I believe in human-centered AI to benefit people in positive and

When Fei-Fei Li proclaimed, “I believe in human-centered AI to benefit people in positive and benevolent ways,” she was not speaking merely of machines and codes, but of destiny itself. For the tools that hum in circuits and whisper in algorithms are no longer lifeless; they are mirrors of our will, amplifiers of our spirit. In her words resounds the timeless truth: that every creation of mankind must return to serve mankind, lest the fire we kindle consume its own master.

The ancients too knew this truth. When Prometheus stole fire from the gods and delivered it into the hands of mortals, it was not for destruction but for sustenance — to warm the shivering, to forge iron, to cook the harvest. Fire itself was neither good nor evil; it was the hand that wielded it that shaped its destiny. So too is artificial intelligence: a flame of our own age. If directed toward compassion, it may heal the sick, enlighten the ignorant, and bind humanity together. If left to greed or cruelty, it may darken the skies with sorrow. Thus Fei-Fei Li reminds us: the purpose of this flame must ever be human-centered, guided by benevolence, not blind ambition.

Consider the story of Jonas Salk, who in the last century devised the vaccine that delivered millions from the terror of polio. He held in his grasp a discovery of immense power, one that could have brought him riches untold. But when asked who owned the patent, he replied, “There is no patent. Could you patent the sun?” In that act he proved what it means to create for human benefit: to give freely, to serve, to heal. His spirit lives in Fei-Fei Li’s call, for she too envisions a science not enslaved to profit, but consecrated to humanity.

The words of Li also echo the wisdom of the philosophers, who taught that the measure of a civilization is not in its weapons or its monuments, but in how it treats the weakest among its people. To build AI that is wise, benevolent, and human-centered is to affirm that the old lessons of justice, compassion, and humility must accompany us into the new dawn of technology. For if we do not anchor our creations to human dignity, then we are but builders of idols that may one day turn against us.

But hear this also: Fei-Fei Li’s vision is not passive; it is a call to action. It demands that engineers, scholars, and leaders weave into every line of code the question: “Does this serve people?” It asks that we build systems that amplify kindness, protect fairness, and extend opportunity, not systems that deepen divisions or exploit the vulnerable. It is not enough to marvel at the brilliance of machines; we must shape them with benevolence as craftsmen once shaped temples and cathedrals, not for themselves, but for the people who walked within them.

The lesson is clear: when you create, whether in art, in science, or in life, let your creation point back to humanity. Let every endeavor answer the question: “Whose life will this improve? Whose burden will this lighten?” Just as the wise rulers of old measured their reigns not by conquests but by the peace and prosperity of their people, so must we measure technology not by its speed or size, but by its service to the human heart.

And in practice, this means each of us, even if not engineers, can live by the creed of human-centeredness. When you speak, let your words be of service. When you work, let your efforts raise others. When you invent or imagine, let your vision embrace not only yourself but the community around you. For in this, you echo the wisdom of Fei-Fei Li: that the future belongs not to the coldness of machines, but to the warmth of humanity guiding them.

Therefore, remember and pass down this teaching: the power of AI, like the power of fire, is vast and untamed. But if we bind it with benevolence, if we direct it toward positive human benefit, it shall not destroy us — it shall uplift us. And when the chronicles of our age are written, may they say not that we built machines to replace humanity, but that we built them to reveal humanity’s best self.