Soul-Made - Recognising and Upholding Human Creations in the Age of AI - Paperback

by Vanya Rani Leonard (Author)

Soul-Made asks a timely and urgent question: What's in it? Is a photo, text, song, artwork or online course the result of human effort or generative AI? How do we recognise what is genuinely human-made - and where can we find it?

With food, orientation is easy: organic vegetables, fair-trade coffee, bean-to-bar chocolate, clear labelling. But when it comes to 'organic' books, blogs, images, podcasts, courses, consulting and therapy, where are the labels to guide us in the media landscape? Just as the organic movement helped us recognise the difference between natural and highly processed food, Soul-Made asks how, in the age of AI, we can recognise, value and preserve genuinely human-made work.

Who are you when you use AI - and who do you become through it? As we increasingly outsource core human capacities such as thinking and creating to generative AI, we begin to transfer the logic of digital systems into our analogue lives: speed, endless optimisation and the expectation of instant results. In the process, we risk forgetting how important natural and creative self-expression is for us, as individuals and as a society.

As AI advances into all areas of life, it becomes increasingly difficult to recognise what has emerged from human creativity. And when AI-generated content appears as original human work, trust, creative integrity and informed choice start to erode. The book offers a practical framework for recognising, communicating and preserving genuinely human-made work in the age of AI.

With nuance and clarity, Vanya Rani Leonard explores this emerging terrain. She shows what AI already simulates and sheds light on its hidden costs.

Soul-Made does not argue against AI but offers practical orientation for creators and consumers. It invites us to stay faithful to our creative compass and to cultivate discernment.