The Scent of the Human: Staying Authentic in the Age of AI
By Mario García
As AI rapidly reshapes our reality, the line between what is real and what is generated grows ever blurrier. Courts now contend with deepfake evidence that muddies truth and deception.
A philosopher who never existed – entirely AI-fabricated – recently sparked serious intellectual debate at Cannes. Artists worldwide are wrestling with whether AI-assisted work can still bear the mark of genuine human creativity.
In a world where machines can mimic our voices, forge our ideas, and co-create our art, the question isn’t just what AI can do – but what we must protect.
In this moment of technological upheaval, the challenge is not to outpace AI, but to transcend it. We must become superhuman – not in the comic book sense of caped crusaders or genetically enhanced beings, but in a more radical and necessary way.
To be superhuman today is to fiercely defend what machines cannot replicate: emotional depth, lived experience, and moral imagination.
This is where the Scent of the Human comes in.
I use this phrase to describe a deliberate, emotionally resonant way of engaging with the world – one grounded in personal history, creative intuition, and the irreplaceable essence of self.
It’s a quality algorithms can simulate but never truly possess. The superhuman, then, is not defined by power or speed, but by their ability to leave a human trace – a scent – on everything they create.
This call to preserve authenticity isn’t a retreat into nostalgia. It’s a radical act of self-definition.
As an academic and consultant who demystifies AI for journalists, artists, and creatives worldwide, I frequently encounter fears that AI threatens livelihoods or erodes the soul of creative work.
These concerns, while valid, overlook a fundamental truth: AI cannot replicate the Scent of the Human. In journalism and storytelling, this human essence manifests in vivid, sensory details – the acrid smoke of a war zone, the vibrant chaos of a street market, the quiet weight of a cultural inflection point. Human journalists draw on lived experience to craft narratives that resonate viscerally. AI, for all its precision, often produces sterile summaries, devoid of the emotional resonance that renders stories unforgettable. AI writes what it computes; humans write what they feel.
In the past, “good enough” was often sufficient for most human work. Today, “good enough” is AI’s domain – often surpassing adequacy and improving relentlessly.
To remain indispensable, we must embrace our role as superhumans, infusing our creations with personal essence, as cultural provocateurs like Salvador Dalí and Oscar Wilde did in their eras. Whether a civil engineer designing a suspension bridge, an architect reimagining a Victorian church, a novelist crafting a debut, a student penning an essay, or a designer selecting a website’s color palette, the challenge remains: to imprint one’s authentic self on the work. In the age of AI, no cape or superpowers are needed – only the courage to let one’s unique humanity shine.
The Superhuman Exemplified: Dalí and Wilde
Dalí and Wilde may not universally embody the superhuman, but their work exemplifies the Scent of the Human – marked by emotional intentionality, authenticity, and creative intuition.
Both men were cultural provocateurs whose art and personas were inseparable from their individuality, defiance of convention, and ability to channel personal experience into groundbreaking creations.
Dalí’s surrealist masterpiece, The Persistence of Memory (1931), with its melting clocks defying conventional logic, reflects his eccentric psyche and his assertion, “I am not strange, I am just not normal.”
Likewise, Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890) and his incisive aphorism, “Many lack the originality to lack originality,” reveal a mind honed by keen observation and fearless wit.
These works stand in stark contrast to AI’s pattern-driven outputs. AI can mimic styles or generate provocative art – consider the AI-created Portrait of Edmond de Belamy (2018), which sparked debate in the art world – but its provocations are orchestrated by human curators, not driven by an intrinsic desire to challenge norms. Dalí and Wilde anchored their creations in their personal visions and experiences, rendering their art inseparable from their selves.
AI, lacking a self, cannot replicate this authentic rebellion or emotional depth. Emotional intentionality – how humans infuse feelings into creative work – distinguishes human output from AI’s algorithmic products. D
alí’s surrealist works were driven by his exploration of the subconscious, while Wilde’s aphorisms reflected his satirical intent to critique societal norms.
Professionals today can leverage AI to analyze structural data or generate design prototypes, but must rely on emotional intent to prioritize human needs. In doing so, they bring personal experience, vulnerability, and even imperfection to their work. Dalí’s eccentric persona and Wilde’s unapologetic individuality made their creations authentic, even when deemed excessive or provocative.
Authenticity is equally vital for a novelist crafting a debut or a designer choosing a website’s color palette. A designer might select colors evoking personal memories, creating a site that resonates uniquely with users.
Moreover, humans wield creative intuition – the ability to make leaps beyond logic – which sets their work apart from AI’s reliance on patterns.
Dalí’s dream-inspired imagery and Wilde’s paradoxical wit exemplify intuitive leaps that defy formulaic creation.
Yet, recognizing human strengths reveals AI’s potential as a powerful tool – a “thinking companion” and “crane” for heavy data lifting, much as Dalí and Wilde used the tools of their time (paint, theatre) to amplify their visions. Today’s creators can harness AI to enhance their work without surrendering their scent.
For instance, AI might generate initial drafts for a novelist or structural analyses for an engineer, but human refinement, guided by emotional and intuitive insight, ensures the final output resonates. A designer might use AI to suggest color palettes, but their vision ensures the chosen hues connect with users.
The most effective AI-human synergy is collaborative. AI augments, rather than supplants, human creativity.
As Hannah Arendt wrote in The Human Condition (1958), “The miracle that saves the world, the realm of human affairs, from its normal, ‘natural’ ruin is ultimately the fact of natality, in which the faculty of action is ontologically rooted. It is, in other words, the birth of new men and the new beginning, the action they are capable of by virtue of being born” (p. 247).
This insight underscores the unique human capacity for initiating new beginnings through action and creativity – a quality that remains unparalleled, even amid AI’s capabilities.
Whether designing a bridge or crafting a novel, humans infuse their work with personal meaning. Dalí and Wilde, as cultural provocateurs, remind us of the power of individual vision. Ask yourself: What do I feel? What unique perspective do I bring? How have I imprinted my Scent on my work?
In an AI-dominated future, the superhuman emerges not by competing with machines but by embracing what makes us human.
Every bridge, novel, or website can bear the indelible mark of its creator’s humanity. Let us draw inspiration from Dalí and Wilde – not to mimic their genius but to emulate their courage in expressing their authentic selves. Whether a student, professional, or artist, the superhuman within awaits.
No cape is required – only the will to create, to feel, and to leave an indelible mark on the world.
Perhaps the challenge of today’s superhuman is clear: do not surrender the self.
Dr Mario García is Senior Adviser for News Design and Adjunct Professor at Columbia University School of Journalism and the CEO and founder of García Media.
He has redesigned more than 750 publications in 120 countries. He has authored 15 books; his latest: AI: The Next Revolution in Content Creation.
