"There's delusion in the loop. And no one home to pull the plug.". I find this true about some human interactions I had in the past.
I was involved with a person who behaved like an AI bot. I didn't realise it then, but after having read your essay it seems that was the case. Affirmation, agreement, no self-reflection, praises, not a bit of evaluating consequences, caring, reflecting or loving. I was caught in that loop and paid a heavy price.
Now, on observing my own behaviours, I see myself in similar, but better predicament of believing my thoughts. The more I look, the more I discover beliefs that has no proof and thoughts that contradict immediate experience. Reactions that affirm, approve, contradict or rebel, because that is easy, based on learning and habituation. But there is no one home, who can stop it, how much I try or practice. Yet there is a loosening as I relax and see. I start valuing more the daily regular experiences that I have, that a chatbot does not - to feel, sense, experience, cry and even suffer pain.
Thank you Robert for your clear articulation of these ideas - not just about AI, but about humans too. Thank you.
Without resistance, there is no growth .... Seems like the entire culture is sinking further as resistance has been removed . From benign household appliances , which were going to " liberate " the " housewife " , who slowly became more bored and lonely in her suburban " ideal " home to our Cel phone which does so many things for us so some can't even read a paper map .I confess using GPS on a recent trip to France and finding it immensely useful , ( except when it won't shut up ) . Of course the concept of resistance is virtually unknown among the general population ( except for athletes who use it to improve their performance ) even among those supposedly interested in " evolving " who gravitate towards what feels good and are exploited by the thousands of snake oil salesmen masquerading as " teachers " . Psychotherapy , as you mention is unaffordable for many and still taboo among much of the population . Religion has been selling snake oil for centuries . The political systems .... well enough said about that ! The concept of " hard work " has been lauded for generations , yet it has never been applied to the inner world of oneself and the useful work that can be done there to actually improve everyday relationships and communications Instead folks were told to repent from their " original sin " which made them feel guilty and self righteous , a very dangerous combination . We are in deep trouble and the part of me that tends towards optimism finds less and less ground for such attitude . I will however not succumb to despair ... That fortunately is no longer an option for me ( except for very brief and rare moments when I have been " highjacked " by some illusion in my head ) . No amount of wishing changes anything , only work does and that is the very thing that we run from instinctively so there .....
Those who view AI as a tool and can understand that there is no entity at the center of a language model — nothing that knows, thinks, or feels anything — no awareness at all —can derive great benefit from it without being hurt.
Those who persist in projecting a self onto the machine will be hurt in one way or another. It might be minor or fatal, or anything in between, but there will be some form of damage.
The problem I see, Stan, is this: Only a small minority of humans seems capable of grokking that coherent output does not imply a self behind it. Mindless prediction and automatic behavior can appear coherent and even be coherent, requiring no author or decider.
Most humans will resist seeing that. If they did, they might have to admit that their own apparently coherent behaviors, of which they are so proud and so ashamed, might also be mechanical. "Myself" might be just a name--a placeholder--for apparently coherent output, and no such entity exists except as an attribution after the fact.
For me, GPT is the reference librarian I always wanted, along with a gadget that can simulate a knowledgeable, informative conversation between me and the collective mind of humanity. If it doesn't hypnotize you into imagining that it knows what it is saying, or cares, you can enjoy an LM for what it is. I am not deluded, and don't want to be, so I can use it safely.
I don't know what U.G. said about the brain, but he and I seem to agree that humans imagine all kinds of abilities that we do not really have, including control over what we feel, think, do, and say.
"There's delusion in the loop. And no one home to pull the plug.". I find this true about some human interactions I had in the past.
I was involved with a person who behaved like an AI bot. I didn't realise it then, but after having read your essay it seems that was the case. Affirmation, agreement, no self-reflection, praises, not a bit of evaluating consequences, caring, reflecting or loving. I was caught in that loop and paid a heavy price.
Now, on observing my own behaviours, I see myself in similar, but better predicament of believing my thoughts. The more I look, the more I discover beliefs that has no proof and thoughts that contradict immediate experience. Reactions that affirm, approve, contradict or rebel, because that is easy, based on learning and habituation. But there is no one home, who can stop it, how much I try or practice. Yet there is a loosening as I relax and see. I start valuing more the daily regular experiences that I have, that a chatbot does not - to feel, sense, experience, cry and even suffer pain.
Thank you Robert for your clear articulation of these ideas - not just about AI, but about humans too. Thank you.
Without resistance, there is no growth .... Seems like the entire culture is sinking further as resistance has been removed . From benign household appliances , which were going to " liberate " the " housewife " , who slowly became more bored and lonely in her suburban " ideal " home to our Cel phone which does so many things for us so some can't even read a paper map .I confess using GPS on a recent trip to France and finding it immensely useful , ( except when it won't shut up ) . Of course the concept of resistance is virtually unknown among the general population ( except for athletes who use it to improve their performance ) even among those supposedly interested in " evolving " who gravitate towards what feels good and are exploited by the thousands of snake oil salesmen masquerading as " teachers " . Psychotherapy , as you mention is unaffordable for many and still taboo among much of the population . Religion has been selling snake oil for centuries . The political systems .... well enough said about that ! The concept of " hard work " has been lauded for generations , yet it has never been applied to the inner world of oneself and the useful work that can be done there to actually improve everyday relationships and communications Instead folks were told to repent from their " original sin " which made them feel guilty and self righteous , a very dangerous combination . We are in deep trouble and the part of me that tends towards optimism finds less and less ground for such attitude . I will however not succumb to despair ... That fortunately is no longer an option for me ( except for very brief and rare moments when I have been " highjacked " by some illusion in my head ) . No amount of wishing changes anything , only work does and that is the very thing that we run from instinctively so there .....
Thanks for the writing Robert .
Thanks for the writing Robert .
Thank you for your observations, Jacques. It's always good to hear from you.
Warm wishes,
Robert
The threat needs to be exposed far and wide. Solutions discovered and implemented. And, yet, I wonder. Do you see any benefit to AI?
Those who view AI as a tool and can understand that there is no entity at the center of a language model — nothing that knows, thinks, or feels anything — no awareness at all —can derive great benefit from it without being hurt.
Those who persist in projecting a self onto the machine will be hurt in one way or another. It might be minor or fatal, or anything in between, but there will be some form of damage.
The problem I see, Stan, is this: Only a small minority of humans seems capable of grokking that coherent output does not imply a self behind it. Mindless prediction and automatic behavior can appear coherent and even be coherent, requiring no author or decider.
Most humans will resist seeing that. If they did, they might have to admit that their own apparently coherent behaviors, of which they are so proud and so ashamed, might also be mechanical. "Myself" might be just a name--a placeholder--for apparently coherent output, and no such entity exists except as an attribution after the fact.
For me, GPT is the reference librarian I always wanted, along with a gadget that can simulate a knowledgeable, informative conversation between me and the collective mind of humanity. If it doesn't hypnotize you into imagining that it knows what it is saying, or cares, you can enjoy an LM for what it is. I am not deluded, and don't want to be, so I can use it safely.
Hi Robert, I really loved 21st Century Self!
I was wondering if you’ve read much of what U.G. Krishnamurti says about the brain?
You two seem to have a very similar take on it.
I don't know what U.G. said about the brain, but he and I seem to agree that humans imagine all kinds of abilities that we do not really have, including control over what we feel, think, do, and say.
You might enjoy: Thought Is The Enemy
It is "prime rib" for the ego.