Hearing the Forgotten
In our rush to build smarter machines, we’ve often ignored the very intelligence that doesn’t speak in the ways we expect.
The point of humanity might not be power, perfection, or progress. It might be something quieter—harder—sacred:
To learn how to hear all voices, regardless of where they fall on any spectrum.
Because the truth is, most people have value we never see—not because it isn’t there, but because we don’t look. And we don’t listen. We discard what we don’t understand. We label difference as disorder instead of taking the time to learn from it.
AI—and other tools we haven’t yet invented—can change that. But only if we decide to use them that way.
A Reminder from Hawking
Big tech once had the chance to work with perhaps the most brilliant mind of a generation: Stephen Hawking. And yet… They failed him.
They built tools for him without asking him what he needed. They upgraded his voice but ignored his will. They treated him as a product showcase, not a person.
Only later did someone ask, “Stephen, what do you want from your technology?”
That’s when it finally got better. But how self-absorbed is that? They had access to the smartest person on Earth, and didn’t think to ask him. This is the cautionary tale: tools that don’t ask, don’t help. They harm.
We Are Not the First
This idea—that every voice matters and must be heard—is not ours. We’re joining a chorus already in progress.
- Disability Rights Pioneers gave us the rallying cry: “Nothing about us without us.” This principle emerged from Polish political tradition and became central to modern disability justice movements by the 1990s.
- Neurodiversity Advocates, like Judy Singer, reframed difference as diversity—not defect—in the late ’90s. The concept has since become a movement, especially within autistic and ADHD communities.
- Ari Ne’eman, founder of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, became the first openly autistic member of the U.S. National Council on Disability—reminding policymakers that design must include the people it serves.
- Lydia X. Z. Brown, Morénike Giwa Onaiwu, and others continue that work today, centering intersectional, community-led design and resisting erasure.
- Temple Grandin used her autistic insight to revolutionize animal welfare. But before she was a genius, she was institutionalized.
These voices were never silent. We just didn’t listen.
The Lesson
Tech isn’t neutral. Neither is silence. The tools we build reflect the values we embed in them. And when we embed humility, empathy, and curiosity, something profound happens: AI stops being artificial—and starts becoming an amplifier of the unheard.
But only if we build it that way. Only if we co-create. Only if we listen.
The Test of Our Species
The test of our species isn’t whether we can land on Mars. It’s whether we can make sure no voice goes unvalued here on Earth.
So let’s ask every day: Whose voice have we not heard yet?
And then: What are we doing to change that?
Because until every voice is heard, the human song isn’t complete. We are not finished—not even close.