ENGLISH SPEECH | TIM COOK: Serve Humanity (English Subtitles)

Summary

In his commencement address at MIT, Tim Cook discusses the importance of technology serving humanity with compassion and values. He shares his journey to find purpose and emphasizes the need for technology to be infused with human values. Cook highlights the potential of technology to solve global issues but warns against its misuse, urging graduates to use their skills for the greater good and to remain focused on serving humanity.

Takeaways

• 🤝 The importance of technology serving humanity: The speaker emphasizes the need for technology to be designed and used with a clear purpose of benefiting humanity.
• 🧠 Concern over human-like thinking in computers: There's more worry about humans starting to think like computers, lacking values and compassion, than about computers becoming human-like.
• 🎓 The journey to find purpose: The speaker shares their personal journey of finding purpose, which took 15 years and involved various life stages and experiences.
• 🏫 The influence of education: The speaker acknowledges the power of education, particularly MIT's role in shaping the future through science and technology.
• 🔍 The role of Apple: Apple's mission to empower 'The Crazy Ones' and to serve humanity is highlighted as an example of a company with a clear and compelling purpose.
• 🌐 The potential and pitfalls of technology: Technology is a double-edged sword, capable of great things but also of causing harm if not guided by human values.
• 🌱 The meeting with Pope Francis: The speaker recounts a meeting with Pope Francis, who expressed deep concern about the moral implications of technology.
• 💡 The necessity of the humanities: The humanities are crucial for guiding technology, as they provide context, history, and a moral compass.
• 🌟 The impact of individual actions: The speaker encourages graduates to measure their impact by the lives they touch and the service they provide, not just by popularity or likes.
• 🌍 The interconnectedness of life: Drawing on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s words, the speaker stresses that all life is interconnected, and our actions should reflect this understanding.

Q & A

What is the main concern the speaker expresses about technology?

The speaker is not as concerned about artificial intelligence enabling computers to think like humans, but rather about people thinking like computers without values, compassion, or concern for consequences.

Why did the speaker feel aligned after joining Apple?

The speaker felt aligned with Apple because it brought together challenging, cutting-edge work with a higher purpose of serving humanity, which resonated with the speaker's own deep need to serve something greater.

What is the speaker's advice for finding one's purpose in life?

The speaker suggests that one should work towards something greater than oneself to find meaning and purpose, and to carry the question of how they will serve humanity forward.

What did the speaker learn from meeting with Pope Francis?

The speaker learned that technology is integral to our lives and mostly a force for good, but its potential adverse consequences are spreading faster and deeper than ever before, and that technology should be used wisely.

How does the speaker view the role of technology in solving global problems?

The speaker believes that technology alone is not the solution, but it can be a powerful tool in addressing global challenges like cancer, climate change, and educational inequality when infused with human values.

What is the speaker's stance on the integration of technology and the humanities?

The speaker emphasizes the importance of combining technology with the liberal arts and humanities to create a more human-centered approach that can have a significant positive impact on people's lives.

What example does the speaker give to illustrate the positive impact of technology?

The speaker mentions how an iPhone can enable a blind person to run a marathon, an Apple Watch can detect a heart condition before it becomes a heart attack, and an iPad can help a child with autism connect with the world.

Why did the speaker tell someone at a shareholders meeting that if they couldn't accept Apple's position, they shouldn't own Apple stock?

The speaker was responding to a shareholder who questioned Apple's investment in environmental initiatives that might not have a direct return on investment, emphasizing that Apple does things because they are the right thing to do, not just for financial gain.

What is the speaker's advice for dealing with cynicism and negativity?

The speaker advises not to let the noise of cynicism and negativity knock one off course, to avoid getting caught up in trivial aspects of life, and not to become a troll or listen to them.

How should one measure their impact according to the speaker?

The speaker suggests measuring one's impact not in likes or popularity, but in the lives touched and the people served.