more appreciation?”

The answer is typically no. What we need is awareness of our values, so we can then have the capacity to focus on what matters.

AI tells us that it’s now easy to focus on what is important to us. But we can’t do that until we actually sit down and define what matters most to us.

And how does one do that?

By taking the time to think about the arduous question, “What are my core values?”

Why Do You Need Core Values?

Regardless of our awareness, we all hold a set of core values deep within us. Commonly, we can’t clearly define these fundamental beliefs because we have never taken the time to engage in a core values exercise.

The reason we need core values is rather obvious, but let’s not make you guess:

Core values are considered the main motivator that makes us do stuff. Plus, and this is important, the factor that determines how we act.

Here’s a question based on this definition: “What causes you to do this instead of that other thing?”

We can think about this in terms of a notebook being filled with words by a pen, and the pen being operated by a hand.

A notebook is filled with words, but the notebook has no power in itself to create these words. The pen creates the words, but the pen, also, doesn’t have power in itself to create these written objects. The hand, by itself, can’t move the pen that writes on the notebook, it needs the body, and it needs the mind of the person who is the rightful owner of the hand.

Basically, we can’t have writings in a notebook without some kind of motivation. Without some sort of intent by the person who writes. But the final result – the actual writings inside the notebook – will be based on the motivation of the person.

Core values act like the prime mover for our actions. Core values govern our actions.

Let’s consider a different example that is probably more relevant…

If I value money and status, the prime mover, that is, the thing I will worry about the most, will be to mass produce AI-generated content on my site. Then, brag about online how I’ve captured the interest of thousands of visitors, and then try to sell this process to other people who also value the same superficial things.

Conversely, If I value self-expression and intellectual growth, I’ll be mostly concerned about reading valuable books and then transcribing my findings in articles and book summaries. Hoping that this will cement these timeless ideas in my head and also, probably, help fellow readers who are also interested in developing their thinking.

Plainly, when we talk about you needing core values, this mostly refers to understanding your core values. You already have such. We all have. We just need to uncover them.

Why Do You Need To Know Your Core Values?

Or, better yet, what happens if you don’t know what are your core values?

You’ll wander the world like a wounded child. Conscious or not, you will adopt the values of the average person and think this moral code is sufficient to survive in the wilderness.

However, have you even thought about the values of the “average person”?

You might think that these are noble, honorable standards that are unquestionably good. You might even convince yourself that, since you attended school and occasionally donated money or blood, you are a good person with a tendency to help others in need.

Is this the case?

While I personally believe that people are mostly generous and kind, this is no substitute for these same people having a bag of vices. When you look around, you can easily spot how quite a lot of people have quite a lot of harmful values.

What does this mean?

It basically means that adopting the values of the masses, the average person, is not a good idea.

To picture this better, here’s what I’ve been able to piece together about the average person.

Let’s call him Carl.

Carl has the attention span of a goldfish on acid. When you talk with him, you are not actually talking to him. You talk to his forehead at best because he’s buried in some deep online scrolling craze. His responses are rarely verbal, they are mostly sounds (“mhm”, “hmm”, “yeah”) because he’s saving energy to breathe and switch between taps. If he wants to tell you something, he’ll prefer to express himself with emojies – which have become the new writing system for modern society.

Carl’s tolerance for delaying gratification is practically zero. If something looks cool, sounds cool, and it leads to high doses of pleasure, getting this item becomes top priority regardless of the current situation or his financial circumstances.

Carl might like the idea of achieving something great in the real world – like, for example, working in a medical facility and helping people in need. And in fact, he probably thinks he’s doing the world a favor with his existence because his newest TikTok video, in which he talks about morals, got plenty of views. Yet, when he’s invited to donate to a charitable cause, he swiftly declines the offer.

Carl looks good, talks like he knows what he’s doing, and you can count that you’ll see him at the latest concert or wearing the newest trendy items. And while he is not consuming content, he is actively searching for content to consume.

Yet, when you ask him about his future plans, or about his financial condition, or about his daily regime. He will stare elegantly at the ceiling until he finds a suitable topic to divert the conversation.

We’d like to think that we are far better than Carl. That our values are deeper and more profound. That we actually have a higher purpose to strive for. Yet, when you look around, when you take a second to reflect on your daily existence, you will quickly spot how Carl-like we all are.

Why is this so?

At some point during your 20s, you probably had ambitions and goals and a desire to be something more. However, somewhere along the way, your ambition was crushed by the daily demands of adult living. When this happens, we get so used to mediocrity that we start to believe that mediocrity is existence itself.

But before we address what potential values you might want to adhere to, let’s take a look at something else…

What Are The Features of Core Values?

When we think of values, we think of guiding principles that elicit action and inspire our next steps. While this is true, it’s useful to get to know the main features of values.¹

Here they are:

1. Each person has his own set of unique values: A particular value may be very important to one person but unimportant to another. I may enter politics extremely motivated to bring fairness and generosity to the citizens of my country, but fail to make a difference because no one else in my camp has the same set of values.
2. Values evoke emotions and feelings: If you value creativity and self-expression, you will get excited when you are engaged with a creative project, angry when you end up working a dull job, and occupied with despair if you lose all hope for the chance to be yourself.
3. Values motivate action: People for whom exploration and curiosity are essential values are motivated to pursue these goals. For instance, people with these values will do all possible to travel to every country in the world.
4. Values transcend specific actions and situations: If you are a hard-working and honest person in school, chances are that you will be an honest and hard-working person later when you get a job. Thus, your values guide your actions on all occasions, not just specific situations.
5. Values serve as standards or criteria: We decide what is good or bad, justified or unjustified, worth doing or avoiding, based on our cherished values. If you value your health more than having the desire to fit in, if all of your friends are smoking, you won’t feel pressure to do it. Conversely, if health is not considered a top priority, and if you don’t feel like you belong to a particular group, you will use smoking as a way to blend in.
6. Values are ordered by importance: Since we have numerous values, we create some sort of personal priority system. For instance, if you are offered a promotion that requires longer hours and more travel, you may decline it because you prioritize spending more time with your family.

Why do you need to know these features?

To protect yourself from ignorance and prevent yourself from being average.

Showcasing these will hopefully make you even more engaged in taking the time to flesh out your core values.

Because if you don’t take the time to define your values, you will adopt the values of Carl. And when this happens, you will focus on becoming like everyone else, not being who you aspire to be.

And when this happens, you will wake up somewhere in your mid-60s or 70s, regretting every ounce of your living because, for the majority of your life, you were pursuing the standards of the average man.

Defining Your Core Values In The Era of AI

When you talk with people who are advocates of AI, they’ll tell you: “Bro, you no longer have to bother with pathetic things like creativity or hard work. You now have AI. You just create prompt to create prompts for your daily tasks, so you can sit and enjoy your life.”

But do we really want a life without effort?

Is it possible at all to enjoy an effortless life?

I don’t think so. But since I don’t think so is not convincing enough. I will once again invite you to look around.

Does the person next to you seem happy? Or, is he engaged in the process of finding happiness?

People don’t write books or articles or novels because they consider the act of writing tedious (the thing AI tools consider mundane). No, they write because they value self-expression, creativity, curiosity, and uniqueness. The act of writing is a sought-after activity inspired by the values of the person.

In this sense, what matters most for this person is the process of writing itself, not a way to outsource the process to a Large Language Model (LLM).

For people who value money and power, however, LLMs are considered godsend because they can finally stop paying writers. For such people , the “what matter most” statement will mean more free time to boast about their successes, to engage in even more debates about how AI will relieve us from our daily chores, and more money spent on trendy items that can elevate their social status. Plainly, more Carl-like activities.

And the more these people bombard the internet citizens with averagely-designed content, the bigger the emptiness gets. The more they acquire, the less fulfilled they will feel.

As Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi perfectly shares in his famous work, Flow:

“The best moments in our lives, are not the passive, receptive, relaxing times—although such experiences can also be enjoyable, if we have worked hard to attain them. The best moments usually occur when a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile.” Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

We humans experience joy when what we do is slightly beyond our capabilities.

That’s why I don’t think that AI tools have the potential to do what they promise for us. They are helpful, yes, to a degree. But can we let them do all the work for us so we can focus on what matters?

The direction of the AI tools should be after doing the truly trivial things. Things like doing the laundry and washing the dishes.

I want an AI tool that handles all my laundry and all the cleaning, so I can read and write. Not an AI tool that reads and writes for me, so I can do the laundry and the cleaning.

The difference is huge.

The current path AI tools are taking is to cleanse creativity and further contribute to the passiveness in our materialistic society. The more AI tools reduce the production cost of an article or a video, the more content will be produced. And the more content is produced, the more we’ll be inclined to consume even more of it. By doing this, people will value hedonism a lot more. Constantly seeking ways to feel pleasure.

What’s the alternative? AI tools helping us handle all the boring chores. Like doing the dishes, taking out the trash, vacuuming, doing laundry, making the bed, and grocery shopping. This way, we can spend our time focusing on creativity, health, and outdoor activities instead of being glued to a screen.

What Matters Most To You?

You can spot what matters most to you by looking at what you are currently doing most of the time.

If your day-to-day life is predominated by activities common to the average person – yes, like Carl. Don’t get discouraged. At least you can now clearly see what motivates your actions.

The point is to not fool yourself, and by definition, you are the easiest person to fool.²

What do your actions say you believe in?

If you don’t get at least a bit embarrassed by the answer, you are probably lying to yourself.

For example, something I started to value relatively recently is my health. A couple of years ago, I was careless about what I ate, drank, or smoked. Thus, I end up overweight and unhappy. And while I currently tend to be conscious of what I consume, I still slip up. I still occasionally devour half a cake after dinner.

Knowing these things allows me to work on myself. I am not aiming for perfection, I am aiming for progress.

This is something else I value. In the current world where plenty of conversations are focused on consumerism, my focus tends to be on improvement. On creativity and exploration.

The act of revealing our values might initially sound like some sort of spiritual activity that is beyond your reach, but once you start looking for what matters most to you, it will soon present itself.

What Are My 5 Core Values?

Before I let you go so you can think about what you value, I want to note down what are my current core values.³

Except these serving as ideas, writing down my values for you is another way of writing them for myself.

Because, as I mentioned already, deep down, our values determine our priorities. They help us measure whether our lives are going the way we want them to.

When we have a stable sense of our values and desires, we can more easily sift through the available options in the world and focus on the important things for us.

For example, I don’t think that AI can, nor should, substitute writing for me. I focus on writing because I know that doing this is part of my value list. I know that if I don’t do it, I’ll feel half human.

So, for this season of my life, I have identified these as the most important values:

1. Health: The older I get, the more I value my health. I’ve realized that if I am unhealthy, I can’t function properly in the world. Thus, I take deliberate steps to maintain good physical form. Keep a healthy diet and clear out my schedule for exercising.
2. Family: Even if I look physically great, even if I am doing a great job with my site and at work. If my relationship with my family is struggling, this means that all other areas of my life will/are getting worse. Taking care of my family is a sure way to contribute not only to their lives, but to mine as well.
3. Financial stability: While I don’t particularly aim for riches, I do aim for financial stability. Money is important to a degree. I want to have enough so I don’t have to worry about money at all. Thus, my value of financial stability is expressed in ensuring that I earn enough so I don’t think about money.
4. Self-expression: In one way or another, we all aim for self-expression. The current trendy way of expressing oneself typically leads to a dead-end street. Yes, I am talking about social media. People express themselves by posting status updates on the most famous social media channels. And while it kind of works, it also doesn’t work because you end up tying your self-worth to the number of likes you get on a post. For me personally, I reveal my thoughts and emotions through writing. I focus on topics that are meaningful and, hopefully, useful to the people reading them. Receiving comments from readers gives me energy to keep doing what I am doing.
5. Growth: While I no longer think that you can be 1% better every day, I do believe in growth. Growth in terms of physical and intellectual development. I guard my free time and use it to learn about topics that interest me. Topics that can make my life and my family’s life better beyond the present moment.

While the above are the main ones, I also value curiosity, control, self-discipline, and creativity. There are other things as well, but these are the core values that guide my current decision-making.

Some Closing Thoughts

Without knowing what we value, we tend to have particular trouble finding our place in the world. We will wander around until we eventually adopt the values of the masses.

But this course of action – or should we say, inaction – is very dangerous. Not only are our values imposed on us, but we waste time in the process as well.

Our time on earth is limited. We will never have enough time to do everything we dream about. Sure, AI tools can save us some time and help us with some of the tasks we are required to do on a daily basis. But can we rely on them to do everything for us so we can supposedly do something else that is more important?

My final argument is that since you are doing something, it means that it matters to you. Otherwise, you are either 1) working a job where making quality things is not a priority, or 2) your taste is still not mature enough to distinguish between average and good.

Think about it for a moment.

AI tools can help me write emails, articles, and soon whole books. Say that I need to write an email. If an AI tool is capable of writing the email on my behalf, thereby allowing me to concentrate on more pressing matters, it would imply that the email itself doesn’t matter at all and that I shouldn’t be writing it. If it does matter, then, well, I should grab the bucket of ink and craft a worthy reply – not settle for a bot-made answer.

The same logic applies to almost everything I can think about.

If something is worth doing, this means that it matters to us. This means that we must invest time in making it good.

Having a stable sense of your values reveals not only a lot about you, but also a lot about what you do and what you want to do.

Now, after all of the above, how would you define what are your core values?

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Footnotes:

1. An overview of the schwartz theory of basic values. Available at: https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1116&context=orpc
2. This line is from the one and only, Richard P. Feynman. “The first principle is that you must not fool yourself—and you are the easiest person to fool.” Cargo cult science. Available at: https://calteches.library.caltech.edu/51/2/CargoCult.htm
3. Yes, current values. Current because I don’t know what will happen in the future. As we age, what we value shifts. We can only hope that we’ll keep focusing on worthy things.