Meaning in the age of AI: Experiencing less, needing more.

What does it mean to be human when artificial intelligence (AI) can simulate human thought and creative labor with increasing fidelity? Unlike AI, humans experience meaning in life. Yet AI may create a paradox for meaningfulness. AI may reduce people's ability to experience meaning by disrupting selfhood (loss of effort and self-efficacy), social relationships (reduced mattering and connection), and culture (erosion of value and stability). At the same time, it may heighten people's need for meaning by challenging human exceptionalism and increasing the need for coherence amidst upheaval. This paradox-experiencing less while needing more-is what we term the AI Meaning Gap. Yet meaninglessness is not inevitable. If developed and used intentionally, AI could become a tool for reflection, understanding, and self-growth, thereby enhancing meaning.