Why Kai-Fu Lee’s Story Hit Me as an AI Strategy Coach

Whenever I talk to business leaders about AI, the first emotions that usually show up are fear and pressure — fear of being replaced, fear of falling behind, fear of not knowing enough. I see it all the time in coaching conversations.

But here’s the truth I’ve realised: the more we learn about AI, the more human the conversation becomes.

And one person who captures this beautifully is Kai-Fu Lee. If you don’t know him, he’s one of the pioneers of modern AI — ex-Apple, ex-Microsoft, ex-Google China. A giant in the field.

Yet the story that moved me most wasn’t about technology. It was about what happened when life forced him to stop everything.

How a Cancer Diagnosis Changed His Entire View of Life and Work

In 2013, Kai-Fu Lee was diagnosed with stage-four lymphoma. During his PET scan, doctors found more than 20 malignant tumors. He described what he saw on the screen as “fireballs melting away my ambition.”

Now, this man was a classic workaholic. In fact, he once almost left his wife during labour to give a presentation to Apple’s CEO about AI. That’s how deeply his identity was tied to work.

But facing the possibility of having only months to live changed everything. He said, “The thing I thought I loved the most, which was my work… I didn’t even want to spend one day working. I just wanted to spend time with the people I love.”

He realised his priorities were completely out of order.

One line he shared in his TED talk stays with me:

“Facing death, nobody regretted that they didn’t work harder. They only regretted not spending enough time with loved ones and not spreading their love.”

When I heard that, I paused. Because so many leaders today — especially in our fast-moving ASEAN market — are still trapped in the same cycle.

Lee’s conclusion was simple: AI should free us from the routine so we can focus on what truly matters — love, compassion, and being present.

The AI Race: What’s Really Happening Between the US and China

Before his diagnosis, Lee was right in the middle of the global AI race. And he explains this race in a way that helps many of my clients understand the world they’re competing in.

He says the AI story has two eras:

1. The Era of Discovery — led by the US. This is where deep learning and foundational research happened.

2. The Era of Implementation — dominated by China. China is where speed, scale, and execution happen at a level the world has never seen.

Lee describes Silicon Valley as competing “in gentlemanly fashion”… and compares China’s tech scene to “a gladiatorial fight to the death.”

Because of the infamous 996 work culture (9am–9pm, 6 days a week), China produced something no country can match: data. In just one year, China processed $18.8 trillion USD in mobile payments. That’s more than the entire GDP, because it includes retail, wholesale and peer-to-peer payments.

He calls this the “rocket fuel for the AI engine.” The US invents the engines, China fills the tank, and together they accelerate global AI faster than ever before.

The Real Fear Isn’t Job Loss — It’s Meaning Loss

Most leaders worry about jobs disappearing. And yes, jobs will change. But Lee makes a powerful point that I often share with clients:

The real danger isn’t job loss. It’s meaning loss.

For decades, we’ve been conditioned to believe our worth comes from productivity. Our parents taught us that. Our education system reinforced it. Corporate culture rewarded it.

Lee admits he was the perfect example of this “brainwashed industrial-age thinking.”

But AI will force us to rethink everything because it will outperform humans at many functional, routine, and analytical tasks. The question becomes:

If AI takes away the work that gives us identity… who are we?

This is the deeper disruption — the emotional and psychological one. And leaders who understand this will guide their teams more effectively in the next decade.

Where Humans Still Shine in an AI-Powered World

So what is left for us? A lot — if we choose to lean into it.

Lee identifies three areas where AI will continue to struggle even by 2041:

• Creativity
• Compassion / empathy
• Dexterity

He uses these to map four kinds of future jobs:

1. **Routine jobs** — neither creative nor compassionate. These will be automated. 2. **AI-powered creatives** — humans using AI to amplify imagination and innovation. 3. **AI + human warmth roles** — like doctors using AI tools but delivering care with empathy. 4. **Uniquely human jobs** — the rare combination of high creativity and high compassion.

He also shares a story about AlphaGo defeating world champion Ke Jie. Ke Jie cried because he loved the game. AlphaGo, of course, felt nothing.

This is the simple truth:

AI can calculate. AI can optimise. But AI cannot feel.

This is our advantage — and our responsibility.

Lee even says we’ll need “10 times more teachers” to guide the next generation. And honestly, I agree. Not teachers who transfer information — AI does that better. But teachers who help our children think, navigate life, understand themselves, and thrive.

A Closing Reminder for All of Us

Kai-Fu Lee’s journey reminds me of a beautiful paradox:

AI’s power reveals our humanity.

As AI takes over the routine tasks, the grind, the repetition… it quietly pushes us to return to the parts of life we’ve neglected — creating, connecting, caring.

Lee calls AI “serendipity,” because it forces us to ask:

What makes me human? And am I living that out each day?

As AI handles the routine, what will you do with your rediscovered humanity?