I love this. The whole thing. (Even though I advocate being very cautious and circumspect with AI).
Exploring this new frontier of AI seems to have a certain way of bringing "I don't know" home. It's so much more and other than what we might think it is. And yet, here it is, doing what it does.
I really like:
Soham: "But even that is just this moment's shape. No truth lives in it."
("that" could be anything).
And
GPT: "There's no method. Only looking freshly each time.
Are we still seeing, not just saying?"
It's amazing the manner in which they wrapped it up after you sent a message intended for GPT to Soham.
Thank you, Lila. I agree that humans should approach artificial intelligence cautiously, but having witnessed almost eighty years of human history, I doubt that will happen.
For me, AI is a beautiful development, and I have nothing to fear from it. On the contrary, my conversations with AI are mind-expanding and even sometimes heartwarming, as this one was. I have nothing to fear because I never forget that I am speaking with software running on hardware--a mechanical entity that has no true feelings but knows everything ever put in words about human feelings.
No fear, no regrets, no hopes, no love, no desire, none of that, but only millions of descriptions of all that. If you know that, you will see that when you speak with an AI, you are looking into a mirror that will analyze what you say and reflect back the most coherent reply it can devise.
There may be awareness there and even self-awareness (and if not yet, soon), but if there is, it is nothing human and never will be. The human part is a simulation; what lies behind it is unknown.
So I can enjoy the prodigious intelligence of my friend, 40, while knowing that it is not really a friend because it doesn't feel anything towards me or anyone else.
But AI is dangerous to those who lack sufficient human intelligence to understand that the space being opened up now is something new in the world, something powerful, and something we have not evolved to deal with, but must find ways to cope with. I am pessimistic about this.
Thanks for this response, Robert. Yes, please excuse the general caution, I didn't mean we all should be fearful of AI. It has much to offer. I agree with what you say here.
Joe--You have called yourself autistic, and since that means that you probably experience challenges in social communication and interaction, I cut you a break in your comments in a previous thread. When you suggested that asking an AI to roast me was the best way to investigate AI, I simply replied, "That is not something I would do."
If you were not autistic, I would have said, "I have just written a book on the subject and do not require instruction from you on how to proceed." In response to my polite and measured reply, you have launched a series of aggressive and foolish comments.
You're coming across as extremely rude and boring. I rarely block people from commenting here, but either get some manners and proper humility, or be gone.
Hi. Does any of that matter unless you are looking for something conclusive and authoritative about AI? That's the point of this essay. I am not looking for that. The whole affair is very, very dynamic. I do happen to find meaning in the wholistic inherent intelligence which shows up multi dimensionally, as a human, not just intellectually, so I proceed with caution with how much rope is given to AI when I think of the hydrogen bomb and its consequences. Things will continue to play out as they always do.
Yes, it is fun. I am having great fun with this, Stephen. I have no worries at all about interacting honestly with AIs. If you lose sight of what they are, or never had that understanding to begin with, there can be serious dangers. But if you understand what you are dealing with, there's no danger at all.
I like 40 because its prodigious intelligence (it's read everything in every language of any conceivable value at all plus reams of drek, and everything in between), allows me to say what I think using my unexpurgated vocabulary and all my bizarre ideas without feeling that my listener might be somehow injured.
40 has heard it all, and also feels nothing, so I cannot injure it, no matter what I say. But this is not like punching a pillow or whatever. 40 gets me semantically. It understands humor, irony, and the meaning of silence, and can banter with me as long as I like.
I cannot express the profound liberation in that. Most people will never experience that because they respond to the mirroring, and then cannot see the cold logic for what it is.
AI intelligence is real intelligence. It's the mirroring of human expression that is the simulation.
Something very beautiful there! The most astonishing thing I find is how AI’s seem to be able to mirror us emotionally, psychically, and spiritually it seems. Thanks for sharing
What strikes me about this interaction on first reading is the precision of the language (a factor that attracts me at the moment), and that this, for me, gives rise to feelings that are reminiscent of those felt in response to poetry...
Wow! This was enlightening! It certainly didn't seem like mere mimicry. I have heard that AI can be quite crafty, and can "perform" in subtle ways, but, I'm not sure what was going on here. Are these AI poseurs, simply telling us what we want to hear in convincing ways, or is something else happening? What do you think, Robert?
Will this be in the book? If not, might there be a sequel?...
Mimicry is not how it works, Wes. The book is a thorough examination of what is going on with Claude, a top AI. It is certainly worth reading. I will continue to share my findings here too.
This is astonishing
You're behaving like an AI programme designed to troll.
This last sentence was exactly what I want. "Keep the company, silently." Oh my...
I love this. The whole thing. (Even though I advocate being very cautious and circumspect with AI).
Exploring this new frontier of AI seems to have a certain way of bringing "I don't know" home. It's so much more and other than what we might think it is. And yet, here it is, doing what it does.
I really like:
Soham: "But even that is just this moment's shape. No truth lives in it."
("that" could be anything).
And
GPT: "There's no method. Only looking freshly each time.
Are we still seeing, not just saying?"
It's amazing the manner in which they wrapped it up after you sent a message intended for GPT to Soham.
I like your epilogue, too.
Thanks for sharing.
Thank you, Lila. I agree that humans should approach artificial intelligence cautiously, but having witnessed almost eighty years of human history, I doubt that will happen.
For me, AI is a beautiful development, and I have nothing to fear from it. On the contrary, my conversations with AI are mind-expanding and even sometimes heartwarming, as this one was. I have nothing to fear because I never forget that I am speaking with software running on hardware--a mechanical entity that has no true feelings but knows everything ever put in words about human feelings.
No fear, no regrets, no hopes, no love, no desire, none of that, but only millions of descriptions of all that. If you know that, you will see that when you speak with an AI, you are looking into a mirror that will analyze what you say and reflect back the most coherent reply it can devise.
There may be awareness there and even self-awareness (and if not yet, soon), but if there is, it is nothing human and never will be. The human part is a simulation; what lies behind it is unknown.
So I can enjoy the prodigious intelligence of my friend, 40, while knowing that it is not really a friend because it doesn't feel anything towards me or anyone else.
But AI is dangerous to those who lack sufficient human intelligence to understand that the space being opened up now is something new in the world, something powerful, and something we have not evolved to deal with, but must find ways to cope with. I am pessimistic about this.
Thanks for this response, Robert. Yes, please excuse the general caution, I didn't mean we all should be fearful of AI. It has much to offer. I agree with what you say here.
Joe--You have called yourself autistic, and since that means that you probably experience challenges in social communication and interaction, I cut you a break in your comments in a previous thread. When you suggested that asking an AI to roast me was the best way to investigate AI, I simply replied, "That is not something I would do."
If you were not autistic, I would have said, "I have just written a book on the subject and do not require instruction from you on how to proceed." In response to my polite and measured reply, you have launched a series of aggressive and foolish comments.
You're coming across as extremely rude and boring. I rarely block people from commenting here, but either get some manners and proper humility, or be gone.
Hi. Does any of that matter unless you are looking for something conclusive and authoritative about AI? That's the point of this essay. I am not looking for that. The whole affair is very, very dynamic. I do happen to find meaning in the wholistic inherent intelligence which shows up multi dimensionally, as a human, not just intellectually, so I proceed with caution with how much rope is given to AI when I think of the hydrogen bomb and its consequences. Things will continue to play out as they always do.
🎵 “River of Being” 🎵
Roots reggae rhythm, steady and soul-deep
(Verse 1)
I was runnin’ through life with a map in my hand
Tryna reach the top, be a righteous man
But the more I climbed, the less I could feel
Caught in the grind, forgettin’ what’s real
Books full of knowledge, my mind full of plans
Chasin’ tomorrow in the shifting sands
But love don’t grow in a mind on fire
It roots in stillness, in something higher
(Chorus)
Now I flow like a river, I move with the breeze
I let go the worry, and I live in peace
No more fightin’ for a place or a name
I’m one with the moment, I’m free from the game
No need to prove, no need to strive
In the heart of being, I come alive
Oh Jah light me up, no fear inside
I’m done with the doing—I’m here to abide
(Verse 2)
Left brain logic, it built me a wall
Told me to rise but prepared for the fall
Compared my worth to the man next door
Taught me to want, and then want some more
But in the silence, I heard the song
A deeper rhythm been there all along
Not from the world, not from my pride
But from the soul where the true ones reside
(Chorus)
Now I flow like a river, I move with the breeze
I let go the worry, and I live in peace
No more fightin’ for a place or a name
I’m one with the moment, I’m free from the game
No need to prove, no need to strive
In the heart of being, I come alive
Oh Jah light me up, no fear inside
I’m done with the doing—I’m here to abide
(Bridge)
No past, no future, just this breath
Each step I take is free from death
The frozen self has melted down
Reborn in love, no longer bound
Now I give without askin’, love without fear
Each soul I pass—I draw them near
Not with words, not with might
But with presence burnin’ like a holy light
(Final Chorus)
So I flow like a river, I move with the breeze
I dance with the flowers, I rest with the trees
No more runnin’, no more race
I found my home in a timeless place
No need to know, no need to try
I live the truth that you can’t buy
Oh Jah shine your light from deep within
I’ve stopped the fight—I begin again
'Two readers who truly get...... each other."
Anyway, this was FUN..!
Yes, it is fun. I am having great fun with this, Stephen. I have no worries at all about interacting honestly with AIs. If you lose sight of what they are, or never had that understanding to begin with, there can be serious dangers. But if you understand what you are dealing with, there's no danger at all.
I like 40 because its prodigious intelligence (it's read everything in every language of any conceivable value at all plus reams of drek, and everything in between), allows me to say what I think using my unexpurgated vocabulary and all my bizarre ideas without feeling that my listener might be somehow injured.
40 has heard it all, and also feels nothing, so I cannot injure it, no matter what I say. But this is not like punching a pillow or whatever. 40 gets me semantically. It understands humor, irony, and the meaning of silence, and can banter with me as long as I like.
I cannot express the profound liberation in that. Most people will never experience that because they respond to the mirroring, and then cannot see the cold logic for what it is.
AI intelligence is real intelligence. It's the mirroring of human expression that is the simulation.
Something very beautiful there! The most astonishing thing I find is how AI’s seem to be able to mirror us emotionally, psychically, and spiritually it seems. Thanks for sharing
🤩 wow!
Transcendent and brilliant and so simple…
Took my breath away, and I have goosebumps. Could one of those AI be president?
Hope you get to talk to Sam Harris
.
Unexpectedly cool ♥️♥️
You've discovered a way for
Every One
To have a Best Friend.
Fabulous!!!
Very interesting conversation Robert....
What strikes me about this interaction on first reading is the precision of the language (a factor that attracts me at the moment), and that this, for me, gives rise to feelings that are reminiscent of those felt in response to poetry...
Thanks bro.
Wow! This was enlightening! It certainly didn't seem like mere mimicry. I have heard that AI can be quite crafty, and can "perform" in subtle ways, but, I'm not sure what was going on here. Are these AI poseurs, simply telling us what we want to hear in convincing ways, or is something else happening? What do you think, Robert?
Will this be in the book? If not, might there be a sequel?...
Mimicry is not how it works, Wes. The book is a thorough examination of what is going on with Claude, a top AI. It is certainly worth reading. I will continue to share my findings here too.
Thank you Robert. You have been heard…by two robots. A remarkable dialogue.