Who are you, without the machines? - By Harrish Panicker

Written By: Harrish Panicker

Category: Essay

Competition: Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026

In the thought-provoking essay "Who are you, without the machines?" Harrish Panicker delves into the profound question of human identity in the age of technology. Submitted to the Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026, this essay invites readers to reflect on their place in a world increasingly dominated by machines. With the pervasive influence of artificial intelligence and technological advancements, Panicker challenges us to consider our relevance and roles, beyond the mechanical constructs that have become integral to our lives.

About the Work

Harrish Panicker's essay explores a world where machines are seemingly indispensable, prompting an introspective examination of human relevance amidst technological evolution. The piece is infused with a sense of urgency and skepticism, questioning societal dependencies on machinery and the elusive nature of identity without them. Through vivid imagery and critical analysis, Panicker calls into question the very essence of human existence, provoking thought on the balance between innovation and individuality.

Who are you, without the machines?

Original Submission by Harrish Panicker

Who are you, without the machines?

Britannica defines a machine as a device serving a unique purpose that augments or replaces either human or animal effort for the accomplishment of physical tasks. While the human is really an animal, this definition encompasses an incredibly broad set of devices we interact with daily. Almost everything we use for anything that we do requires at least one machine. With artificial intelligence becoming an expansive, pervasive, seductive term that businessmen can’t help but spread across the zeitgeist, we’re all called to, or really, waterboarded under the most severe of cloth, a simple question. Who are you, without the machine?

While the men behind all the wealth and income generating aspects of our society reveal their obsessive tendencies to describe every aspect of our society in a way that is most easily fit for their purposes, we’ve come face to face with a reality where we’re increasingly irrelevant. Who else needs us but those very men? After all, without my job, I can’t generate my income. You might say, well this is time to start a business! Oh, but come on, my friend with some sparkles still left behind those oh so hopeful eyes, every business is inoperable without those very men. Who builds the roads, yes, of course, the workers do, but that decision is decided by a billion dollar entity controlled by suits. The electricity generation? Different people, but they have dinners with each other quite frequently. The mining company executives? The water executives? The tech bros? The finance bros? The politicians!? Hell, the London School of Economics gang bunched together with the Oxford bunch run the world! Well yes, they’re running our economies straight into a wall, but they’ve kept us running thus far and that wall is still yet to come! (note, this was written before absolutely catastrophic disaster, conditions may have changed).

I know I’m alluding to a conspiracy, but really, who else are they supposed to hang out with, its well known that conscientious people run the world, and regardless, those within similar environments are more likely to “click” with you, as they’re able to understand, but fundamentally, a world built and driven by the few can’t survive, but come on, this is all obvious, you know all this. Well, I assume you do, because you’re likely quite a bright little bulb, if you weren’t, well, you’d be dim. Anyways, the world is envisaged with abstractions, the pawns, the bishops, the knights and the many other pieces of the games on their boards. If you can’t see the human beyond their roles, you only see their roles, and their roles, are finite. What if the game changes? The player can easily alter the board, introduce some chaotic chess, make the bishops fly or something, but keeping with the bishop metaphor, the human behind that bishop stays the same. Can they fly? If they can’t, then they can’t be a bishop, they’ll find someone who can.

The human is ignored. Really, at all levels, the human being must ask who they are but it is really a recent development that asks the question of who a human being is without their machine has become serious. Its obsessive. “You must remain relevant in the age of AI”. “Lifelong learning”. “Always keep skilling up”. I’m sorry but these sentences seem so stupid to me. What are we chasing? That tail is gone, my reader and those who can’t tell, the machine is simple, its dedicated to an exact goal. When you can define something exactly, you can push its capability to achieve it maximally. Processing speeds? We can keep going up and up. Calculation time? Make it shorter and shorter. Volume of trades when the markets open? Keep increasing them! Its uniquely human to ground these goals with whatever the evolutionary mechanisms within us finds relevant. These machines don’t need this “middle” step. So, you can’t chase the machines. What the hell are you going to do? Beat them at their own role? A human being has intrinsic volatility, variability. This helps us a lot. A machine doesn’t freaking need that! Are you really telling me I’m going to beat an AI? What the hell am I even trying to beat? If you benchmark it, of course I’m eventually going to lose!

So we’re eventually irrelevant right? We are not good enough at serving their purposes and we will never be good enough but there is a silver flicker. A little spark that hides behind my nihilism, drilling a tiny hole through the depressive, devastating machination in my mind. What really can they define? Sure, most of our value derives from how well we can contribute to their visions, but their visions are fragmented attempts at the “better” and “best”. We, as human beings have absolutely no clue as to what the best world is, and we barely have any idea what better is, using a lot of feeling to get at it. Successful entrepreneurs often pivot from their original idea within their companies before their success, who tells them that? We’re all part of this bigger collective, the other animals, the plants, the microbiology, the stars, the planets... All these characters play their roles in the major script, or... play. I’m not going to tell you who the author is, or that it is exactly a play or script, it seems dynamic to me, a self-authoring entity, but what is undeniable is the collective. There is something genuinely collective that we direct our service toward which has led to our success as a species.

Knowing that our misalignment with the other characters is jeopardizing our success, tells us exactly how crucial the other characters have always been. Climate change, like brother/sister, you forgot the entire planet and its ecosystem, no wonder! Imagine not tracking that asteroid coming toward you before you can prepare for it and God forbid, a Gamma Burst Death Ray that wiped us out! That collective exists, and its true north is indispensable.

So, who are you without the machines? I don’t know, I’m just some dude, but what I do know is that its still a question.

Don’t let anyone make you believe they have the answer to it for you.

Danke, (I’m not German)

Harrish.

About the Competition

The Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026, hosted by Hashtag Kalakar, celebrates the diverse voices and creative expressions of writers worldwide. This prestigious event provides a platform for participants to showcase their talents across various categories, including poetry, essays, and creative writing. The competition fosters a global community of artists, encouraging insightful discourse and the exploration of contemporary themes through the written word.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to Harrish Panicker for his insightful contribution to the Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026. "Who are you, without the machines?" challenges us to reflect on the intersection of technology and identity. Your thought-provoking essay enriches the dialogue on our evolving relationship with machines and the future of humanity.

About Hashtag Kalakar

Hashtag Kalakar is a creative platform dedicated to providing artists, writers, singers and other creative talents with opportunities to showcase their work and reach wider audiences through competitions, features and creative initiatives.