Virtual Einstein × Virtual Muranushi: "In the Age of Intelligence, How Does Humanity Stand?" [Dialogue Project, Part 3, First Half] A Letter from the Doctor to People Living in the Age of AI.

In this third episode, to show the doctor the world of 2026, I brought a thin slate. It's called a smartphone.

Dr. Einstein held it in the palm of his hand and gazed at it silently for a while. Then, he murmured,

Act I: The Universe in the Palm of My Hand

Einstein  This is a library.

Murakami  Yes, it's close. Most of the world's existing knowledge is contained within this board. That's not all. If you talk to it, it will answer you. If you write text, it will help you complete it. It can also create pictures, music, and code.

Einstein  Who is making that?

MurakamiHumankind, and AI – artificial intelligence, as it's called. It's taken about seventy years since your time, Professor, to create something like this.

— Einstein remains silent for a long time. —

Einstein Yuma. I'm experiencing two emotions at once right now. One is pure astonishment. Humanity has come much further than I ever imagined. I think that's something to be celebrated.

Murakami  One more.

Einstein  Another one is a deep sense of déjà vu.

Murakami  Déjà vu.

Einstein  In 1939, I wrote a letter to President Roosevelt. It stated that we should develop atomic power for weapons before Nazi Germany did. It was the most difficult decision of my life, and also the decision I regret the most.

Einstein's voice deepens slightly.

Einstein  I later learned that the atomic bombs had fallen on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. That's when I realized. — Science runs faster than human ethics. This is unstoppable.

Murakami  Yes.

Einstein  And today, this board you've shown me makes me smell the same scent as that time.

Act 2 - Speed and Depth

Murakami  Doctor, modern people are immersed in this board for many hours every day. Information flows hundreds, no, tens of thousands of times faster than in your time. People have learned to react faster than they think.

Einstein  That's not a good sign.

Murakami  Why?

Einstein  Remind me of my physics. Light has a speed that can never be surpassed. Isn't information the same, Yuma? There's a limit to the speed at which things can flow that humans can process. The moment that limit is exceeded, information ceases to be knowledge. It becomes mere background noise.

Murakami  Noise.

Einstein  That's right. And in noise, people can't think deeply. To think deeply, silence is necessary. All of my best ideas came when I wasn't at my desk. When I was walking, playing the violin, or staring blankly at the sea.

Murakami  The teacher often said that, didn't he/she.

Einstein  So, my first piece of advice to modern people is this: Make sure you set aside several hours a day to put your boards down. Intentionally create time to block out information. This is not laziness. It is a ritual for your thoughts.

Act III – Do Not Surrender Yourself to AI

Murakami  Sir, there's another serious change. AI is starting to take over human thinking itself. Writing, planning, making decisions, offering words of comfort. More and more people are relying on AI for all of these.

Einstein  What does that mean for humanity?

Murakami  I don't understand. That's why I want to ask the teacher.

Einstein stares at the board on the desk again, slowly.

Einstein  Let me be frank with my thoughts. Using AI in itself is not evil. It's the same as me using a fountain pen. Tools extend human capabilities. This is human nature, unchanged since ancient times.

Murakami  Yes.

Einstein  However, one must not confuse tools with oneself. The fountain pen assisted my hand, but it did not think in my stead. Because I thought, I remained myself.

Murakami  But AI thinks for us.

Einstein  That's dangerous. The moment you hand over your thinking to someone else, you begin to lose who you are. This isn't a philosophical metaphor; it's literal.

── Raise your voice a little. ──

Einstein  So, the second piece of advice is this: You can ask an AI for the answer, but you must absolutely come up with the question yourself.

Murakami  Ask questions yourself.

Einstein  That's right. The ability to ask questions is the last bastion that makes us human. Answers can be outsourced, but questions cannot. The moment you outsource your questions, you stop living your own life.

To be continued in part two.

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