We live in a world obsessed with replacing the human touch. Everywhere we look, Artificial Intelligence is reshaping the way we work, shop, travel, and even think. Big business, government, retail, the health service — everyone seems intent on swapping real people for machines, robots, and chatbots. And yet, none of us really knows where it will all end — if it ever will.
A few months ago, I wrote about a visit to Marks and Spencer’s when I refused to be herded into the self-service aisles. Instead, I joined the longer queue where a real human being — smiling and cheerful — scanned my purchases, asked if I wanted a bag, and offered me a receipt. A small thing, perhaps, but a human touch that lifted the moment.
More recently, Mary and I visited our local hospitals. What struck me most wasn’t just the machines, IT tablets, phones, and endless computer screens—they were
everywhere—but the people. Enthusiastic, caring, diligent people who greeted us warmly, checked our details, and guided us to where we needed to be. Each one had a tablet in hand (the digital sort, not the medicinal kind), yet behind the technology was always a human ready to help.
That’s the paradox of all this. AI, in its countless forms — ChatGPT, HubSpot, Google, Claude, Ionos, and so many others — exists to solve problems and provide
solutions with dazzling efficiency. But the more I see it in action, the more I am reminded of something profound: none of this would exist without us.
Every machine, every program, every robot, every discovery — stretching back to the wheel and the discovery and harnessing of fire — was first imagined, invented,
and created by a human being. AI is the product of our minds, our creativity, our persistence, our evolution. Even within our own community, the human touch
thrives. Most of our valued advertisers show it every day — visiting, caring, conversing, helping, doing — and our distributors, delivering this magazine to your front door, are living proof that connection, care, and effort remain at the heart of everything we do. That is the Human Touch.
It is the ultimate paradox: the Anthropic Principle. If it weren’t for us, none of this would exist. And yet, as we marvel at all we have made, we are left with the
oldest, most profound question of all: if we are the creators of our world, then who created us? Who sparked the first thought, the first breath, the first flicker of consciousness? What existed before us, and what secrets does that origin hold? Perhaps that is the greatest gift of reflection this Christmas — the reminder that, no matter how much we make, there is still mystery beyond our understanding, waiting to be acknowledged, wondered at, and celebrated.
And maybe, just maybe, the greatest touch of all is the one that created us in the first place.
Merry Christmas…
Steve & Mary
