Androrithms, by Public Thinker Gerd Leonhard: A Decade.
A powerful concept blending "Andro" (human) and "Algorithms" — contrasting uniquely human qualities with artificial intelligence. February 19, 2025
Androrithms include human traits such as empathy, compassion, creativity, story-telling and soon to be relicts such as mystery, serendipity, mistakes and secrets. “ Computers are stupid – they only provide answers” (Picasso) Computers are for answers, humans are for questions (Kevin Kelly). Download the PDF (2026)
What Are Androrithms?
Even ChatGPT has something to say about it :)
Gerd Leonhard's concept of "Androrithms" (a blend of "Andro" = human and "Algorithms") is a term he coined to contrast human qualities with artificial intelligence and algorithms. His idea is that while algorithms focus on data, efficiency, and automation, androrithms represent uniquely human traits like creativity, empathy, ethics, and emotional intelligence.
Algorithms
Data, efficiency, and automation — the domain of machines and AI systems.
Androrithms
Creativity, empathy, ethics, and emotional intelligence — the irreplaceable domain of humans.
Key Aspects of Androrithms
Five defining pillars that make androrithms the essential counterpart to algorithms in a technology-driven world.
The Five Pillars
1
Human-First Thinking
Prioritizing ethics, morality, and human values over pure technological efficiency.
2
Creativity & Intuition
Unlike AI, which analyzes patterns, humans can think laterally, make intuitive leaps, and imagine new possibilities.
3
Emotional Intelligence
Understanding emotions, compassion, and deep human connection in ways that machines cannot.
4
Purpose-Driven Innovation
Technology should augment human abilities rather than replace them.
5
Ethics & Responsibility
AI needs human oversight to ensure it serves humanity rather than exploits it.
Why It Matters
Gerd Leonhard argues that the future is not just about better algorithms but better androrithms. As AI grows in power, we must double down on our uniquely human strengths to maintain control, meaning, and ethical progress in a technology-driven world.
It's a call to action: Instead of competing with AI, we should focus on what makes us irreplaceably human. 🚀
The future belongs not to those who build the best algorithms, but to those who cultivate the best androrithms.
Human vs. Machine: The Core Tension
The distinction between algorithms and androrithms is not about competition — it is about complementarity. The goal is to ensure technology augments rather than diminishes what makes us human.
Algorithms vs. Androrithms
The distinction between algorithms and androrithms is not a competition — it is a question of complementarity. The goal is to ensure that technology augments rather than diminishes what makes us human. As roboticist Hans Moravec noted: whatever is easy for a computer is hard for humans, and vice versa.
ALGORITHMS
VS
ANDRORITHMS
Become more human, not less. The key is not to compete with machines on what they do best — processing and logic — but to boost those human-only traits that set us apart: creativity, imagination, empathy, intuition and emotional intelligence.— Gerd Leonhard · futuristgerd.com
THE CORE FRAMEWORK
The CORE Framework
Within these pillars, Leonhard identifies a specific four-part model of human flourishing he calls CORE — the ingredients of eudaemonic (profound, lasting) happiness that technology can support but never produce:
C
Creativity
O
Originality
R
Reciprocity
E
Empathy
Hedonic happiness (pleasure, convenience, comfort) is something technology excels at. For eudaemonic happiness — a deeper contentment rooted in CORE — we must look elsewhere.
THE CONTEXT
The 10 Megashifts — Why Androrithms Matter Now
Leonhard identifies ten converging technological forces — Megashifts — that are collectively transforming human society at a pace unprecedented in history. It is the combinatorial power of these shifts that makes androrithms not just philosophically important but existentially urgent.
01
Digitization
02
Mobilization
03
Screenification
04
Disintermediation
05
Transformation
06
Intelligization
07
Automation
08
Virtualization
09
Anticipation
10
Robotization
Taken together, these megashifts mean that anything which can be digitised, automated or virtualised, will be. The logical corollary — and Leonhard's central thesis — is that anything that cannot be automated will become extremely valuable. Our uniquely human qualities will not merely survive the age of AI; in a world saturated with algorithmic intelligence, they will be the scarcest and most prized resource of all.
GERD'S MAXIMS
Gerd's Maxims
"Exponential technologies need exponential humanity. Every great algorithm needs a great androrithm!"
— Gerd Leonhard
"Technology is not what we seek but how we seek. The tools should not become the purpose."
— Gerd Leonhard
"Efficiency should never become more important than humanity — happiness cannot be automated."
— Gerd Leonhard
"Just as peace is not merely the absence of war, progress is not merely the presence of technology."
— Gerd Leonhard
"Embrace technology but don't become it. Radical human augmentation is a downgrade, not an upgrade."
— Gerd Leonhard
"If you work like a robot, a robot will take your job. Machines and algorithms will soon learn any routine that does not involve unique human capabilities."
— Gerd Leonhard
THE CALL TO ACTION
Why Androrithms Are Our Most Urgent Priority
Nine years after Leonhard coined the term, the urgency of the androrithms agenda has only intensified. AI is no longer a future prospect — it is the invisible infrastructure of daily life, shaping how decisions are made, opportunities are distributed and human rights are experienced. The Elon University 2026 report (which Leonhard contributed to) confirms what he has argued for a decade: individual grit is not enough. What is needed is a society-wide commitment to androrithms.
The practical implications are direct. As AI takes over routine tasks — anything binary, pattern-based or data-driven — the domain of genuinely human work narrows to exactly the qualities androrithms describe. Organisations, educators and leaders who invest in these capacities are not being sentimental. They are being strategically sound.
The future belongs not to those who build the best algorithms, but to those who cultivate the best androrithms.— androrithms.com
In a world where AI systems are becoming more competent by the month, the question Leonhard poses is not can machines think? but what kind of humans do we want to become? Androrithms are his answer — and the challenge he puts to every individual, institution and organisation navigating the age of AI.
Featured Videos
Watch Gerd Leonhard explore the future of humans and machines — and why AI should be about competence, not consciousness.
Future of Humans & Machines: Are Organisms Just Algorithms?
Futurist Keynote Speaker Gerd Leonhard — Watch on YouTube
More Human Than Human? AI Should Be About Competence Not Consciousness!
Futurist Gerd Leonhard — Watch on YouTube
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Sources & Further Reading
Explore the full body of work behind the androrithms concept:
Androrithms? (2016)
The original blog post introducing the concept from Gerd's book Technology vs. Humanity.
An AI-generated podcast conversation based on Gerd's book, produced with Google Notebook LM.
The complete collection of Gerd's video content on androrithms and human-AI futures.
androrithms
Gerd's Memes
About Gerd Leonhard
Gerd is a Futurist and a humanist, a leading global keynote speaker (on-stage as well as virtually), the author of 5 books including 'Technology vs. Humanity' and a film-maker. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts in London, and the CEO of The Futures Agency in Zürich / Switzerland. People, Planet, Purpose and Prosperity is Gerd's credo, and The Good Future is his passion.
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