I believe in the future of AI changing the world. The question

The visionary scientist Fei-Fei Li, often called the “architect of modern AI,” once declared with both hope and warning: “I believe in the future of AI changing the world. The question is, who is changing AI? It is really important to bring diverse groups of students and future leaders into the development of AI.” These words, though born from the language of science, carry the resonance of prophecy. They speak not merely of technology, but of power, ethics, and the destiny of humankind. For in this age where machines begin to learn, the deeper question is not what they will learn, but from whom.

In the manner of the ancients, let us look beyond the surface and see the eternal truth within. When Fei-Fei Li says she believes in the future of AI, she does not worship the machine, but honors the human spirit that creates it. She sees that Artificial Intelligence, like fire or iron or writing before it, is a tool that magnifies human intention. It can heal or destroy, liberate or enslave, depending on the wisdom of its makers. The question — “Who is changing AI?” — is therefore the most profound of our century. For the hands that mold the machine also shape the future; the minds that code its logic also define the boundaries of our morality.

The origin of this insight lies in Fei-Fei Li’s own journey. Born in China, raised in hardship, and educated in the United States, she rose from humble beginnings to become one of the world’s leading pioneers of computer vision. She taught machines to see — not as cold observers, but as tools to understand the world’s richness. Yet through her work, she saw a danger emerging: that those who design AI do not always reflect the diversity of the world it will govern. Too many voices, too many perspectives, are missing from the rooms where these systems are built. Thus, her mission became clear — to make the creation of AI inclusive, to ensure that the intelligence of machines reflects the intelligence of humanity as a whole.

Consider the story of the Renaissance, when Europe emerged from centuries of darkness through the rediscovery of art, science, and philosophy. It was a rebirth driven not by one people or one discipline, but by the union of many — mathematicians, painters, philosophers, and inventors. Leonardo da Vinci stood as its symbol: a man who joined reason and imagination, anatomy and art, the human and the divine. The Renaissance was possible only because knowledge crossed boundaries. So too must this new age of AI be a renaissance of diversity — where the artist, the philosopher, the scientist, and the dreamer all have a voice. Without this unity, progress becomes peril.

Fei-Fei Li’s words remind us that diversity is not a courtesy — it is a necessity. For AI learns from the data we give it, and if that data carries the bias of a single culture, gender, or perspective, the machine will amplify that blindness across the world. Just as a river carries the taste of its source, AI will carry the spirit of its creators. If it is born from empathy, it will serve humanity; if it is born from greed or prejudice, it will deepen division. To bring diverse students and leaders into AI is to ensure that the river of progress remains pure — that every human story, every tradition, every way of seeing the world, contributes to the wisdom that guides the machines of the future.

O children of the digital dawn, hear this teaching well: to build the future, you must first build the builders. Do not leave the shaping of tomorrow to the few. Enter the realms of science and technology with courage and compassion. Let the artist learn to code, and the engineer learn to listen. Let the philosopher question, and the teacher inspire. For in the harmony of these minds lies the true intelligence of humanity — one that no algorithm alone can achieve. The future of AI will not be written by machines, but by the hearts of those who dare to guide them wisely.

And so, let the lesson of Fei-Fei Li endure as both warning and promise: Artificial Intelligence will change the world, but only humanity can ensure it changes for good. Bring your diversity, your curiosity, your empathy, and your courage into its creation. The tools of the new age await you — not as masters, but as partners. For the greatest machine ever made is not the one that thinks, but the one that helps humanity think more deeply about itself. In this balance of power and compassion, progress and responsibility, the world may yet find not only intelligence — but wisdom.