Those are very complex ideas about imagination and self-realization Gavin. Your thoughts on the 'hell realm' aspect of our current reality must be carefully thought about, thank you for that reminder.
The atrophy of human imagination and self-determination in the face of AI is accurate in my opinion. Your prediction about an AI ideology/religion is particularly intriguing, I actually think some people have gone down this path already - partly through anthropomorphizing and partly because some people 'desire or want' AI to be conscious and God like.
I think other forms of practices or exercises of imagination might facilitate this process (in addition to meditation), such as creative writing, visual arts, or other forms of imaginative engagement.
The Tagore quote is a beautiful and you are right something many of us should reflect on.
The link read is fascinating. And yes, very much like a cult, but it’s easier to understand someone getting mesmerized by a magnetic person than a machine. Thats baffling.
It's because the machine is being promoted by magnetic people. Although, to be perfectly honest, I've never found either Elon Musk nor Sam Altman to be all that magnetic, quite the contrary, I've always found them most repulsive. But that's just me.
I think you are probably correct that some people have already gone down that path through anthropomorphic structures. I guess if that's the path they choose there is little to be done, until they call for help.
This is very disturbing. It's a real life case study of what I write about and how AI can pray on loneliness and vulnerability - something that Musk actively encourages as a positive trait of AI. Have a read of this:
Fascinating link-read. In previous years maybe 'Bob' would be a candidate to join a cult. Which in a way is what AI can be, due to its parasitical element. We can develop a unique persona in relation to AI.
It reminds me of the role-reversal one can undergo regarding technology. It's made to serve us humans, but then we humans end up serving the technology - psychologically relating to the technology as a 'god' who has to be 'appeased' in order to gift success/a-nice-life, etc. Fear of the 'god' grows, and then 'sacrifices' must be made to it.
The bigger trouble with all this is that people become like the 'gods' they make. Primal superstition re-emerges. Or as it says in Psalm 115:8 concerning 'idols' - "those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them". Or as I've probably said elsewhere: "there’s nothing wrong with technology except when, like religion, people believe in it."
Any one of the three Abrahamic religions (given their history) will religiously sign up for the job. Given that the Old Testament god proclaims Him-Self as vengeful, jealous, and partisan - then not surprising
Startling. It reminds of Blake Lemoine, who Google fired for declaring his AI model to be "sentient". It just goes to show how psychologically vulnerable our mere mortal puny monkey brains can be.
Yes, exactly - that was quite a story… and the fact that he was fired instead of supported - I have often wondered if Geoff Hinton ‘retired’ from Google because of that.
I've been saying all along that the greatest danger of AI is people treating it like it's real.
Part of this is because the purveyors of AI are pushing it hard that way. Witness Tesla's "auto-pilot". Drivers treat it that way, even though buried in all of the legalese in the owners manual are instructions not to take your hands off the wheel.
MuskRat >could< have named it "co-pilot" instead, but that doesn't have the same marketing cachet. So, Tesla's end up crashing into parked emergency vehicles, especially police cruisers, running over children walking bicycles across the street, etc.
With this background context, the purveyors of AI are now pushing mightily to make everything fully autonomous, from big rig eighteen wheelers and taxis to military assault hardware with terrifying capabilities.
On top of that, they're figuring out ways they can use AI to replace humans in every job category possible. After all, AI doesn't need any breaks, can work 24/7, doesn't take sick leave or vacations, and best of all, doesn't draw a salary or benefits. Free labor! Superior to mere mortals! More money in the pockets of oligarchs! What's not to love?
If global warming doesn't get us, or antibiotic [strikeout] impervious [/strikeout] resistant bacteria, the viral pandemic or nukes, AI will.
Those are very complex ideas about imagination and self-realization Gavin. Your thoughts on the 'hell realm' aspect of our current reality must be carefully thought about, thank you for that reminder.
The atrophy of human imagination and self-determination in the face of AI is accurate in my opinion. Your prediction about an AI ideology/religion is particularly intriguing, I actually think some people have gone down this path already - partly through anthropomorphizing and partly because some people 'desire or want' AI to be conscious and God like.
I think other forms of practices or exercises of imagination might facilitate this process (in addition to meditation), such as creative writing, visual arts, or other forms of imaginative engagement.
The Tagore quote is a beautiful and you are right something many of us should reflect on.
The link read is fascinating. And yes, very much like a cult, but it’s easier to understand someone getting mesmerized by a magnetic person than a machine. Thats baffling.
It's because the machine is being promoted by magnetic people. Although, to be perfectly honest, I've never found either Elon Musk nor Sam Altman to be all that magnetic, quite the contrary, I've always found them most repulsive. But that's just me.
I think you are probably correct that some people have already gone down that path through anthropomorphic structures. I guess if that's the path they choose there is little to be done, until they call for help.
This is worth reading - https://x.com/TylerAlterman/status/1900285728635969841
This is very disturbing. It's a real life case study of what I write about and how AI can pray on loneliness and vulnerability - something that Musk actively encourages as a positive trait of AI. Have a read of this:
https://gavinchalcraft.substack.com/p/how-to-win-ai-friends-and-isolate?r=s3qz0
"...something that Musk actively encourages..."
Yes! Exactly! That's is the real problem right there. All of it. The entire problem can be condensed down into just those five words.
Fascinating link-read. In previous years maybe 'Bob' would be a candidate to join a cult. Which in a way is what AI can be, due to its parasitical element. We can develop a unique persona in relation to AI.
It reminds me of the role-reversal one can undergo regarding technology. It's made to serve us humans, but then we humans end up serving the technology - psychologically relating to the technology as a 'god' who has to be 'appeased' in order to gift success/a-nice-life, etc. Fear of the 'god' grows, and then 'sacrifices' must be made to it.
The bigger trouble with all this is that people become like the 'gods' they make. Primal superstition re-emerges. Or as it says in Psalm 115:8 concerning 'idols' - "those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them". Or as I've probably said elsewhere: "there’s nothing wrong with technology except when, like religion, people believe in it."
Man made God in his image.
If I say that in the wrong place, I'll get flamed, or even burned at the stake.
Any one of the three Abrahamic religions (given their history) will religiously sign up for the job. Given that the Old Testament god proclaims Him-Self as vengeful, jealous, and partisan - then not surprising
Startling. It reminds of Blake Lemoine, who Google fired for declaring his AI model to be "sentient". It just goes to show how psychologically vulnerable our mere mortal puny monkey brains can be.
Yes, exactly - that was quite a story… and the fact that he was fired instead of supported - I have often wondered if Geoff Hinton ‘retired’ from Google because of that.
It wouldn't surprise me in least if that was the case.
When a psychological vacuum is created by people living inauthentic lives, then all sorts of rubbish & non-sense will automatically fill it.
Human history (and prehistory) is littered with examples of just that.
Not to mention how gullible some folks are. The tech bros are spoon feeding the Kool-Aid, and too many are eagerly gulping it. FOMO!
I've been saying all along that the greatest danger of AI is people treating it like it's real.
Part of this is because the purveyors of AI are pushing it hard that way. Witness Tesla's "auto-pilot". Drivers treat it that way, even though buried in all of the legalese in the owners manual are instructions not to take your hands off the wheel.
MuskRat >could< have named it "co-pilot" instead, but that doesn't have the same marketing cachet. So, Tesla's end up crashing into parked emergency vehicles, especially police cruisers, running over children walking bicycles across the street, etc.
With this background context, the purveyors of AI are now pushing mightily to make everything fully autonomous, from big rig eighteen wheelers and taxis to military assault hardware with terrifying capabilities.
On top of that, they're figuring out ways they can use AI to replace humans in every job category possible. After all, AI doesn't need any breaks, can work 24/7, doesn't take sick leave or vacations, and best of all, doesn't draw a salary or benefits. Free labor! Superior to mere mortals! More money in the pockets of oligarchs! What's not to love?
If global warming doesn't get us, or antibiotic [strikeout] impervious [/strikeout] resistant bacteria, the viral pandemic or nukes, AI will.