The human qualities no algorithm should ever replace.
Human Agency. Consciousness. Embodiment. Spirituality. Qualia. The Opposite of Algorithms.
The Androrithms Manifesto
What Are Androrithms?
Coined by Gerd Leonhard in his 2016 book Technology vs Humanity, "Androrithms" blends "Andro" (human) with "algorithms." The term has become a central theme in Gerd's keynotes and a strong meme across the Internet.
Androrithms are the human-only traits we all possess: empathy, compassion, intuition, imagination, agency, and consciousness — plus the increasingly endangered hallmarks of being human: emotions, mystery, serendipity, suffering, and the freedom to make mistakes.
Beyond Logic
The androrithmic view rests on a definition of intelligence that goes beyond mere logic and data. Humans have at least eight distinct kinds of intelligence — emotional, social, kinesthetic, and more (see Gardner) — while algorithms have just one: logical, binary, fact-based intellectual intelligence.
Androrithms are the messy, organic, conscious essence of being human. While machines excel at answers, humans are the masters of imagination, context, common sense, intuition, and questions.
Why Androrithms Matter Now
For every spectacular algorithmic breakthrough, we must equally strengthen and protect our androrithms. AI is rapidly reshaping how we relate to one another — it is the first technology that changes who we are, and who we might become. AI is no longer just a tool; it is an Agent, a new digital entity.
This is why we must recognise, nurture, and boost our human-only capabilities — to avoid reductionism and dehumanisation, so they are not flattened or erased by "too much technology" as it becomes the permanent middleman for everything we do.
"Computers are for answers, humans are for questions." — Kevin Kelly
"Computers are useless — they only give you answers." — Pablo Picasso
The Core of Humanity Cannot Be Optimised
Intuition & Imagination
The real engines of progress remain stubbornly organic — intuition, imagination, and the courage to embrace mystery.
Values & Ethics
Values, ethics, and consciousness cannot be predicted, copied, or optimised by any algorithm. Organisms are not algorithms.
Spirituality & Mystery
We inhabit a digital world ruled by analytics and automation — but spirituality and mystery remain beyond the reach of any machine.
Androrithms are the counterweight to machine logic — a rebuttal with the traits only humans can have, the very things that come alive where efficiency and probability run out.
Gerd's Key Memes & Concepts
HECI
Humanity, Ethics, Creativity, Imagination — the four human layers that sit on top of every technological foundation. The thing your stack is missing.
Hellven
Coined 2018. Exponential technological progress could be heaven or hell — it all depends on what we do with the god-like powers we are now accumulating. We don't just need tools; we also need TELOS.
Awesome Humans
Flip the VUCA! Velocity, Unorthodoxy, Co-Creation, Awesomeness — the human response to a world of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity.
Twice Upon a Time
Gerd's 2022 film exploring two potential futures: AI as the world's OS — with humans either thriving or becoming the tool. The Good Future or the Bad Future, 2030?
The Human Resistance & Human Augmentation
The Human Resistance
Too much AI is bad for humans. When AI becomes the master, humans will become the tool. The Human Resistance is Gerd's campaign to keep humans at the center of the technological future.
Human Augmentation, Not Replacement
In a December 2025 interview with Siemens Xcelerator, Gerd argued that industrial leaders should prioritize exponential human augmentation — not replacement. The good future of AI enhances what makes us human; it does not erase it.
Gerd's Quotes on Humanity & Technology
"Our biggest challenge right now is not that machines will take over, but that we become too much like them."
"We often don't need to slow down technology — we need to speed up responsibility."
"Efficiency should never become more important than humanity — happiness cannot be automated."
"Embrace technology but don't become it. Radical human augmentation is a downgrade, not an upgrade."
"Trust isn't digital, happiness isn't a program, and relationships aren't code."
"Technology is not what we seek but how we seek. The tools should not become the purpose."
"Just as peace is not merely the absence of war, progress is not merely the presence of technology."
Gerd Leonhard: Author of 5 Books
Gerd has penned a series of breakthrough works on everything from the future of music to the exponential transformations currently sweeping business and society. His landmark 2016 book Technology vs Humanity introduced the concept of Androrithms to the world — and its observations and forecasts remain strikingly relevant a decade later.
A PDF compilation of all mentions of "Androrithms" in the book is available for download, alongside videos, essays, and curated content on Gerd.TV.
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ANDRORITHMS