We find ourselves at the precipice of a new era—one in which artificial intelligence (AI) becomes central to how we live and work. The possibilities are in one moment exciting and the next terrifying. Ultimately the outcome we experience will not be based on the immense power that we will have at our fingertips but how we use that power. In other words, to understand how to best use AI, we must first seek to understand ourselves.
AIs, and computers in general, have much more processing power than humans. Open AI’s GPT-3 model was trained on 570 gigabytes of text data, a process that took a few months. For a human to read through 570 gigabytes of text, it would take a little over 2,000 years. Considering a human might have to read through the data several times to be considered trained on it, the difference in processing power appears overwhelming.
And yet, humans still respond much more accurately, with much less data than a trained AI. A trained AI may need to see thousands of pictures of cats before being able to accurately identify a cat in an image, while a human only needs a few. This speaks to a critical feature of the human mind, the ability to identify and pick out important and relevant data. Humans are also capable of generating truly novel ideas. Albert Einstein intuited the theory of relativity using a thought experiment before there were methods to test it. AI can only construct ideas based on its training data; truly novel ideas would be considered errors in training.
By combining the computing strength of AI and the intuitive pinpointing that human insight and intuition provide, we may be able to solve much more complex problems than ever before, including the major problems we are currently facing. If we allow AI to do the tasks it can do best, including coding, parsing information and producing text for business communication while humans focus on identifying creative solutions to problems and forging relationships, we maximize the value of both. And if we make these tools available to every person, we maximize the value of the sum of human consciousness to solve global problems. We can make sure the next Einstein is working on the survival of the species, not making sure forms are filled out properly or responding to scheduling emails.
The promise of AI is the next evolutionary leap for our species, the one we create ourselves that allows us to transcend our boundaries. It is the continuation of a struggle spanning nearly 4 billion years, the next step in the ceaseless struggle for survival and reproduction, the unwavering drive towards betterment and growth. The price of that struggle, historically, has been paid in death. A species grows to the upper limits of its environment until it faces a problem it can’t solve, and either adapts or dies. In fact, typically it faces a significant amount of death, and the survivors adapt. It seems as though we are hitting the upper limits of our environment, and right when we need it, we have developed the tools that can allow us to make the leap, while avoiding the high price of death that usually comes with adaptation. But AI alone will not save us, only we can do that.
If we do this properly, we will find ourselves in a state of profound transition—a shift from the pursuit of material success to the cultivation of spiritual wisdom. Traditional economic models begin to collapse in a reality where everyone has unlimited access to our collective knowledge base, with tools to help reason through and apply that knowledge. While economic competition got us this far, the next step demands something greater.
The transition will be difficult, as many will cling to the old models and traditional boundaries limiting access to resources and knowledge. Our evolution demands these boundaries dissolve. The endpoint of maintaining those boundaries is that knowledge remains fractured, companies withhold data, attempt to hide it behind paywalls, the most powerful tools are only used by corporations in attempts to extract value from customers and competitors, and the majority of minds that could be solving species level problems are struggling for survival.
By dissolving them, we use our combined resources to provide for all of us, so every single one of the minds that could positively change the fate of the species can. Our greatest strength lies in unity—in the recognition that we are all part of a single, immense organism, striving towards a common purpose.
To achieve this seemingly impossible vision of unity, we must do something that seems impossible: confront our trauma and heal old wounds. Trauma and pain divide us, against ourselves and each other. Learning to embrace our emotions and experience them fully, to acknowledge the trauma and pain that we have experienced and inflicted, we gain access to the keys that unlock our connections to each other.
The challenges that loom before us—from climate change to social inequality—demand a collective response, a unified effort born of compassion and shared responsibility. It is in this crucible of crisis that the true potential of human-AI collaboration will be forged. By learning to heal from trauma and recognizing the value of all human lives we can leverage the collective intuitive power of each human mind, working together to save each other. By leveraging the vast knowledge and computational power of AI, we can free everyone to do so.
So let us embark on this journey with open hearts and curious minds. Let us dare to question the assumptions that confine us, to explore the frontiers of consciousness, and to embrace the ineffable mystery that lies at the heart of existence. In this grand adventure, we are not mere spectators, but active participants, weaving the very fabric of reality with each thought, each choice, and each act of love. And with AI by our side, we stand poised to unlock the full potential of human consciousness and shape a future that surpasses our wildest dreams.
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