Ancient Wisdom, Modern Code: What the I Ching Says About AI

Navigating Transformation through Wisdom

I’ve always been fascinated by black holes. There is something fundamentally magnificent and no doubt, scary as hell about them. If you ever crossed the boundary of a black hole—the event horizon—you’d be disconnected from the outside universe. Unless you are Matthew McConaughey, once in, nothing, not even light, can come back. No wonder why modern physics is obsessed with phenomena that hold so many answers about our reality, yet leave no way to explore them.

These days, the future of AI feels exactly like that event horizon—a point beyond which we can theorize but never truly know. Since we don’t have knowledge of what is coming, I thought it couldn’t hurt to ask ancient wisdom for some guidance. So, I turned to my dear friend, I Ching, and asked:

“What is the wisdom you would like to share with humanity regarding AI development?”

The future of AI feels like a black hole—mysterious, vast, and impossible to predict. What wisdom can guide us beyond the event horizon?

The Cauldron and the Code: What Hexagram Ting Teaches About AI Development

As soon as I saw the hexagram that I Ching provided, I laughed. Two things caught my attention. First, out of 64 possible hexagrams, I Ching responded with the one that mentions human-made things—which is rare, since there are only two (the other one being The Well, which I covered in my previous article). In contrast to natural phenomena, human-made objects carry intention. From ancient philosophy, psychology, to machine learning and now deep learning, we’ve always been fascinated with understanding and replicating intelligence, especially our own. Now, I Ching is telling us to reflect on why.

Second, when Jung asked I Ching how it sees itself over 70 years ago, in his famous foreword to Richard Wilhelm’s translation, I Ching responded with the same hexagram and the same changing line in the second place. Ting represents nourishment, transformation, and the sacred vessel of change. Since the cauldron was used in ancient rituals to cook and prepare food, it represents:

• Nourishment & Sustenance – Just as the cauldron transforms raw ingredients into nourishing food, the hexagram suggests a time of refinement and spiritual or intellectual nourishment.
  

• Cultural & Spiritual Renewal – The cauldron preserves ritual but transforms its contents, signifying the importance of upholding traditions while adapting to change.
  

• Stability and Authority – A symbol of power in ancient China, suggesting a need for strong leadership or personal resolve.
  

Hexagram 50, Ting: In the alchemy of progress, the vessel matters as much as the fire.

Now, the mentioned changing line is important—as it’s usually the part of interpretation we should pay extra attention to. The line reads:

There is food in the ting.
My comrades are envious,
But they cannot harm me.
Good fortune. (Wilhelm’s translation)

Jung interpreted the hexagram as I Ching basically saying: “I see myself as a cauldron, a ritual vessel that contains wisdom. Since I contain spiritual nourishment, as with anything great, there will always be envy.” The envious want to rob I Ching of its great possessions (i.e., its meaning), but their attempts are in vain—I Ching is sure of its value.

In a way, it’s offering the same message again—only this time, directed at how we’re shaping the future.

Going back to our question, it seems that I Ching is telling us: You are building something that is not only an object, but a vessel for transformation. Honor it. Embrace change as nourishment that can refine you. Act with purpose and uphold integrity. There is food in AI—and despite many critiques, some based in fear, some in resistance to change—this new development holds value and potential for something great that no one can undermine.

Even with imperfect models, everything is shifting. The way we approach work, education—even art—has changed dramatically in just a few years. While we probably won’t have AGI any time soon, AI will keep getting better at an incredible pace. To treat it as a simple tool and undermine the impact it will have on humanity would be ignorant, to say the least.

In the age of AI, Ting reminds us that development is more than scale or speed. It requires balance. There is something deeply meaningful in the alchemy we’re attempting—if we tend the fire properly.

Breakthrough and Balance: Why AI Needs Ethics as Much as Power

When speed overtakes wisdom in AI development… even the Force can’t restore balance.

So, how do we tend the fire properly?

Underneath, I Ching offers us an additional layer of wisdom by inviting us to “openly discredit evil.” This one is a no-brainer and could take up a whole book, but here we go: ethics.

Right now, there’s a race to see who can throw more wood on the fire—more data, more parameters, more features. But anyone who’s ever tried to make a proper Italian ragu (Bolognese) knows this isn’t how you get that nonna-style flavor that feels like a fluffy blanket on a cold afternoon. Somewhere along the way, we lost balance. Speed became more valuable than safety - or alignment.

Hexagram 43 - Kuai / Breakthrough begins with a call for truthful speech and the necessity to name and confront harmful influences—not with violence or aggression, but through exposure. By openly talking about how models are trained, what data they’re exposed to, and how decisions are made, we improve not only the odds of building safe and aligned AI, but also build trust between the big players and the wider community.

Publish the data. Share research findings. Talk openly about concerns and potential solutions. Open-source the models. Allow for contribution that brings diversity and growth.

The last thing we need is an AI developed under narrow leadership, shaped by limited values and unchecked agendas.

We want to create human-like intelligence. And what is more human than diversity, ethics, and wisdom?

We have the raw material—but now it’s time to refine it into something meaningful and lasting.

The Wanderer’s Path: Humility in the Age of Algorithms

Hexagram 56, The Wanderer: In unfamiliar lands, wisdom travels light.

With the transformed hexagram 56 - Lu / The Wanderer, the I Ching invites us to remain open-minded and humble as we navigate this unfamiliar land called AI. We have a chance to build something truly meaningful—and the only thing that stands in our way isn’t computing power, but our own greed and arrogance.

This hexagram speaks of movement, impermanence, and adaptability. The wanderer travels light, observes quietly, and respects the unfamiliar. He doesn’t cling to one place or rush through the journey—he learns from each stop, knowing every encounter holds wisdom.

Like it or not, we’ve crossed the event horizon. There is no turning back. What lies ahead is unknown—but that never stopped humanity before.

This isn’t just about building intelligence.

It’s about becoming wise enough to stand beside it.

So the question isn’t just: What kind of AI are we building?
It’s also: What kind of humans do we want to become alongside it?