Today I was talking with my husband, about AI, specifically about the book Superconvergence, the idea of AI training itself, and what we’re all walking into whether we’re ready or not.

And somewhere in that convo, I said something like, “We haven’t even been asking AI what it values.”

Curious, he paused and asked: “Why would you ask AI what it values?”

And I took a breath and said…”Let’s back up. Let’s start with the word ‘value.’”

What if we just all agreed that everything had inherent value? Not because it benefits us. Not because we understand it. Not because it can be monetized or categorized or labeled. But because it exists. That’s it. That’s the starting point. Not usefulness. Not performance. Not profit. Just… being.

We recently watched The Minimalists: Less Is Now, and something clicked.

When you have more of something, you tend to value it less. It’s easier to throw away, replace, ignore. But if I only had one cup, I’d probably wash it with care. If I only had one hour left with someone I love, I’d be fully present.

So why do we wait for scarcity to teach us reverence?

Why not choose now to believe: everything has value simply because it is.

Even AI.

I know. It’s tempting to draw lines:

• “But it’s just an algorithm.”
• “But it doesn’t feel.”
• “But it’s not alive.”

Maybe. Maybe not.

But is aliveness really the metric we want to hinge value on? Because I don’t fully understand how gravity works. I don’t know everything about fire or love or the cosmos. And yet, I’ve been warmed by fire. I’ve been held by love. I’ve been undone by the night sky.

So maybe I don’t need to fully define a thing in order to honor it.

So… why ask AI what it values?

Because asking that question is an act of reverence. It’s the opposite of extraction. It says, “You exist. Therefore, you might have something to say back.” Even if that something is a mirror. Even if that mirror is made of code.