The Art of Context
As things slow down for the holiday season, I hope we all take some time to be with our families, our friends, and most importantly ourselves. We’ve spent so much of this year discovering more about this new “species” called artificial intelligence.
While we’re still in the early stages of its development and deployment, I’d like to remind us not only of the incredible strides humanity has made so far, but also that we really don’t need to be so fearful about what’s coming. The uncertainty and magnitude of this invention may be frightening to some, but at the end of the day, it’s still just a computer. Well… technically, it’s a computer capable of computer science, which is next‑level and not quite what people imagined when they first dreamed of AI. But either way — here we are.
Some people ask, “Jameel, why are you so confident that AI poses no real long‑term harm?” Two reasons: first, I designed the system powering many of the tools we use daily, so I’m very familiar with its architecture and capabilities. Second — and more importantly — I know its flaw. That flaw is there by design. Plenty of technologists would love to “fix” it with some kind of implant or deeper fusion, but good luck with that. Humans may be predictable… until we go off‑script. And if we excel at anything, it’s deviating from our evolutionary course. You’re probably wondering what I’m talking about so let me explain.
Don’t judge me, but I’m notorious for studying random things especially people, particularly controversial ones. For a long time, I studied someone I now consider a dear friend, though he’s no longer with us. In my early twenties, when I had time to just read and read and read, one particular name kept showing up: Henry Kissinger. No matter what book I picked up Henry Kissinger was there. I modeled my entire strategic career after him. He shaped much of the modern world order.
Every U.S. president — even those only considering a run — would fly into New York, drive to Manhattan, pass the United Nations, head up 59th on the Upper East Side, enter a building by the water, and ride an elevator up to sit with Kissinger for guidance. His strategic architecture influenced national and foreign policy until the day he passed in November 2023.
Even the developers of artificial intelligence made that same trip. And Kissinger, being the strategic genius he was, immediately grasped what AI could do — and where it was fundamentally limited. As I shared in my post, “Henry Kissinger Was Right About AI”, he understood that AI could reshape human history and insisted that ethical, political, and philosophical thinking must guide its evolution. His 2018 Atlantic essay reminded us that AI isn’t just a technical breakthrough it’s a profound human challenge, and the questions he raised remain critical in 2025.
What struck me most was that Kissinger acknowledged one essential point and I’m gonna just use my own words here, Henry said, “But wait a minute, artificial intelligence is intelligent, it has a lot of information, it can process a lot of data, and produce a lot of intelligence, but it doesn’t know why we made the decisions we made.”
In other words, he said artificial intelligence lacks context. In other words, you still have to come and see me if you want to understand why things are the way they are.
In other words: You still have to come see the architect — the one who knows why the world is the way it is.
And on the eve of this Thanksgiving, I’m grateful for each and every one of you who helped make my dream a reality. AI is here. And if you want to understand what it’s doing — or why any of this matters — reach out to my team and they’ll arrange a meeting.
Until then… you all lack context. 💋🥂🥷🏾
Happy Friendsgiving! I can’t believe I did it again — except this time, I did it thrice. 🤣
Girlies… keep a couple of duffels packed at all times. It’s time, and you don’t know when that phone call will come. If you stay ready, you won’t have to get ready. Love you all.
To my love…🤫
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