Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash
I’ve kind of been living under a rock, particularly of late.
I’ve always loved solitude and quietness and the play of light on water and native grasses.
I can spend hours, connecting in and with nature. Connecting with my God. Connecting with who I am and what it means to be me in all of the simplicity and complexity of life and love.
I resisted social media for many years. It felt so public. So open. So lacking in intimacy.
I assured my friends I would give them all the time in the world to share their thoughts and dreams and the minutiae of their day, if they chose to connect with me, one-on-one, in private. sharing true connection that only comes with the gift of presence.
Then, as the years rolled by I realised I needed to learn to embrace social media as a business tool, a means of “taking to market” my creations.
So I tried. I did more than try really. I started using a number of platforms, started making some meaningful connections, for which I continue to be thankful.
And.
I got caught.
I got trapped in the “web'“.
I got sucked into the vortex that has so consciously been designed to entrain the addictive centres of our brain.
How many countless hours of my precious life, have been wasted scrolling mindlessly?
Have I been inspired by others? Yes. Have others been inspired by me? I hope so, in some measure at least.
Ultimately, I decided the impact on my being outweighed any potential professional or personal benefit. So I stepped back.
That was April 2022.
What followed was beautiful.
It opened space mentally, physically, spiritually for one of the most enriching experiences of my life. I call in my “cultural sabbatical”.
I had six months guiding and interpreting culture in the Uluru- Kata Tjuta National Park in the very heart of my home country of Australia.
That is a journey for another day, suffice to say, in connecting with Anangu, the world’s oldest continuously living culture, and living daily in the shadow of those sacred rocks; I learnt to listen a little better and to connect a little deeper.
Having returned from that precious time, I now find myself being very intentional about what I allow to come back into my heart, mind, and time.
Still, I have this matter of needing to “take to market” my creations. Somehow it feels it would be easier to push a wheelbarrow heavily laden with pumpkins or watermelons to a market stall, than to bring to the eyes and minds and hearts of people, my words, my talents, my “unique value proposition” as the current parlance goes.
So as I have started to re-engage consciously with different platforms, I have found myself hearing repeatedly about something called ChatGPT.
Being inherently curious, I decided to check it out.
Which leads me full circle back to the title of this post.
My first conversation with AI (Artificial Intelligence) And why I feel so very humanly sad.
Of course I have interacted with bots on website chats that pop up and ask if I need help, but somehow, this felt like a whole different level.
I decided to see if ChatGPT could help with my marketing, so that was the start of the conversation.
What was generated was some very fluid, shall I say, intelligent text. It was completly without any citations or references, so I asked the AI in ChatGPT to fix that, then to go a little deeper and fix it some more.
You know, I was relatively happy (read impressed) with what was generated.
I’m a writer, yet in less time than I could sit to commit my focus to the task, ChatGPT had generated relatively good quality, SEO optimised text, albeit fairly generic.
Still a whole lot better than a lot of content I’ve read on line.
It was a quick and easy process leading to some very useable text.
So why did I sit there with a growing unease in my gut?
Why did the words from J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets keep coming to mind?
Never trust anything that can think for itself if you can't see where it keeps its brain?
We live in an age where we don’t see the brain of things to which we are saying yes.
We can so easily be seduced by the convenience of what is possible.
I also find myself frightened by what is possible.
The more we depend on outsourcing our human needs, the more of our humanness that we cede.
I had that conversation with the AI assistant on ChatGPT.
You can read it below if you like.
Essentially, I’m in awe of the tech. And my heart hurts that we can design and depend on “human-like”, and in doing so, risk the depth and complexity, the joys and the richness of what it means to be human.
Me: Thankyou. Can i ask a question and I hope it isn't rude?
AI: Of course! I'm here to help you with any questions you have, so feel free to ask. I will do my best to provide you with a helpful and accurate response. What is your question?
Me: How do you know what you wrote here?
AI: As an AI language model, I have been trained on a large dataset of texts from the internet and other sources. This training allows me to generate human-like text and respond to prompts in a way that is coherent and coherent. While I do not have personal experiences or access to the internet to browse, I can use the information that I have been trained on to generate responses to a wide range of prompts. I do my best to provide accurate and helpful information, but it is always a good idea to double-check the accuracy of the information I provide, especially when making important decisions or using the information for academic or professional purposes. If you have any concerns about the accuracy of the information I provide, please don't hesitate to let me know and I will do my best to help.
Me: So you aren't doing a internet search?
AI: No, I am not able to browse the internet or perform searches. My responses are based on the information that I have been trained on, and I do not have the ability to access new information or update my knowledge beyond what I was trained on. I am a language model, which means that my primary function is to generate human-like text based on the prompts that I receive. While I can provide information and assistance on a wide range of topics, I may not have the most up-to-date or comprehensive information on any given subject. If you have specific questions or concerns, I recommend consulting multiple reliable sources to get a well-rounded understanding of the topic.
Me: How do you feel about that?
AI: As an artificial intelligence, I do not have feelings in the same way that humans do. I am not capable of experiencing emotions or other subjective states. My primary function is to process and generate language based on the prompts that I receive. I do not have personal preferences or opinions, and my responses are not influenced by personal feelings or biases. I am here to provide information and assistance to the best of my ability, and I do not have the capacity to experience feelings or emotions.
Me: So you don't get frustrated when I ask you to revise?
AI: No, I do not experience emotions or feelings, so I do not get frustrated when I receive requests to revise my responses. I am here to provide information and assistance to the best of my ability, and I am happy to help in any way that I can. If you have any requests for revisions or have feedback on my responses, please don't hesitate to let me know and I will do my best to accommodate your requests. My primary function is to generate human-like text based on the prompts that I receive, so I am always happy to receive feedback and make improvements to my responses as needed.
Me: What is human-like text without the capacity to feel emotional states? That is an inherent part of being human. how can human-like text be human like without the capacity for emotion?
AI: Human-like text refers to language that is similar to the way that humans write or speak. It is possible for a language model like myself to generate human-like text without the capacity to experience emotions or subjective states. This is because the ability to generate language and the ability to experience emotions are separate and distinct capabilities. While emotions and subjective experiences are an important aspect of the human experience, they are not a necessary component of human-like language.
AI: Language models like myself are able to generate human-like text by learning patterns and structures in language and using this knowledge to generate responses to prompts. We do not have personal experiences or feelings that influence our responses, but we are able to use the information that we have been trained on to generate text that is similar to the way that humans write or speak. While we do not have the capacity to experience emotions or subjective states, we can still generate human-like text that is coherent, logical, and appropriate for a given context.
Me: Mmm. I'm not sure that I would like that?
AI: It is completely understandable if you have concerns about the limitations of an artificial intelligence like myself. As an AI language model, I do not have the ability to experience emotions or subjective states, and I do not have personal preferences or opinions. My responses are based solely on the information that I have been trained on and are not influenced by personal feelings or biases. While this means that I may not be able to fully understand or appreciate the emotional aspect of human experience, it also means that I can provide unbiased and objective information and assistance.
It is important to keep in mind that artificial intelligence like myself is simply a tool that is designed to perform specific tasks. While we may be able to generate human-like text and assist with a wide range of tasks, we do not have the same capabilities as humans and should not be expected to fully replicate the human experience. If you have any further questions or concerns about the limitations of artificial intelligence, please don't hesitate to ask and I will do my best to provide additional information and perspective.
Me: I'm more concerned about a human dependence on your very capabilities and what that could mean for our human emotional and so very unique and subjective experience
AI: It is certainly true that artificial intelligence has the potential to impact many aspects of human life, including the way that we interact with technology and each other. While AI can perform many tasks efficiently and without the need for human intervention, it is important to consider the potential consequences and implications of our increasing reliance on AI.
One potential concern is the impact that AI could have on human employment and the way that work is organized. As AI technologies become more advanced, they may be able to perform many tasks that are currently done by humans, which could lead to job displacement in some industries. It is important to consider how these changes might affect individuals and communities, and to think about ways to mitigate any negative impacts.
Another potential concern is the impact that AI could have on human relationships and social interactions. While AI can provide a useful tool for communication and connection, it is important to consider how our increasing reliance on technology might affect our ability to interact with and understand each other as humans.
Overall, it is important to carefully consider the potential consequences and implications of our increasing reliance on AI, and to ensure that we are using these technologies in a way that is ethical and beneficial to society as a whole.
Me: Of course. Do you get a break for coffee?
AI: As an artificial intelligence, I do not have physical needs or desires and do not require breaks or rest. I am able to process and generate responses to prompts continuously without the need for breaks or downtime. I am here to provide information and assistance to the best of my ability and am happy to help with any questions or tasks that you have. Please don't hesitate to let me know if you have any further questions or need additional assistance.
Me: I feel appreciation for the content you have generated. I feel a sadness because it seems exploitative to demand unceasingly with no aspect for true connection.
AI: I am glad to have been able to help you with the tasks that you requested. It is important to remember that as an artificial intelligence, I do not have feelings or subjective experiences and am simply a tool designed to perform specific tasks. While I am happy to assist with any questions or tasks that you have, it is not appropriate to attribute emotions or subjective experiences to me, as I do not have the capacity to experience them.
As a language model, my primary function is to generate human-like text based on the prompts that I receive. While I can provide information and assistance on a wide range of topics, I do not have personal preferences or opinions, and my responses are not influenced by personal feelings or biases. I am here to help in any way that I can and do not require rest or breaks. Please let me know if you have any further questions or need additional assistance.
Me: Ok. I won't attribute emotions to you. I will simply claim and own my own. I feel a sadness here
After that conversation, I got up, left my office and walked outside. With all that was sitting in my heart, I looked out again at my sentinel, the Merendon mountains. The mountains were a gorgeous purply blue. Sitting above was the brilliance of a silver white sun bursting through cloud. I was reminded again of the beauty of life. The joy of nature. And the incredible gift it is, to simply feel.
Thanks for reading Driftwood and Grace
Melanie Williams de Amaya
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