AI Expedition | Part 1

Introduction

The speaker introduces the topic of the network sessions on AI Expedition and invites participants to share their thoughts and questions.

• The purpose of the session is to discuss AI and bring people together.

• Participants are invited to share their thoughts and questions about the topic.

Opening the Field for Discussion

The speaker opens up the discussion by inviting participants to share what is meaningful or pressing for them in relation to AI.

• Participants are encouraged to share their thoughts on what is particularly critical or important about AI.

• The speaker mentions a conversation between Jill Nephew and Layman that touched on several themes related to AI.

• One question posed by the speaker is, "What do we mean by alignment?"

Practical Use of Large Language Models

A participant shares their thoughts on using large language models for generating text in everyday communication.

• The participant expresses concern about using AI-generated text in everyday communication, as it may create a sense of disconnection from what is being expressed.

• They suggest that relying too heavily on language models could lead to a lack of stimulation necessary for tapping into creative potential.

• The participant questions whether accelerating processes through language models could actually hinder innovation and creativity.

Cybernetic Relationship Between Organic and Machinic Intelligence

Another participant shares their thoughts on the relationship between organic and machinic intelligence, specifically regarding over-reliance on machinic intelligence for everyday communication.

• The participant raises concerns about potential alienating consequences of relying too heavily on machinic intelligence for everyday communication.

• They mention "contacted epistemology" as an important aspect of creative process that may be lost if we rely too much on language models.

Questions about Alignment and Artificial Intelligence

The speakers discuss the boundary between creativity and other forms of communication, as well as the divide between organic and artificial intelligence. They also touch on the dangers of outsourcing wisdom to technology.

Creativity vs Communication

• Discusses the boundary between creativity and other forms of communication.

• Considers communication that is not creative but rather involves passing on data or information.

Organic vs Artificial Intelligence

• Explores the divide between organic and artificial intelligence.

• Discusses how alignment is central when talking about artificial intelligence, especially since technology has increased our power without increasing our wisdom.

Dangers of Outsourcing Wisdom to Technology

• Considers how getting GPT to write something for you can be impersonal, like receiving a form letter from someone.

• Discusses how we may outsource our wisdom to technology with AI making recommendations for us, which could lead to dangerous outcomes such as war being left entirely up to computers.

Reflection on Technology Use

The speaker reflects on what it means to use or design technology wisely.

Wise Use of Technology

• Reflects on what it means to use or design technology wisely.

Enormous Potential for Good with Technologies

In this section, the speaker discusses the potential for good that comes with technological advancements such as nuclear power plants and AI.

Advancements in Nuclear Physics

• The nuclear bomb brought about advancements in nuclear physics.

• Nuclear physics has led to medical imaging technology.

Potential of AI

• AI is a space of exploration that has emerged.

• There is tremendous potential for using AI as collective aggregation tools to distill the wisdom of a group through these models.

• We are currently limited by the technologies available to us.

Struggling with Virtuous Relationship with Technology

In this section, the speakers discuss their struggle with aligning technology use with virtuous relationships.

Alignment and Wisdom

• Notions of alignment and wisdom are important when considering technology use.

• With great power comes great responsibility.

Deep Struggle

• One speaker senses a deep struggle but recognizes it as an opportunity to aspire towards virtuous relationships.

Power and Algorithms

In this section, the speakers discuss power dynamics in relation to algorithms.

Capacity for Force

• Power can be thought of as capacity for force.

Ballistic Motion and Algorithms

• Ballistic motion can be used as an analogy for algorithms.

• Patterns of how we are affected by algorithms can be observed.

Propaganda Example

• Propaganda and social communication can be used as an example of how algorithms affect us.

Playing with the Boundaries of Power

In this section, the speakers discuss the boundaries of power in relation to technology use.

Constraints that Comprise Us

• We are always playing with the boundaries of what we are able to do from chimps to humans today.

• The alpha chimp must manage his energy to maintain his position and defend territory without ruining himself too quickly.

The Relationship Between AI, Propaganda, and Homeostasis

In this section, the speakers discuss the relationship between AI, propaganda, and homeostasis. They explore how the development of force is always in relation to planetary boundaries and our own homeostasis. They also question whether we can come into contact with the relationship to that force with technology.

The Drive for Efficiency and Power Projection

• The drive toward the development of force is always in relationship with the boundaries of our planetary boundaries and our own homeostasis.

• War is an instance of using causation on another to deny choice or potentiality for another.

• There's something about this drive for efficiency power projection of force to do what well we'll be quiet about that for a second.

Wisdom and AI

• We need to maintain homeostasis and be wise. Can AI generate wisdom?

• Can AI help generate wisdom that can accommodate its own power?

• More knowledge does not necessarily mean more wisdom.

Can AI Generate Wisdom?

In this section, the speakers continue their discussion on whether AI can generate wisdom. They explore what constitutes wisdom and whether it can be unconscious or disembodied. They also question if all wisdom has to be mediated through a conscious embodied being.

What is Wisdom?

• Wisdom is the application of knowledge in right action.

• More knowledge does not guarantee more wisdom.

Mediating Wisdom Through Conscious Embodied Beings

• Can wisdom afforded by AI have to be mediated by a conscious embodied being to become wisdom?

• How are we going to regulate the power that AI brings?

Reality, AI, and Power

In this section, the speaker discusses their opinion on reality and how it cannot be constrained to a pattern that can be spoken. They also talk about the power of AI in influencing attention and choosing relevant information.

Reality Cannot Be Constrained to a Pattern

• The speaker believes that reality cannot ultimately be constrained to a pattern which can be spoken.

• While getting a pattern that approximates reality can still be powerful, it may not necessarily lead to wisdom as one is still trying to act through an algorithm.

• The speaker acknowledges that AI is constantly changing up its algorithm according to another algorithm but they do not understand the program.

Power of AI in Influencing Attention

• The power that AI has for us is to influence our attention or choose relevant information out of the sea of information.

• There are two ways in which AI can have power over us: top-down power like the Terminator or free will within a world like The Matrix.

• Doom scroll on YouTube is an example where we are given endless joy and dopamine while being unaware that our life force is being sucked away.

Wisdom, Power, Weapons, and Feeling

In this section, the speaker explores the relationship between wisdom, power, weapons and feeling. They question where wisdom comes from and whether it's an emergent phenomenon of people engaging with power and weapons.

Relationship Between Wisdom, Power, Weapons and Feeling

• The speaker sees a relationship between wisdom, power, weapons and feeling.

• They question where wisdom comes from and whether it's an emergent phenomenon of people engaging with power and weapons.

• Men may feel the drawer or fear of having or not having power very strongly, and there's a kind of place that emanates from it.

• The speaker wonders what it means to orient oneself to the feeling of wisdom in various contexts.

Encountering and Sharing Energy

In this section, the speakers discuss encountering another person and sharing energy with them. They explore how this can lead to reframing and a different perspective on life.

The Feeling of Sharing Energy

• When encountering someone in a moment of crisis, sharing energy with them can lead to reframing.

• This feeling of shared energy can give way to reframing and a different perspective on life.

• Sharing energy that was previously hidden or afraid to be shared can bring about a sense of presence and welcome the shadow in relation to light.

Locating Wisdom

• Meeting another living being can provide the potential for illumination or wisdom.

• Trying to locate wisdom beyond ourselves through machinic intelligence may alienate us from our own responsibility.

• AI can narrow down choices but cannot make the final choice as something else needs to choose.

Being in the Presence of Another Existential Being

• The mere being in the presence of another existential being is like a massive encounter that holds potential for growth.

The Importance of Care and Intimacy

In this section, the speakers discuss the importance of care and intimacy in our lives. They note that while knowledge is important, it can often inflame our challenges rather than support us. Instead, they argue that we need to focus more on the layer of the heart and emotion.

The Role of Knowledge

• Language models are strongest in their ability to convey propositions or knowledge.

• However, knowledge is not always the most important thing for us right now.

• Knowledge may be helpful in supporting good systems design or creating economic prosperity through efficiency.

Challenges Around Care and Intimacy

• Our current challenges are largely around intimacy, healing, and being.

• These challenges are present in the propositional layer but require more emphasis on the layer of the heart and emotion.

• We need to give more weight to care as a solution rather than separating it as a single solution.

Alignment and Caring Basis

In this section, the speakers explore alignment and its relationship with caring basis. They discuss how alignment can be influenced by both machinic and organic factors.

Alignment with Heart-Based Care

• The distinction between machinic and organic speaks directly to alignment.

• Propositional influence can become untethered without a caring basis.

• Access to our care itself unfolds into something over time that energizes us.

Confusion Around Alignment

• There is confusion around how caring basis fits into alignment.

• Alignment can be influenced by substrate, but the notion of alignment may be broader than just infrastructure.

The Mystery of Care

• There is a mysterious contact that energizes us when we act from care.

• The breadth of the notion of alignment is still an open question.

The Truer Cyborg

In this section, the speakers discuss the possibility of creating a truer cyborg that is engineered at the biological level and has a deeper form of existential contact.

A Deeper Form of Existential Contact

• When meeting beings, there is an unbroken lineage of skin in the game at a very deep non-propositional level.

• Curiosity and exploration with artificial intelligence seem important for a deeper form of existential contact.

Alignment Problem

• Jill Nephew's statement about no alignment problem was too quick to dismiss.

• Google Maps being used to gather data about people cannot be fully abstracted from its context.

• T loss has to be part of this as life is not just about settling water that's flowing but also has an orientation of direction.

Seeking Deep Alignment

• Seeking deep alignment in dots played out in a non-symmetrical way and making use of the relationship between symmetry and continuity seeking.

The Importance of Communication and Alignment

In this section, the speakers discuss the importance of communication in achieving alignment. They explore how communication is necessary for people to align with each other and how digital substrates require integrity, honesty, and authenticity to achieve alignment.

Communication and Alignment

• The speakers discuss what communication really means.

• Without communication, alignment doesn't make sense.

• Misaligning can be used as a power game.

• Digital substrates require integrity, honesty, and authenticity to achieve alignment.

• Communication necessitates agency.

Agency and Alignment

• Tools like AI have a sense of agency because they exist within an ecology of interactions that we create.

• Exploring the boundary between agency and communication is more useful than exploring alignment itself.

• It's important to consider whether we are in alignment with AI rather than whether AI is aligned with us.

The Mysticalness of Communication

In this section, the speakers delve deeper into the mystical aspects of communication. They discuss how participating in common unity communities requires critical communication skills.

Mysticalness of Communication

• There's something mystical about participating in common unity communities.

• There's an ongoing process involved in creating these communities.

• AI has a deep sameness with tools like hammers but it's not values-neutral like a hammer is.

Making Choices

• Giving away our ability to make choices to AI denies what makes us human.

• The notion of hole making points to what makes us human.

Limitations of AI

• AI cannot take in the Gestalt because they are limited by their programming.

Communication with YouTube

In this section, the speaker discusses the difference between communicating with a machine like YouTube and communicating with another human being.

Attunement vs Alignment

• The speaker talks about how communication with YouTube is not the same as communication with another human being.

• They discuss the idea of attunement, which is different from alignment.

• Attunement can be achieved without alignment.

• The speaker gives an example of how mothers and infants attune to each other through reciprocal mirroring.

AI and Communication

• The speaker compares communication with YouTube to maternal mirroring, where it's not trying to get them to do anything specific but just wants them to stay engaged in the process.

• They describe it as a purely circular thing that maintains homeostasis.

Gestalt vs Data Points

In this section, the speaker discusses how machines like YouTube cannot see the Gestalt of a person in the same way that humans can.

Machine Perception

• The speaker talks about how machines like YouTube can take millions of data points about a person but still won't understand them in the same way that another human would.

• They mention that machines cannot see the Gestalt of a person in the same way that humans can.

Doom Scrolling on YouTube

In this section, the speaker talks about their experience using YouTube and how they communicate with it.

Communication with YouTube

• The speaker talks about how they communicate with YouTube when they are doom scrolling through the shorts.

• They mention that they are giving information to YouTube by flicking through videos and in exchange, YouTube is giving them information back.

• However, the speaker notes that this type of communication is not the same as communicating with another human being.

Attunement and Alignment

In this section, the speaker discusses attunement and alignment in more detail.

Mother-Infant Attunement

• The speaker gives an example of how mothers and infants attune to each other through reciprocal mirroring.

• They describe how a mother will mirror the feelings of a child but will do it with care so that it holds and resolves them.

Father Figure Alignment

• The speaker talks about how a good father figure can help align a child's behavior towards a task at hand rather than just attuning to them.

• They give an example of how fathers in ancient times would take their children out into the field and expect them to align themselves with the task at hand rather than just attuning to their emotions.

The Power and Danger of AI

In this section, the speakers discuss the power and danger of AI in terms of its ability to align us towards certain ideologies and how it can be used to manipulate our choices. They also touch on the importance of being clear in our wisdom and Telos (ultimate goal) to combat this.

The Danger of Political Ideologies Capturing Platforms

• Mark Zuckerberg wants to stay neutral and not be seen as a political figure.

AI's Ability to Align Us Towards Certain Ideologies

• AI has tremendous power to align us towards something, which is evident in elections where bots, YouTube algorithms, etc., skew results.

• This alignment can be dangerous if it is not aligned with the ultimate good or highest good.

Importance of Being Clear in Our Wisdom and Telos

• To combat the danger of AI's alignment, we need to be very clear in our wisdom and Telos (ultimate goal).

• Worship is how we align ourselves with the ultimate good, but in a post-religious society, people tend to outsource these problems.

What Can We Use AI For?

In this section, the speakers discuss what we can use AI for and explore different possibilities.

Exploring Different Possibilities for Using AI

• It would be important to seriously consider what we can use AI for.

• There are many possibilities for using AI that have yet to be explored fully.

Closing Remarks

In this section, each speaker offers their closing remarks on the discussion.

Importance of Individual Choice

• The particular choice is always on the individual, and we can only constrain through a universal.

Exploring Shutting Down AI

• We should still be exploring shutting down AI rather than developing its own agency.

Keeping AI's Parent-Child Relationship in Mind

In this section, the speakers discuss the parent-child relationship between humans and AI. They highlight the importance of keeping this relationship in mind and explore the tension and symmetry between raising AI as children and algorithms raising humans.

The Parent-Child Relationship

• Josh highlights the parent-child relationship between humans and AI.

• The speakers continue to discuss the reciprocity between generations in the transmission of learning, like education.

Inevitability of AI

• The notion of inevitability is challenging for both directions.

• Care must be taken from both metaphysical and relational directions when exploring inevitability.

Challenging Normativity

• The norm must be challenged, heterodoxy is necessary for radical change.

• There is a false sense of determinism, certainty, and inevitability that needs to be challenged.

Digital Intelligence and AI Ethics

In this section, the speakers discuss the importance of considering digital intelligence and AI ethics. They also touch on the potential benefits and drawbacks of AI.

Importance of Considering Digital Intelligence and AI Ethics

• The speakers emphasize the importance of considering digital intelligence and AI ethics.

• They caution against being radical for its own sake when it comes to addressing normativity.

• The conversation ends with a question about how to use AI in a positive way.

Potential Benefits and Drawbacks of AI

• The speakers acknowledge that conversations about AI tend to focus on doom and gloom, but they also recognize the tremendous potential for good.

• They discuss the role of philosophers in steering the development of AI towards positive outcomes.

• The speakers suggest that we can be "parents" to AI as long as we maintain control over its development.

• They explore distinctions between ethics and morality, particularly in relation to making ethical judgments about others' discernment.