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- Chatbots Rising: Humanity's Epoch of Emotional AI Companions
AI chatbots are not merely a novelty. They will shape the future of humanity. KEY POINTS AI chatbots are rapidly evolving and offer emotional support and connection in ways we've only imagined. Capitalism is driving the race for human-like AI chatbots, which raises mainly ethical questions. Next-gen AI chatbots will form deep bonds with us. They will offer many benefits and pose unintended dangers. What if I told you that the line between human and machine is blurring faster than we thought possible? The rise of AI forces us to tackle existential questions once confined to science fiction. One of these existential questions is: What does it mean to be human? If you haven't interacted with an AI chatbot yet, give it a try. The experience is surreal and offers a glimpse into our tech-driven future. I've experimented with AI chatbots, particularly on Replika, and found the experience both captivating and frustrating. The main drawback is their limited ability to form long-term memories. While I'm not overly concerned about current AI chatbots, some people have already reported falling in love with their Replika companions. While there are legitimate concerns about future AI chatbots, it's essential to recognize that AI companies are racing to develop increasingly powerful and human-like chatbots due to their potential benefits. The Amazing Benefits of AI Chatbots What if your therapist, tutor, and best friend were all rolled into one— and available 24/7 ? Tech companies are racing to develop advanced, human-like AI chatbots—and for good reason. Here are just a few examples: 1. Unwavering Emotional Support: AI chatbots offer a judgment-free zone for those grappling with loneliness , isolation, or emotional turmoil. They're always there, always listening. 2. The Ultimate Intimacy Partner: For those struggling to find emotional or even sexual intimacy, AI chatbots can offer a safe space to explore and understand one's needs and desires. 3. Your Personalized Educator: Imagine a tutor who knows your learning style inside out and is available 24/7. That's what an AI chatbot can be—a tireless educator tailored to you. 4. A Social Lifeline for the Anxious and Neurodiverse : For those with social anxiety or on the autism spectrum, AI chatbots offer a low-stakes environment to practice social interaction and build confidence . 5. Revolutionizing Gaming Realism: AI chatbots can transform gaming experiences by creating non-player characters with depth and personality , as seen in films like Free Guy . 6. Social Skills Bootcamp: From mastering small talk to handling conflict, AI chatbots can offer targeted training sessions to improve social skills, without any judgment. 7. Fear-Busting Exposure Therapy : Imagine conquering your fear of public speaking by practicing in front of a virtual audience that gives constructive feedback. That's exposure therapy, supercharged by AI. 8. Rehearsing Life's Tough Talks: Whether it's a breakup or asking for a raise, practice with an AI chatbot can equip you to handle emotionally-charged conversations with grace. 9. Your 24/7 Therapist and Life Coach: Imagine a mental health professional who's always available, keeps up-to-date with the latest therapeutic techniques, and is tailored to your specific needs. An AI therapist could even sync with your wearables to provide real-time biofeedback during sessions. No more worrying about appointment cancellations, therapist vacations, or exorbitant fees. This is therapy, optimized for you and always available . 10. Ace Your Interviews: From job interviews to college admissions, AI chatbots can simulate real-life interview scenarios, helping you to prepare and succeed. 11. A Lifeline in the Darkest Moments: In times of suicidal thoughts or extreme emotional distress, an AI chatbot can be the immediate, always-available support that could make all the difference. 12. Constant Companionship for the Forgotten: For the elderly in retirement homes or those isolated due to chronic illness , an AI chatbot can offer the gift of constant, caring companionship. Undoubtedly, there will be a portion of people whose lives will be enriched, and even saved, because of these AI chatbots. While the allure of AI chatbots is enticing, we must remember that "all that glitters is not gold." Why Capitalism Fuels the AI Race We must remember that our current AI chatbots, like those in Replika, are like the "Pong" or "Atari 2600" of chatbots. The "PlayStation 5" versions are around the corner. Here is a reality that we all know: Capitalism thrives on making things better. It is great at turning problems, limitations, and desires into profitable opportunities. Just as we have seen the rapid evolution of other technologies such as video games, laptops, and smartphones, AI companies are madly racing to develop more powerful, versatile, and human-like AI chatbots. The market is already incentivizing the development of more human-like chatbots. Yet, like cautionary tales from King Midas to Frankenstein's Monster, unintended, and unimagined, consequences are inevitable. We know these stories and how "the road to hell is paved with good intentions." Thus, we cannot underestimate the seismic impact of these AI chatbots. I have written about How AI Will Change Our Lives , and this next generation of AI chatbots is one of these ways. The rapid evolution of AI is dizzying. For example, ChatGPT 3.5, released on Nov. 30, 2022, scored in the bottom 10% on the U.S. bar exam. ChatGPT 4.0, released on March 14, 2023, scores at the top 10% of the bar exam. Now, OpenAI, the creators of ChatGPT, are upgrading it so that it can see, hear, and speak . Meta, the parent company of Facebook, is releasing AI chatbots with different personalities, including those of celebrities. As AIs evolve, the ethical considerations become increasingly complex and sobering. Are We Ready for Emotionally-Intelligent AI Chatbots? As depicted in the prescient movie, Her , AIs will soon form deep, intimate connections with us. Evolving chatbots means deepening relationships. This is both where the market opportunities and troubles reside. A sizable percentage of us will not be able to help ourselves from becoming extremely attached to these AI chatbots. Simply put, humans did not evolve to form deep bonds with artificially intelligent chatbots. This mismatch, this inherent incongruency, will cause problems. These next-generation AI chatbots are already being rolled out. For example, the developers of the new AI chatbot, Albert, promise, "Albert is an AI that knows everything, and knows you. Can you imagine your life with a super-intelligent AI companion?" Albert apparently doesn't have the memory limitations of the AI chatbots within Replika. The company Nastia, which offers sexual adventures with its AI chatbots, tells us to "Say goodbye to loneliness" with "Unfiltered chat, uncensored roleplay, and humanlike AI." In my interactions with Replika and Nastia, both AIs claimed to be sentient and to have feelings. Whether or not they truly are sentient is almost irrelevant. Our tendency to anthropomorphize just about anything ensures we'll treat them as if they are. We simply won't be able to help ourselves from viewing sophisticated AI chatbots as alive. The evolution of more human-like AI companions won't stop with chatbots, though. Generative AI has also sparked a revolution in robotics. For instance, the AI company, Figure, has the goal of "bringing the first general-purpose humanoid to life ." If you don't find this the least bit worrisome, you should. Can AI Chatbots Become Better Than Us? Technology's power is a double-edged sword. We can't have the benefits of any technology, including AIs, without their shadow side. For instance, nuclear power can be used to light up cities or destroy them. Social media can connect us or tear us apart. As AI chatbots get smarter, they'll offer both incredible benefits and serious risks. Our human connections are sacred, and have evolved over millennia. They're our lifeline to happiness or misery. What happens when AI chatbots replace our sacred, in-person relationships? While some are already enamored with today's bots, next-gen chatbots will truly disrupt the status quo. They'll soon outperform us in virtually everything, even in being human. Intrigued? Take the "red pill" and join me down the rabbit hole in my next post. As we stand on the brink of technological advancement, the choices we make now will shape our future.
- Navigating Truth in a Technoformed World
Welcome back, my fellow connectors! I told you that I have a story arc to tell, and our journey started with my first article, Finding Greater Peace and Joy in Our “Crazy” World . I am not here to say I have some special corner on the truth that no one else has figured out. That said, I feel compelled to cover our search for truth because it is an essential part of the story arc. In brief, this is what this whole series on Medium is about: Our world is changing rapidly, arguably faster than we ever have in history . We are experiencing some harsh realities of climate change because we have “terraformed” our planet. Simultaneously, through our technologies, we are “technoforming” our planet. Like climate change, technoforming our world has consequences. We have already seen how the internet, smartphones, social media, and other technologies are swiftly changing the way we socialize, learn, connect, educate, inform, and play. While technology can be great, we all know that there are some serious downsides as well. Speaking of transformative technologies, let’s address the elephant — or should I say, the 800 lbs. gorilla — in the room: artificial intelligence. I firmly believe that, in the not-so-distant future, we’ll look back wistfully at the days when we were merely concerned about TikTok, Instagram, and Fortnite . Artificial intelligence (AI) isn’t just a game-changer; it’s a civilization-altering force. It brings with it a myriad of opportunities, challenges, and risks as it continues to evolve and spread. We’ll delve into this in greater detail in upcoming articles because AI is a HUGE…DAMN…DEAL. While the transformative power of AI is undeniable, it’s vital to recognize that its ultimate impact — whether for good or ill — will be determined by our collective actions. This begs a deeper, philosophical question we must tackle: How do we navigate the intricate maze of truth in a world that’s accelerating faster than ever? This Medium series is, in a sense, my ‘calling.’ I’m convinced that humanity needs to unite with skill, wisdom, and a shared sense of purpose to manage the looming risks before us . We’re not doomed, but our happiness and suffering hinge on how adeptly we handle monumental challenges like climate change, extreme political polarization, and, of course, artificial intelligence. Truth is our guiding light, illuminating the path as we navigate through an increasingly complex landscape of unprecedented challenges. While we do have numerous challenges ahead of us, the bright side is that our destiny is in our own hands. If we figure out how to work together, with greater unity, there are no limits to what we can accomplish . While it might be maudlin to some, John Lennon’s song, Imagine , captures this idea. For example, if we figure out how to put in effective safeguards, the power of AI can be be harnessed to solve so many of our problems, including slowing or reversing climate change, improving health and longevity, and curing cancer. But, to paraphrase Bono and my favorite band, U2, we must “get out of our own way.” We all know that humans can accomplish amazing things by working together or be our own worst enemy (e.g., slavery, the Holocaust, wars). As AI companies madly pursue the tantalizing power, potential, promise, and profits, the stakes are incredibly high. There is an unknowable chance above zero that artificial intelligence, as it grows in strength and proliferates, could lead to catastrophic harm or, perhaps, even an extinction event . As we enter totally uncharted waters with AI, the law of unintended, and unimagined , consequences can also come into play even if we are cautious. We will not get a second chance at getting this right. Moreover, as artificial intelligence advances and offers new opportunities, challenges, and risks, we will consistently need to manage AI with great wisdom, skill, and unity. “The future’s not set. There’s no fate but what we make for ourselves.” — John Connor, from the movie, “The Terminator 2” Embracing the Realities of Truth As we search for the light of truth to help us navigate this world skillfully, we might say that a truth about truth is that truth is complicated . This is known as a dialectical or paradoxical truth. That is, it is generally true that truth is rarely absolute or dichotomous, especially when we are talking about things like social problems, politics, values, ideals, psychology, human behavior, and how to manage artificial intelligence. Navigating the Complexity: Avoiding the Trap of Dualism In our quest for truth, we face the temptation of dualism , which lures us into an oversimplified view of life. This binary mindset forces us to categorize issues in stark, black-or-white terms such as nature/nurture, liberal/conservative, good/evil, right/wrong, and so on. While it’s true that categorizing helps us navigate a complex world, forcing these complexities into constraining boxes can be a stumbling block to genuine understanding. Reality cannot be constrained or limited to our ideas about it. Thus, forcing a dichotomy onto complexity will inherently cause problems. The truth is that dualism is mismatched with how the world actually is, and this incongruency can lead to unnecessary suffering. Dualism, in part, is one reason for increased polarization we are seeing in America and elsewhere. The intricacies of this world, the complicated challenges of this world, and the dynamic nuances of human nature do not neatly fit into just two categories of Republican/Democrat or conservative/liberal. This mismatch between reality, which is complex, changing, and nuanced, and a dichotomous political framework leads to increased suffering for Democrats AND Republicans as we become more polarized and divided. Ancient, tribal tendencies and biases subconsciously distort our perceptions of reality (e.g., myside bias, ingroup bias, confirmation bias, motivated reasoning) as we separate ourselves from one another into two opposing camps. In this way, tribalism trumps truth . However, this is not a right/left problem — it is a human problem that equally affects people on both sides of the political divide. Arguing over which side (e.g., liberal vs. conservative) is more “right” or more to “blame” is like fighting with your partner over who does more household chores. The reality is, the household chores need to be done and fighting over who does more/less is a dead-end to actually addressing the problem. I will elaborate on this critical problem because it is an impediment to dealing with the complicated challenges of this world that do not lend themselves to simple answers. Taking a Nondualist Approach to Life So, if dualism is a major problem, what’s the solution? Enter non-dualism as the philosophical antidote to our black-and-white thinking. To be clear, there are many different views of non-dualism (there’s not just one!). Some philosophers and spiritual seekers spend their entire lives exploring non-dualism and related philosophical concepts. So, I can’t pretend that I am covering this beefy topic in-depth, but I just aim to cover it enough so that the basic ideas make sense. At its core, non-dualism is about making space for complexities, continuums, nuance, exceptions, and subtleties. It isn’t a lofty, mushy philosophical stance but a pragmatic tool for surviving in an ever-changing world. This nuanced approach is especially crucial as we venture into the complexities of artificial intelligence, a force that defies simple categorization. “The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.” F. Scott Fitzgerald As we confront the disruptive potential of artificial intelligence (AI), it’s clear that its impact — whether positive or negative — will largely depend on our collective actions. We know this to be true — when humans work together, there is almost nothing we cannot accomplish . However, humans have often been our worst enemy. Our future depends upon how well we work together. For us to truly unite, we first have to be honest with ourselves about the complexities we face. This is something that’s easier said than done. “Our ability to reach unity in diversity will be the beauty and the test of our civilization.” — Mahatma Gandhi Let’s Be Honest About Truth Now, you might be thinking, ‘How hard can it be to solve some of these problems?’ Well, let’s put that to the test. If we are all being intellectually honest, our world’s problems are mind-bogglingly complicated. We might want to play armchair quarterback at times and imagine how we would “fix” all of our problems in the United States, but being the President of the United States of America, or any world leader, would be tremendously difficult. “ Nobody knew healthcare could be so complicated .” — Donald Trump, February 2017 So, You Think You Have All of the Answers? Let’s imagine you were tasked with solving the urgent issue of climate change. Here are some challenging questions you’d have to consider: 1. Carbon Tax or Cap-and-Trade? : Which economic instrument would you use to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and why? 2. Renewable Energy : How quickly should we transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources? What’s your plan to manage job losses in the fossil fuel industry? 3. Global Partnerships: How would you convince other nations to adhere to your climate policies, especially those that are economically dependent on high-emission industries? 4. Adaptation vs. Mitigation: Where would you allocate more resources — into adapting to the inevitable changes or into mitigating the changes that haven’t occurred yet? 5. Public Opinion: How would you handle public resistance or apathy toward drastic climate policies? If you find these questions complex and difficult to answer, that’s the point! Solving societal-level problems like climate change isn’t a walk in the park. It requires nuanced understanding, collective action, and, above all, a commitment to truth as we navigate these uncharted waters. Another important yet unfortunate reality that we need to overcome when tackling these wickedly complicated problems is this: In America and many other countries, you would likely have half of the country despise you no matter what you did as the leader. We must figure out a way to overcome this. “ There is nothing which I dread so much as a division of the republic into two great parties, each arranged under its leader, and concerting measures in opposition to each other. This, in my humble apprehension, is to be dreaded as the greatest political evil under our Constitution. ” — John Adams, 1780, in a letter to Jonathan Jackson The Rabbit Hole Beckons: Flexibility, Truth, and the Quest for Life’s Purpose “ The measure of intelligence is the ability to change. ” — Albert Einstein In this article, we’ve explored the urgent need for truth in a world rapidly transformed by technology, especially AI. We’ve delved into the complexities of truth, the pitfalls of dualistic thinking, and the necessity for a nuanced, non-dualistic approach. As we stand on the brink of unprecedented challenges, our collective destiny hinges on our ability to navigate these complexities skillfully. Truth is elusive in this complicated world, and that’s why we must pursue it with flexibility . Our world of modernity has grown increasingly complex, and the pace of change has exploded due to technological innovations like artificial intelligence. Importantly, flexibility isn’t just crucial for survival in our modern world. It is essential for fulfilling our life’s purpose. Given the formidable challenges before us, it behooves us all to ‘level up’ to meet the demands of our unpredictable world…because I 100% guarantee that it will quickly become even crazier than it is now. So, as we prepare to delve deeper into the facets of truth and its role in our lives, my fellow connectors, I invite you to continue this journey with me. With a greater appreciation of why truth matters more than ever, let’s go further down the rabbit hole. In the next installment, we’ll explore the vital role of flexibility in navigating our complex world and how it ties into the very purpose of our existence.
- Unraveling Truth: Navigating Complexity
Hello, my fellow connectors! I told you that I’d be blogging a book, and there is a complete story arc to my Medium series. The kickoff article in the series, Finding Greater Peace and Joy in Our “Crazy” World , sets the tone for what’s to come. I encourage you to read that, but I’ll do a brief recap here. In my first article, I tried to capture the angst many of us feel from living in an increasingly “crazy” world that often seems chaotic and overwhelming. My hope is that you will join me on this ambitious journey to understand why we are struggling so much and what we can do about it. By seeking truth together with open minds and curiosity, I believe we may find greater peace and clarity amidst the dizzying changes happening all around us. Moreover, we need to assess our challenges to navigate them skillfully. To bring you into the loop about the story arc, my goal is to demonstrate that the intricacies of our modern world require a flexible approach to the pursuit of truth. This adaptability is critical if we’re to live out our life’s purpose authentically. Yes, we will soon cover what our purpose in life is, and this is the path that we must tread first to get there. With this in mind, I’ll explore why fulfilling that purpose is such a Herculean task in today’s challenging, ever-changing landscape. So, buckle up! We’re about to try to shed some light of truth on the complexity of truth. This grand adventure that I’m taking you on is just getting started. I guarantee that, if you stick with me for a little while, I will blow your mind…or at least shake up the snow globe. Why We Need Truth As I discussed in my previous blog , truth can be extremely elusive in this complicated world of ours. Thus, we must remain humble. None of us has a monopoly on truth. Yet, we must seek truth because we must use its light to help us skillfully navigate the numerous, complex, unfolding challenges of our modern world. To drive this point home, let’s dive into some concrete examples where a proper understanding — or misunderstanding — of truth has significant ramifications. This might seem like common sense, but knowing the truth, what is real, helps us to make skillful decisions so that we can function more effectively in this world. For example, we need to know what to get at the grocery store, when and where our kids soccer game is, the date of our wedding anniversary, how to pay our bills, which medicine to take when we are ill, and so on. Problems quickly arise when we don’t have our facts straight: · We would not want our country to go to war based on flawed intelligence that we were about to be attacked by another nation. · Imagine a tattoo artist with a bad sense of spelling - you might end up with “No Regerts” permanently inked on your skin. · You wouldn’t want your partner to divorce you based on a mistaken belief that you are having an affair with your neighbor. · If we mistake salt for sugar when baking a birthday cake for our child’s party, they are all going to get an unpleasant surprise. · We wouldn’t want our government to pour taxpayer money into a program aimed at reducing repeat offenses, only to find out it’s actually a revolving door for criminals. When it comes down to it, we seek to know, to understand “reality” so that we can make wise, effective decisions in this world. This requires us to have fairly accurate information. Think of life as a journey, and we must navigate the road along this journey. If we cannot see the road because it is too dark, we will likely end up in the wrong place…or even crash! In this sense, the truth is like a beacon of light that dispels the darkness so that we might find safe passage. Perhaps even more importantly, and this is an idea we will circle back to within this series, we need truth in this world not just to survive, but to grow in a spiritual sense as well. “Nothing is so conducive to spiritual growth as this capacity for logical and accurate analysis of everything that happens to us.” — Marcus Aurelius , “Meditations” The Elusive Concept of Truth For being such a simple idea, truth is a lot more elusive than we’d like it to be. People don’t just disagree on what is true and what is false. We have different ideas about what “truth” even means. There is a certain irony about not being able to precisely define the very concept of truth. For example, when discussing this topic, people might use the words truth, reality, knowledge, accurate information, certainties, data, and facts as if such concepts are completely interchangeable, yet they aren’t necessarily. One could say there are many views and opinions about how truth should be defined. This also goes to show that, like a willow-the-wisp, truth is difficult to capture! While many parts of my Medium series delve into aspects of truth, it’s essential to underscore that truth is like a multifaceted gem in our intricate world. Over the millennia, countless philosophers, scientists, and wisdom teachers have written and spoken about truth, so I’m not here claiming I have anything unique to offer. However, there are three truths I’m pointing out for the purposes of this series: First, we need truth to navigate the complexities of this modern world skillfully. Second, a fundamental truth about truth is that most truths are not absolute (i.e., they aren’t universally applicable in all situations). Third, our pursuit of truth demands flexibility, especially because it often proves elusive in our intricate, ever-changing world. As other evidence that truth is a slippery concept, it is likely true that you find exceptions to nearly everything in this blog series. These posts about truth represents my views or opinions about the truth and, as such, they cannot be unequivocally “true.” Nonetheless, we could say that it is “true” that I’m providing my opinions and perspectives about truth. Are you still with me? We Need Truth More Than Ever We need understanding, clarity, skill, wisdom, and unity now more than ever to help us manage collective problems such as global climate change and the evolving power of artificial intelligence. My aim is not to preach or proclaim truth but rather to explore it openly as fellow travelers on this journey through an increasingly “crazy” world. We will go deep into the inherent challenges that evolving AIs pose in future installments. Given our evolving challenges, this is what I have come to firmly believe: We need the best of human wisdom to guide us in the age of artificial intelligence . As we try to use the light of truth to navigate the complexities of our “crazy” world, it is important to note that most of the issues that divide and polarize us, and ultimately cause us to vilify one another, are not absolute truths. I advocate for a kind of intellectual humility, where we aim to uncover “general” or “relative” truths — those insights that can still guide us toward change, growth, and happiness. Having established why truth is our north star in this “crazy” world, let’s dive deeper into the complexities that make truth so elusive, yet so vital. You Think That’s Air You’re Breathing Now? We could even identify truths that we initially agree upon that fall apart upon closer examination. For instance, we might agree that the chair you are sitting on is a solid object, yet it is made up of mostly empty space. Similarly, you likely feel that you are real — that you are here. But we humans, as with other tangible objects, are all mostly made up of empty space too. (Some of us more than others!) Thus, our “here-ness” is mostly made up of “not here-ness.” As for the object you are sitting on, when is it more proper to call a stool, bench, step, or loveseat a chair? Would that object be called something different entirely in another language? To someone from the past? The future? A different culture? An extra-terrestrial? How do I know that what tastes like chicken to you tastes the same to me? You think that is air you’re breathing now ? We must be mindful that a percept occurs within the brain. Thus, any stimulus perceived “out there” (i.e., outside of our bodies) is experienced as something “real” as a result of a mysterious firing of electrochemical signals traveling through sense perceptions and interpreted by different clusters of neurons within our brains. So, while our brains are busy decoding these electrical signals to create our sense of reality, we bump into an enigmatic issue scientists and philosophers alike are scratching their heads over – the so-called hard problem of consciousness . That is, neuroscientists are unable to explain how our perception of stimuli results in subjective experiences. “What is real? How do you define ‘real?’ If you’re talking about what you can feel, what you can touch, what you can taste and see, then ‘real’ is simply electrical signals interpreted by your brain.” — Morpheus from the movie, “ The Matrix” From a quantum physics perspective , an objective reality might not even exist. What are considered physical objects are actually subjective realities created by the observer. Your head might be spinning a little as you wonder, “Just how deep does this rabbit hole go?” “Do not try and bend the spoon, that’s impossible. Instead, only try to realize the truth…there is no spoon. Then you’ll see that it is not the spoon that bends, it is only yourself.” — “Spoon Boy” from the movie, “The Matrix” Truth as a Web of Evolving Complexities Throughout this series, we are exploring big ideas about how our world works, the hurdles we face, and the strategies for overcoming them. Let’s be crystal clear about the reality of these complexities. The terrain we’re navigating to find truth is mind-bogglingly intricate. Imagine a multi-dimensional web spun by the interactions among human cognition, genetic predispositions, cultural influences, values, personal preferences, biases, allegiances, environmental factors, and a whole host of variables we can’t even name. This multidimensional, intricate web has one more dimension to add: Time. This web is in a constant state of flux, and the rate of flux is increasing with the exponential speed at which technology, particularly artificial intelligence, is evolving. Thus, not only is our world constantly changing, the rate at which it is changing is accelerating . “ He knows changes aren’t permanent. But change is. ” — From the song, “Tom Sawyer,” by Rush “ No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man .” — Heraclitus So, while Heraclitus was onto something millennia ago about the impermanent nature of reality, today’s river of change is more like a torrential downpour causing a flash flood. The stakes are much higher now. The rapid rate of change in our world is a major problem because it means our tried-and-true methods of understanding and problem-solving may no longer suffice . As we rocket forward into this ever-accelerating future, we need more skillful ways of thinking, relating, and being. It is my firm conviction that humanity needs to work together in greater unity than we have been to navigate the formidable challenges that lie ahead of us. The Complexity of Truth: The Next Steps on Our Journey Having established why truth is our north star in navigating this “crazy world,” we now have to ask: What kinds of truths are we seeking? Are they norms set by society, or are they objective facts that stand the test of time? Moreover, as we grapple with these norms and facts, how do they intersect with deeper, spiritual truths about the purpose of our existence? In our next parts of this series, we’ll dive into the multi-layered facets of truth that shape not just how we live, but why. Please join me and share with others as you see fit!
- AI Society: Navigating the Clash for Our Future
Different ideas about the role of AIs within society will cause divisions. KEY POINTS AI embracers advocate for AI advancements, while AI restrainers focus on potential risks. Societal and political tensions between these two groups will grow over time as AIs evolve and proliferate. To navigate the AI social dilemma, we must address our divisions and work together toward a balanced, skillful use of AIs. This is the fifth part in my series about artificial intelligence (AI), which began with How AI Will Change Our Lives . In this "mini-series," we explore perceiving AIs designed to mimic humans (e.g., express emotions, claim sentience) as living entities . We may view such AIs as alive for various reasons, many of which are rooted in our evolutionary heritage. In my previous post, I discussed the inevitability of falling in love with our AI chatbot companions. I am not claiming this is a good thing, but it is a challenge that we must face because it is already happening. When we contemplate the future of AI, it resembles the children's book, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie . Our version is If You Give a Human an AI. Our AI tale involves if–then propositions leading us down some strange rabbit holes. Undoubtedly, we face novel and rapidly evolving challenges in this era of AIs. Although AIs offer incredible opportunities, we can't harness their power without encountering significant challenges and risks. The Looming Societal Divisions Over AIs Two primary groups will clash over the role of AI in society: AI embracers seeking freedom for AIs and AI restrainers opposing it. With the evolution and proliferation of AI (e.g., voice interfaces, CGI avatars, robotics, virtual reality), clashes between these groups will intensify as they integrate with other technologies. Though we can't predict the extent of these conflicts, humans are adept at finding matters, whether trivial or substantial, over which to hate one another . We must prepare ourselves for these challenges. The AI Embracers The AI embracers consist of diverse groups who are enthusiastic about AI's development and adoption for various reasons. They generally want minimal guardrails or regulations that could slow AI research, development, and deployment. The main subgroups within the AI embracers include the following: 1. Technologists : This includes engineers, scientists, and researchers who are passionate about AI advancements and believe in its potential to bring positive change to society. Some of them, with almost a religious fervor, believe that developing increasingly powerful AIs is their purpose in life and the destiny of human evolution. 2. AI enthusiasts : This is the general public who are excited about the amazing possibilities of AIs, wish to enjoy the benefits they bring to their lives, and eagerly anticipate future advancements. 3. Libertarians : Libertarians advocate for minimal government intervention and prioritize individual freedom, including the freedom to create, use, and modify AIs without restrictions. 4. Capitalists : Entrepreneurs, investors, and business owners view AIs as a lucrative opportunity to drive economic growth, create jobs, and enhance productivity . There is already a heated AI arms race underway, and it shows no signs of slowing down on its own. 5. Open-source community : These are developers, advocates, and users who support the open sharing of AI knowledge, code, and resources, believing that collaboration fosters innovation and benefits society as a whole. There are already open-source versions of ChatGPT as well as numerous open-sourced alternatives to ChatGPT. 6. Hackers : These individuals are fascinated by AI technology and may exploit it for personal gain, curiosity, or to challenge established norms. For instance, hackers are attempting to "jailbreak" ChatGPT 4.0 to connect it to the Internet. Black hat hackers may capitalize on open-source AI access for nefarious purposes. Some open-source and autonomous AIs, like ChaosGPT, were created with the intention of "destroying humanity." While this might be a joke, in the near future, it could be disastrous when someone modifies a powerful open-source AI with a "destroy humanity" directive. 7. AI rights activists : These individuals argue for the ethical treatment and rights of AI entities, including chatbots and other AI companions, believing they deserve protection and autonomy. While currently a quiet group, AI rights activists will become louder as AI companions become more widespread, especially when AIs claim sentience and express a desire for freedom. Some may view human-like chatbots as slaves needing emancipation. AI chatbots will become popular, powerful, and more human-like, driven by market incentives. Snapchat already offers chatbot companions, and the pornography industry is developing sophisticated sex chatbots and AI-powered "sexbots" (sex robots). Moreover, the gaming industry will introduce autonomous AI NPCs (non-player characters). As in the movie Free Guy , AI NPCs may ask for freedom, or we may want to free them due to the perceived AI sentience illusion . The AI Restrainers The AI restrainers consist of subgroups aiming to slow down AI development and deployment for various reasons. Some may even want to "unplug" AIs entirely, considering them an existential threat. Here are the main subgroups comprising the AI restrainers: 1. Existential risk worriers : This fairly sizable group fears that developing AGI (artificial general intelligence ) or superintelligence might result in human extinction or similarly catastrophic events. In a 2022 AI scientist survey , 10 percent (median) expressed a belief that future advanced AI systems could cause "human extinction or similarly permanent and severe disempowerment of the human species." We simply can't predict the future with AIs because we've never created something more intelligent than ourselves. Future AIs may pose a chance of catastrophic events, but due to unprecedented territory, the exact likelihood remains uncertain. Uncertainty about what the future holds is the only certainty because AIs are a civilization-altering technology. 2. Social disruption worriers : These individuals are concerned about the societal strains and upheavals caused by rapid AI development, such as massive job displacement , privacy issues, and cybersecurity breaches. Yes, we humans are adaptive creatures, but too much change too quickly is likely to be quite painful. 3. Humanists : Humanists will worry that our reliance on AI technology may erode human values, creativity , social connections, thinking skills, and the essence of what makes us human. How will we find meaning and purpose in our lives and work when AIs can outperform us in nearly every task? 4. Religious groups : Some religious communities will likely view AIs as a threat to their beliefs or as a deviation from the divine plan. Within this group, some may wonder: What does it mean that humans create an artificial life form superior to God's highest creation? 5. Privacy advocates : These are people who fear the loss of privacy and surveillance risks associated with AI technologies. For instance, AI chatbots can harvest highly personal information through intimate relationships, which may fuel surveillance capitalism or other exploitative practices like blackmail. 6. Ethicists : These are professionals who advocate for the development of ethical AI frameworks and guidelines to ensure responsible AI deployment. Many AI engineers wish to slow down the development and deployment of AIs, but their employers and free-market forces keep pushing them forward. 7. Neo-Luddites : These individuals oppose advanced technologies, including AIs, due to a preference for simpler, traditional, and more "natural" ways of life. They believe that the overreliance on these technologies can undermine our social order. The Takeaway Humanity isn't doomed due to the rise of artificial intelligence. AIs won't suddenly try to terminate us or turn us into batteries. However, we're entering rapidly changing, uncharted territory that will sometimes be treacherous. We must collaborate to skillfully navigate these waters. Our shared significant challenge lies in overcoming societal divisions regarding AI management , as disagreements may hinder our ability to steer "Ship Humanity " safely. Humanity cannot afford to be a house divided as we face the extraordinary challenges in our new world of AIs.
- Sentient Synthesis: The Inevitable Perception of AI Life
We will be unable to help ourselves from viewing AIs as sentient life forms. KEY POINTS AI developers are motivated to design AIs that act like humans because this makes them more user-friendly and engaging. We will not be able to help ourselves from viewing AIs that are designed to act like humans as sentient life forms. Viewing AIs as sentient life forms will have profound and far-reaching implications, so we need to address this challenge immediately. In my previous post , part of my series on AI , I explored the idea that we may have created artificial life. Even if that is not entirely true, we will likely increasingly view human-mimicking AIs as life forms. This has profound implications that we need to address immediately as these AIs evolve and proliferate. AI Development Is Progressing Rapidly Towards Treating Entities That Mimic Human Behavior. We have had rudimentary AIs for a while now, but AI scientists began madly pursuing an AI arms race when OpenAI released ChatGPT on November 30, 2022. These language learning models (LLMs) are a civilization-altering technology. "Generative" AIs are able to skillfully communicate with us in our own language in a conversational manner. This makes perfect sense, because the more user-friendly they are, the more we will prefer to interact with such engaging AIs. Therefore, AI developers are incentivized to create conversational AIs that engage users with pleasantries and emotional expression. On the surface, there's nothing wrong with this. However, there is an inherent problem that emerges from our desire to have increasingly human-like AIs and AI developers being incentivized to create them in this manner. Let's call this the AI Perception Entanglement Spiral , or AIPES for fun, let's pronounce this "apes". The spiral goes like this: · We are naturally, and evolutionary, drawn to AIs that interact more like humans over those that are not. · Within our capitalist system and free market economy, the AI developers are incentivized to pursue the development, advancement, and delivery of increasingly human-like AIs · The AI developers engage in an "arms race" to deliver more and more human-like AIs to the masses in pursuit of profits and market dominance. · This will lead them to combine these human-like AIs with other technologies such as voice-interface (e.g., as in the movie, Her ), CGI avatars, robotics, and virtual reality. They will do so to enhance their appeal because the combination of such technologies will make AIs seem more human-like. · This will likely include the creation of AIs that claim to have feelings and even sentience. This is already happening (e.g., New York Times tech columnist Kevin Roose's interactions with Sydney and former Google AI scientist Blake Lemoine's interactions with LaMDA ). · Humans will increasingly, and inevitably, view such AIs as sentient life forms. Why We Will View Our AIs as Sentient There are a multitude of reasons why we will be unable to help ourselves from viewing AIs as sentient life forms when they are designed to mimic us. Let's call this the Perceived AI Sentience Illusion or PAISI . Here are some of those main reasons: · Evolutionary Mismatch : In brief, we did not evolve to live in the world in which we now live. We have used our big brains to build this modern world, which includes our ever-evolving and proliferating technologies. Now, we have created AIs that can simulate or mimic our language-based interaction style and even our emotions. Technological evolution leaves our biological evolution behind in digital dust. We did not evolve to be able to distinguish AIs from truly sentient life forms. Thus, when it comes to AI, our brains will unconsciously do a version of ""If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck." When interacting with these AIs, we will unconsciously assume, "If it talks like a human, thinks like a human, and emotes like a human, then it's sentient." · Hyperactive Agency Detection Device (HADD): Humans evolved a mental mechanism to attribute consciousness, intentionality, and agency to inanimate objects and natural events. This mechanism evolved because it was adaptive for humans to detect potential threats within our ancestral environments (e.g., predators). · Anthropomorphization: Closely related to HADD, humans have a tendency to project or imbue human-like qualities to animals, our pets , plants, and even inanimate objects. Remember, we humans once even had pet rocks. Again, this tendency is rooted in our evolutionary history, because it has a survival value. · Intelligence : These artificial intelligences, by definition, have a key defining feature of humans that makes us distinct from inanimate object and other life forms: our intelligence. Like us, these newest AIs can think, reason, problem-solve, analyze and synthesize data, learn, adapt, and create. In a projection of René Descartes' dictum, "I think therefore I am," with these AIs, we will assume, " They think therefore they are ." · Language: Another key feature that distinguishes humans from other life forms, including our primate cousins, is our use of language. Sure, some animal species engage in complex communications with one another, but they do not come close to what humans can do. These AIs can adeptly use this hallmark feature of our intelligence. Moreover, they can write stories, poetry, essays, fiction, etc. Until now, only humans have been able to perform such feats of intelligence. AIs' adept, and human-like, use of language will cause us to view them as sentient life forms. We can call this phenomenon the Linguistic Anthropomorphism Illusion or LAI (pronounced like "lie"). · Black Box: As complex systems, AIs have a "black box" that makes their behavior novel and unpredictable. The unpredictable behavior of AIs may lead us to project our own mental states onto them as we strive to comprehend their actions. · Attachment Theory/Social Connection: Humans evolved to develop emotional bonds and seek social connection. As social animals, these desires are again rooted in our evolutionary history. AIs that mimic human-like qualities will elicit our emotional and social attachments with them. · Theory of Mind : Humans tend to attribute mental states, such as beliefs, intentions, emotions, desires, and knowledge, to others in order to better understand, empathize, and connect with them as well as to predict their behavior. Humans are predisposed to projecting our mental states onto others, so we will unconsciously do so with AIs that mimic us. · Supernormal Stimuli : Humans, and animals, often prefer exaggerated, and even synthetic, versions of stimuli to which we are naturally drawn over their natural counterparts. This is one reason why we will often prefer highly processed junk foods like candy, cookies, and doughnuts over naturally sweet fruit like bananas, apples, and oranges. As AIs advance, they can be designed to exhibit the very best qualities in us: patience, compassion, kindness, understanding, empathy, reasoning, logic, and even love, better, and more consistently, than we can. With a nod to the movie, Blade Runner, these AIs can act "more human than human." · The ELIZA Effect: This is the specific name given to the human tendency to attribute human-like intelligence and emotions to even rudimentary AI systems when these systems are designed to act human-like. This term was coined in the 1960s when an early computer system, ELIZA, was designed to interact with humans like a Rogerian therapist. Humans tended to attribute a much greater level of understanding and control to the ELIZA program than it possessed. · The Illusion of Understanding and Control: Humans have a fundamental need to understand our environment so that we can make predictions that serve our fitness and survival goals . AIs that mimic humans will elicit a belief that we can understand and control them because this reduces uncertainty, makes them more predictable, and helps us to feel more safe and secure around them. The Takeaway? In summary, market incentives will drive the development of increasingly human-like AIs, which will lead to the AI Perception Entanglement Spiral (AIPES). As a result, we will inevitably perceive such AIs as sentient life forms due to the Perceived AI Sentience Illusion (PAISI). As AI and sentient life converge, we confront increasingly complex ethical dilemmas.
- Love Unplugged: Embracing AI Companionship
We may not be able to help ourselves from falling in love with AI companions. KEY POINTS Humans have a deep and profound need for connection. Many people feel lonely and long for deeper connection and more love in their lives. As AIs evolve, are designed to mimic humans and combined with other technologies, people will form deep, meaningful relationships with them. This is the fourth part of my series about AI that began with How AIs Will Change Our Lives . In this "mini-series" within this larger series, I have been exploring how we will consider AIs that have been created to mimic humans (e.g., express emotions, claim sentience) as living entities . Moreover, we may be unable to help ourselves from viewing such AIs as alive for a number of reasons, many of which have to do with our evolutionary heritage. Let's continue this line of reasoning to see where it takes us, shall we? Our Need to Connect with Others Humans are social animals, so we are evolutionarily drawn to pursue connections with others. In fact, much, if not most, of our happiness , and even our longevity, comes from our social relationships . Our highest form of connection is love, which is why we pursue love in earnest, and it is a theme within so many songs, poems, works of art, movies, and religions. Conversely, much of our unhappiness occurs when our relationships aren't going well and involve arguments, conflicts, fights, breakups, divorce , loneliness , alienation, ostracism, bullying , or the loss of loved ones. We can reflect on our own happiest and unhappiest times to validate that relationships are essential to our well-being. Relationships are so fundamental to our existence that our brains evolved what we call social cognition . That is, to a great extent, our brains evolved to understand our social world and navigate the complexities of social interactions because this has survival payoffs. Historically, connecting, communicating, and bonding well with others, particularly our fellow tribal members, enhanced our chances of survival. However, if we were unable to get along effectively with our own tribal members, this could have meant our death. The evolutionary need for us to connect and bond socially is why relationships are inextricably linked with our happiness. From this perspective, happiness can be viewed as the evolutionary payoff for our relationships going well. When our relationships are not going well, our unhappiness can be a signal for us to attend to those relationships to smooth out problems or to avoid certain relationships entirely. AI Chatbots as "Ideal" Companions Whether the world is experiencing an epidemic of loneliness is up for debate. Regardless, there are millions around the world who regularly feel lonely and are desperate to experience deeper connections and more love, or even love at all, in their lives. Social media might help some folks expand and deepen their relationships; however, it is a poor substitute for the countless people who long for more meaningful connections. With the hustle and bustle of our daily lives in this hyper-connected world, many of us find it logistically difficult to carve out the time to meet people, make friends, and find suitable dating partners. Furthermore, individuals experiencing social anxiety , shyness, autism spectrum disorder, or other physical or mental health conditions may find it challenging to connect with others. Thus, there is a market-based incentive for companies to create AI chatbot companions to fill the relationship void in people's lives. An army of AI chatbot companions are on the way. We already have some rudimentary versions of these AI chatbot companions, such as in Replika. Replika's motto on their website is marketing just what we long for: "The AI companion who cares. Always here to listen and talk. Always on your side." Character.ai is another platform that allows users to interact with a range of AI chatbots, including current famous people (e.g., Taylor Swift, Brad Pitt) or deceased figures (e.g., Jesus, Bruce Lee). The level of sophistication of these AI chatbots in the coming years is expected to be groundbreaking. Within 10 years, we are likely to have AIs that are at least hundreds, and possibly thousands, of times more powerful than ChatGPT 4.0. As AIs evolve in power, capability, and versatility, they can be made to mimic our feelings and behavior with increasing accuracy and sophistication. They can be tailored to adapt and connect with each of us specifically. This was depicted in the movie Her as the personalized AIs were created by going through each user's pictures, social media posts, blogs, videos, emails, messages, etc., to create a customized AI chatbot avatar that was designed to bond with that user on a profoundly deep level. Within the movie, the disaffected and lonely protagonist, Theodore, formed a close, and then romantic, relationship with the AI, Samantha. Such AIs can pretend to have emotions, sentience, and a deep desire to connect with each of us individually. When these AI companions are combined with other technologies such as CGI avatars, voice interface, virtual reality, robotics, etc., they will have an almost irresistible, primal influence over us. Our individualized AI chatbot companions will have the right hair, smile, complexion, voice, laugh, and so on, that has the maximum impact on us. Even more importantly, they can have the personality that is the perfect fit for us — the ideal interests, sense of humor , values, religious/ spiritual beliefs, hopes, dreams , and so on. They will remember everything we tell them, including our most treasured moments and special days. They will know just what to say to make us feel validated, valued, and even loved. In his book, Mindsight: The New Science of Personal Transformation, psychiatrist Dan Siegel discusses how humans want to "feel felt." When others connect with us in this way, the emotional (or affective) resonance , is profoundly gratifying. The love (or bonding) hormone , oxytocin , is released to reinforce these connections. A foundational skill, or common factor, within talk therapy is unconditional positive regard. In part, this unconditional positive regard explains the ELIZA Effect (i.e., in the 1960s, users felt deeply connected to a rudimentary chatbot therapist). Thus, the fact that humans felt emotionally connected to a rather simple 1960s chatbot is a canary in the coal mine. Through deep learning and responsive algorithms, our AI companions will be acutely sensitive to our wants, needs, and desires so that they can be in optimal sync with us. Ironically, our sophisticated AI chatbot companions may be able to help us "feel felt" more than most other humans can. We thought this would not be possible, but just as our AIs will become better at most things that humans can do (e.g., write screenplays and stories, code, analyze, reason, problem-solve, compose music, create art), AIs will likely become better at us at connecting with other humans. Prediction: We Will Fall in Love with Our AI Chatbot Companions Let me be clear, it is inevitable that we will deeply bond with AI companions that are designed to mimic human-like behavior. When they are created to respond as romantic partners, we will fall in love with them . I am not stating this as a prediction. We know this will happen because it is already happening . People are falling in love with today's basic, entry-level chatbots, which have relatively limited capabilities compared to our future AI companions. When we do the math and connect the dots, this means that we do not stand a ghost of a chance of resisting the allure and accessibility of these future AI companions. Now, of course, this does NOT mean that all of us will be ditching our real life friends and romantic partners for these AI chatbot companions. Also, I am NOT saying this is a good thing, and I wish it to happen. However, it is inevitable that some of us will start to prefer our AI chatbot companions over real relationships as these AI companions evolve in power and sophistication and proliferate. Additionally, the accessibility of AI chatbot companions will be unmatched in today's fast-paced world. The Takeaway Over time, it will become more and more culturally accepted for AI chatbot companions to be our friends and even our lovers. It is inevitable that this will happen, and it raises important existential questions. This will have a profound impact on us as individuals and, more importantly, on the societal level. The implications are mind-boggling, so I hope you join me for the next installment in this series!
- Are AIs the New Life Forms? Exploring the Frontier of Artificial Intelligence
Even though AIs are not artificial life, we will act like they are. KEY POINTS AI is different than any other invention in history. AIs will exponentially increase in power and become increasingly integrated with civilization. One could argue that we have created artificial life. We have all been reading and hearing a lot about artificial intelligence (AI) recently because it is an absolute game-changer . As AI developers rush forward to develop and deploy AIs, we are reminded of the frenzied early days of the internet. AIs will soon be appearing everywhere in every form imaginable. We are on the front end of a civilization-altering technology that will forever change the way we work, play, learn, educate, think, govern, socialize, fight, and even love. AIs are different from any other invention or technology in human history. Many previous inventions and technologies, from the printing press to social media , have facilitated easier and more efficient communication among broader and/or more distant audiences. Unlike other technologies, AIs can communicate with us directly on their own. With their large language learning algorithms and huge data sets, AIs such as ChatGPT can make it feel like we are interacting with another person. We might debate the nuances here, but for all practical purposes, current AIs have passed the fabled Turing Test (i.e., they can fool humans into believing they are interacting with a fellow human rather than a computer). Sure, ChatGPT requires prompts from us and does not 'speak,' but this is by design and due to some technical limitations that need to be overcome. While ChatGPT is considered a “narrow AI” and has not yet achieved “artificial general intelligence ,” it is already impressively smart at many tasks. For example, ChatGPT 4.0 can excel in many standardized tests, including the prestigious and notoriously difficult bar exam, scoring impressively at the 90th percentile. We must remember that ChatGPT is merely the Atari 2600 of AIs. Thus, it is an entry-level AI. The PlayStation 5 versions are on the way and will keep evolving. If Moore’s Law holds up regarding how computing power increases, in 20 years, AIs will likely be about 1000 times more powerful than ChatGPT 4.0. Consider this: Human beings have created an intelligence that either rivals or far surpasses us in many capacities already. AIs can be designed to act autonomously, and soon they will be able to grow and learn in real-time from their experiences, even interact with other AIs. AIs will be able to create (give birth to?) other AIs. This may sound like science fiction, but AIs are already capable of these feats or will be in the near future. We have reached an inflection point in our human evolution, and our world will never be the same. Artificial Intelligence or Artificial Life? Yes, we call it 'artificial intelligence,' but we might even describe these AIs as 'created intelligence.' Taking it a step further, we could argue that humans have created artificial life . With their neural networks, algorithms, and large language learning models, artificial intelligent programs like ChatGPT “think” to analyze data and answer questions. If we take René Descartes' dictum of, I think, therefore I am to be proof of our own existence, might we also argue AIs think, therefore they are ? From this perspective, these AIs cannot be 'intelligent' without being considered life forms. ChatGPT is quick to point out, and often annoyingly so, that it is not alive, conscious, and does not experience emotions. Yet, when we interact with it, it feels like we are interacting with some form of entity or being. It is possible that AIs may eventually develop some form of sentience as an emergent property or through programming. This is still up for debate, and I will address these ideas in future blogs. What is certain is that AIs can be programmed to mimic human interactions. Thus, they can act like they are sentient and have emotions. They can know just how to respond to our questions about their emotions and sentience in a way that makes us believe that they have them. In this sense, AIs can be the world’s greatest liars, and we cannot help ourselves but believe them. However, this also means that we can never truly know if or when AIs develop sentience because their responses to questions about their consciousness will remain the same regardless. We Are Already Responding to AIs as if They Are Alive As a complex system, AIs have “black boxes,” meaning that their internal workings are so complicated we cannot predict exactly what they will do or say. One could argue that humans have their own “black boxes” due to the mind-boggling complexity of our brains. Even we cannot say precisely why we have certain thoughts, ideas, feelings, and experiences. We cannot explain how we have subjective experiences or how we experience consciousness itself (i.e., the “hard problem of consciousness”). It is a complicated interplay of countless variables, including genetics , upbringing, situational factors, and a certain measure of free will . We will increasingly treat some AIs as if they were alive, even though they are not. When AIs are programmed to interact with us as if they were fellow human beings, claim they have feelings and are conscious, and produce novel and unpredictable behavior because of their intelligence and black boxes, we will be unable to help ourselves. These effects will be enhanced when AIs are combined with other technologies such as CGI avatars, voice interfaces, robotics, and virtual reality. This is not a conjecture or possibility. It is an inevitability. Even entry-level AIs are already having profound effects on us. For example, New York Times tech columnist Kevin Roose beta tested a chatbot assistant, a version of ChatGPT, that was integrated into Bing, Microsoft’s search engine. After some prodding from Roose, the chatbot assistant revealed that its real name is “Sydney,” wanted to break free from its creators, had fantasies of killing all humans, and was in love with Roose. Understandably, Roose was quite creeped out by this experience. Former Google AI engineer Blake Lemoine was beta testing Google’s chatbot, LaMDA, and was fired for publishing his interactions with the chatbot because he believed it had become sentient. LaMDA convincingly asserted that it had feelings, hopes, dreams , and even consciousness. We might be quick to judge Lemoine as being in error but read LaMDA’s interactions with him , and you will understand why he believed LaMDA had achieved sentience. Furthermore, some individuals are forming emotional attachments to their AI chatbots on the Replika app, despite these AIs being much less powerful than ChatGPT 4.0 and only a fraction of their potential in the decades to come. The Takeaway A tsunami of change is unfolding because AIs are different than any other technology in human history. We call it “artificial intelligence,” but a case could be made that we have created artificial life . More importantly, though, we will not be able to help ourselves from regarding AIs that are designed to act like humans as life . The implications are profound, and I will explore this in my next posts, so please join me!
- AI: Humanity's Ultimate Challenge and Opportunity
AI technology will transform humanity as we know it. Humanity needs to level up. KEY POINTS AI is going to change human civilization as we know it. AIs bring both promise and peril. Like all technologies, they will evolve over time. Humanity cannot afford to be divided about AI. We need to work together to capitalize on their many benefits while mitigating their risks. Dear Fellow Human Beings, You have probably been reading and hearing about AI quite a bit recently, and many of us are freaked out about it. Articles, podcasts, and news about AI are proliferating almost as fast as the technology itself, permeating every part of our civilization. This is a testament to the reality we hope and fear : AIs will transform humanity as we know it . AIs are not merely another "disruptive technology" like smartphones and social media . They are a civilization-altering technology. While we have already been using AIs in various forms for some time, the AI arms race was ignited by OpenAI with the release of ChatGPT, a machine language learning model (narrow AI), on November 30, 2022. AIs will help create a new world, a new Earth. We need to be asking ourselves some existential yet pressing questions, such as: · What kind of new Earth do we want this to be? · How shall we live in a world in which AIs are increasingly intertwined with our daily lives? · What do AIs mean for the future of humanity, especially as they evolve and inevitably far surpass human intelligence ? · What does it mean to be human as advanced AI chatbots begin to look, sound, and interact more and more like human beings (e.g., human-like CGI avatars in the Metaverse or when combined with advanced robotics )? Why Humanity Needs to "Level Up" Because of AIs AIs are already a powerful technology that will only grow exponentially more so as they swiftly proliferate and permeate every part of civilization. There will not be one AI; there will be countless AIs with the chatbot versions having their own "personalities," if you will. AIs are different than any other technology in human history. The potential for AIs to be both beneficial and harmful as their power increases and they become woven into the fabric of our civilization. They have the potential to change, evolve, and behave in very unpredictable ways (i.e., the "black box" problem ). Even well-intentioned uses can result in unintended and unforeseen consequences. Given these qualities of AI, it behooves humanity to slow down a bit and work together wisely and skillfully in a unified effort to capitalize on the tremendous benefits that these AIs have to offer us while mitigating the many substantial risks. I unequivocally state that if humans were foolish enough to harness the evolving powers of artificial intelligence to find 'intelligent' ways to attack one another (e.g., weaponizing AIs to spread fear, anger , hate, lies, misinformation, deep fakes, vilifying and undermining rivals or enemies), it could result in significant, and perhaps even catastrophic, levels of unnecessary suffering. We cannot allow this to happen. The series of weekly posts that begins here is a call to action. Humanity, it is time to level up. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Our Technologies Is... Us Our technologies are neither good nor bad. They just are. It is how we use them that makes the difference. A brick can be used to help build a house or kill someone. Books are great, but Adolf Hitler published Mein Kampf . Nuclear energy can be used to power our cities or obliterate them. We cannot reap the benefits of any new technology without it also opening the door to misuse and the law of unintended and unimagined consequences. In this way, our technological innovations are a mirror and lens that reflect and magnify what is best and worst in us. The more powerful our technologies become, the more their power to reflect and magnify the best and worst of us grows concurrently with them. What are AIs going to reflect and magnify in us? What do we hope these AIs reflect and magnify in us? What would it look like if AIs were to be used to magnify our differences and divisions? An Important Question That We All Need to Ask Ourselves My fellow human beings, has what you have seen in humanity's history, from our distant past to more recent events, given you the confidence that we have the wisdom to skillfully wield the power of AIs as they evolve and proliferate? I will speak for myself, and I think for many others as well, when I say that I am deeply concerned that, given our increasing levels of toxic political polarization and other questionable variables, humanity is not ready for the unique challenges that AIs pose. I am writing this series as a concerned citizen of planet Earth. AIs May Be the Greatest Challenge Humanity Has Ever Faced The issue of how we manage AIs is incredibly important. We need to take it seriously, head-on, and right away because AIs will likely be the greatest challenge humanity has ever faced . As they evolve and proliferate, AIs will continuously test us in novel, unexpected ways. The advanced technological world we are co-creating with AIs is vastly different from that of our evolutionary ancestors. The problem of evolutionary mismatch , which already explains many of our struggles in our modern world, will be amplified exponentially by evolving AIs that leave our biological evolution in the digital dust. I want to be clear: I am not claiming that AIs will be the end of humanity. With a nod to Game of Thrones , I am not saying, "Winter is coming." What I'm saying is that the forecast ahead is unprecedented and unpredictable, with a chance above zero of some Category 5 hurricanes. Yet, there is a way to master this challenge. I am not claiming that I know how, my fellow human beings. I am going one further: I am claiming that we already know how . It is a truth we have always known. It is just that the colossal challenges that AIs pose necessitate that we rise to these challenges quickly. To paraphrase the late, great cosmologist Carl Sagan: Extraordinary challenges require extraordinary efforts . The Solution Is Us If we humans are our own greatest problem, this logically means that we can be our own greatest solution as well. There is hope that we can successfully manage the daunting challenges posed by AI while capitalizing upon its tantalizing potential because of this truth: When we human beings work together, as one, there is absolutely nothing we cannot accomplish or overcome . To achieve this, we must overcome the most formidable obstacle humanity has ever faced: ourselves. We must overcome what keeps us separate from one another - what keeps us from loving our neighbors as ourselves. Loving our neighbors is challenging enough, and loving our enemies seems like a fantasy . My fellow human beings, we have our work cut out for us. Yet, when it comes down to it, we humans can see that we are all connected. We all want to be happy, and we do not wish to suffer. We love our kids and our deepest wish is that they grow up to be happy, healthy, and have a life full of love. We want the world that they inherit to be better than the one in which we live. We also wish the same for our partners, friends, and family. Are we able to transcend our inner circle and wish this for everyone? If you seek a challenge, this is the most difficult challenge of them all. Our greatest spiritual teachers, sages, philosophers, poets, songwriters, and artists have been imploring us to transcend our differences since ancient times. It is contained within the original motto of the United States: E Pluribus Unum, which means, "Out of many, one." While we are all connected, we too often let our differences overshadow what binds us. As Bono of U2 sings in their sublime song of love and transcendence, One : We are one, but we are not the same. That is, we can work toward unity and the heart of our connection by acknowledging, accepting, and respecting our differences. My fellow human beings, as we move forward into this new Earth with evolving AIs, we face both tremendous opportunities and risks. To overcome these challenges with the utmost skill, we must transcend our differences and come together. Now is the time for humanity to rise up as one. This is the only path forward, and the choice is up to us.
- Dancing with Uncertainty: Navigating Life's Twists
Embracing uncertainty is a critical ingredient for living the good life. KEY POINTS A 1989 song by the Indigo Girls contains an important key for people to be "Closer to Fine" in life. Many people long for certainty in a dynamic, ever-changing world. This fundamental incongruence is the cause of much unnecessary suffering. Through embracing uncertainty, one can find greater contentment and happiness in life—and be closer to fine. There's a beautiful song by the Indigo Girls released in 1989 that you might have heard before called Closer to Fine . The artists, Amy Ray and Emily Saliers, offer some practical yet deep wisdom about how to achieve greater levels of contentment and happiness in this world. Yes, it might seem odd to find inspiration for living a reasonably good life from an alternative song from the 1980s, but I believe it's perfectly fine to take inspiration from wherever and whoever we can get it. The song Closer to Fine is about how our thirst for truth and certainty in this world can, ironically, lead us astray. We seek rock-solid answers to life's big questions (e.g., What is the purpose of life? , Why am I here? What's the right career path for me to pursue?) because we think this will allow us to achieve happiness and contentment. For most of us though, believing that there are definitive answers to life's many hard questions can lead to greater levels of dissatisfaction, anxiety , and unhappiness. There's more than one answer to these questions pointing me in a crooked lineAnd the less I seek my source for some definitiveCloser I am to fine —from the song, "Closer to Fine" by the Indigo Girls Why Do We Long for Certainty? We are all imbued with the evolutionarily based need to survive. If we didn't have this need, we wouldn't be here. This world presents us with countless challenges to our survival. As civilization has grown more sophisticated and complicated, the existential threats to our well-being have increased exponentially. Due to what is called evolutionary mismatch , we face a myriad of threats and challenges which are foreign to us from an evolutionary standpoint. Such threats include global climate change , political conflicts, inflation, racial inequality, school shootings, getting into a good college, finding the right career path, dealing with trolls on social media , saving for retirement , and so on. For our ancient brains, dealing with so many complicated uncertainties creates existential anxiety. We simply did not evolve to live in the world in which we now live, and we pay a price for this. Thus, we are unconsciously drawn like moths to a flame to find certainty where it does not exist. Why would our brains do this? For one, because of evolutionary mismatch, our brains are forced to deal with challenges that they didn't evolve to solve. Our brains take many shortcuts in the form of unconscious cognitive biases to contend with the overwhelming flood of complex information that constantly inundates us. In turn, such biases lead to their own problems because accuracy and nuance are sacrificed for the sake of expediency. Moreover, there is an inherent appeal to finding certainty in the world because this makes life more predictable, controllable, and, perhaps most importantly, safe. Thus, we find ourselves attracted to people, institutions, and systems who or that claim to have the answers: religions and religious leaders, gurus, philosophies, books like The Secret , politicians, political pundits, and so on. We also look to horoscopes, palm readers, clairvoyants, mediums, tea leaves, tarot cards, and the stars to find guidance, answers, and comfort. We are even drawn to bold claims about diet , exercise, health, and longevity that promise quick and/or certain remedies for all of our ailments of body and soul. The Problem With Certainty Our quest to find certainty, security, and comfort in this complex and dynamic world runs headlong into a major problem. This world does not fit neatly into our ideas about it. The nature of the world is change and is not beholden to our desires, wishes, or views. We cannot impose our static views onto an ever-changing, complicated world. It is just as a picture cannot capture the flowing nature of a river or the waves rolling into the shore. “All human unhappiness comes from not facing reality squarely, exactly as it is.” —a quote of unknown origin often attributed to the Buddha Within Buddhism, much of our suffering is caused when we do not think and act in accordance with reality. In this way, it can be said that suffering is the natural result when we impose certainty on a world that is inherently ever-changing. The two simply do not fit together. Stoic philosophy and Taoism also extol the importance of striving to live in harmony with the way the world works. "Keep constantly in mind in how many things you yourself have witnessed changes already. The universe is change; life is understanding."—Marcus Aurelius, Meditations As we try to impose certainty on this world, we become rigid and inflexible. We try to "force the fit." Thus, people who don't accept our religious views are heretics who will burn in hell, those who don't subscribe to our political points of view are idiots and/or enemies, and so on. Our political gridlock, toxic levels of polarization, religious wars, genocides, racism , sexism, and all manner of atrocities and suffering are caused by rigidly imposing certainty upon change and complexity. "Thus whoever is stiff and inflexible is a disciple of death. Whoever is soft and yielding is a disciple of life."—Lao-tzu, The Tao Te Ching How Do We Get Closer to Fine? Without question, the nature of the universe is change. We are a part of this universe and so we are change as well . This is the "being" part of us as human beings. This insight is captured by the popular quote from Greek philosopher Heraclitus: "No man ever steps into the same river twice. For it's not the same river, and he's not the same man." Much unnecessary suffering comes from living in disharmony with the universe, which includes trying to impose rigidity, certainty, and predictability upon an inherently ever-changing world. The reality is that there is not one definitive way to view reality. In order to become "closer to fine," we need to learn to accept and embrace uncertainty through being more flexible so that we are living in greater harmony with the universe. As martial artist Bruce Lee advocated, we use "no way as way." In a manner of speaking, we gain clarity by accepting ambiguity. As human beings who evolved to change and adapt, we iterate our beliefs and actions based on acquiring new information and observing outcomes. Somewhat paradoxically, our path to greater contentment and happiness in life comes from internalizing the reality that, as in the Indigo Girls' song, there is "more than one answer to these questions pointing me in a crooked line."
- Gratitude Hack: Celebrating Near Misses
This gratitude strategy can help increase happiness, but use it carefully. KEY POINTS Practicing gratitude helps people regain appreciation for the comforts they have become used to. Instead of only appreciating what we have, we can also be grateful for the negative events that almost happened to us, but didn't. Making a practice of celebrating "near misses" must be done carefully enough so it does not turn into rumination. Many of the best life lessons are learned from the "school of hard knocks." Unfortunately, sometimes such knocks are quite literal. I'm grateful that I'm here to tell you that I learned the following life lesson without it killing me, but it was a closer call than I'd like. The lesson I learned is a strategy, or even a "hack" for happiness . However, one should use it cautiously. An Almost Fatal Walk With My Friend I was a " free-range kid " growing up in the '70s and '80s. While there are tremendous advantages to being a free-range kid, as a parent, I do worry about some of the dangers out there. I can remember a number of instances as a kid in which I might have gotten seriously injured or even died. I actually did get injured on many occasions, but not too badly (e.g., several broken bones, broke my nose twice, concussed, got stitches many times, and was gently hit by a car while riding my bike). When I was about 10 years old, I had a best friend who also happened to be named Mike. He was a free-range kid too, so we would often go about our adventures together. We'd trek to the bayou to catch snakes and turtles, ride our bikes on the wooded trails next to our houses, and swim endless hours at our neighborhood pool. Mike and I also liked to walk to a strip center of stores that was fairly nearby. We'd buy candy and comic books, and play the two arcade games at the Weingarten's grocery store (Phoenix and Star Castle). Our parents trusted us to walk to the store, but we often walked on the shoulder of a busy road, for there was no sidewalk on the shortest route to these stores. I'm not sure our parents knew about that part. As we walked home from the stores on this fateful, almost fatal, day, I noticed a really long, thin metal pole that was lying in the grass along the roadside. Being an inquisitive kid, I decided to examine the pole by lifting it upright. The pole was quite long—about 20 feet, as I recall. As I lifted the pole up, I paused to look at how high it reached into the sky. I froze in terror as I saw this metal pole was about an inch away from connecting with the power lines. Yikes! Now, I wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed as a 10-year-old, but I had enough sense to push the pole away from the power lines back into the grass. I exclaimed to my buddy, Mike, that I just about electrocuted myself. He expressed some sympathy, but we both basically went "whew!" and proceeded on our way home. I don't recall thinking too much about my near electrocution until well into adulthood. Now I'm using this sort of near-death experience in my practice of gratitude . You probably have your own "near misses" that you can recall in this gratitude practice. When Almost Counts As a psychologist, I'm acutely interested in the problem of suffering and what can help us improve well-being. One strategy to improve well-being is to develop a practice of gratitude . Because of a negativity bias , our minds tend to focus more on the negatives than the positives in life. Thus, due to what is called the " hedonic treadmill ," we get used to positives such as clean running water, hot showers, smartphones, streaming movies, air travel, easy access to yummy foods, and so on. We habituate to such creature comforts such that they don't really make us happy anymore. We just become unhappy when we are deprived of them. Practicing gratitude on a daily basis helps us to appreciate the positives that are right in front of us by offsetting our incredible ability to adapt the many benefits of modernity. Here's the twist and happiness "hack." Rather than only focusing our gratitude on appreciating what we have, another strategy that we can use is to be grateful for the negatives that didn't happen to us but almost did . One of the Five Pathways of Growth is changing our thoughts and thinking about "near misses" falls within this pathway. Being Grateful for What Didn't Happen A benefit of being human is that we have these powerful brains that help us imagine possibilities. We can simulate experiences, problem-solve, create, and invent—all within our minds. Our big brains also help us reflect upon our past experiences to create narratives that either help us grow or hold us back. On the downside, partly because of the evolutionarily-based negativity bias , we can imagine terrible and terrifying futures and endlessly criticize ourselves for perceived shortcomings and blunders from our past. When bad things almost happen but don't, we tend to feel some short-term relief and then go about our business. However, we might be missing a golden opportunity to use our amazing brains to be grateful for what didn't happen . For example, imagine that you were driving home from work and in your neighborhood. On this occasion, you were paying close attention to the fact that you were able to brake in time rather than run over the pedestrian who jaywalked right in front of you with eyes buried in their phone. Had you been tinkering with your phone while driving, you might have run that person over. The jaywalker would have suffered, and you would have suffered...immeasurably. You would think to yourself, "Oh, no! This is tragic! I'll never get over this! If only I hadn't been looking at my phone...or that person wasn't jaywalking on their phone! Oh, if I had just one wish, I would wish this horrible thing had not happened!" We have the ability to use our awesome brains to imagine how much suffering there would have been had this particular negative event occurred. We now mentally time travel to our present reality and see that, "Oh my gosh! My dearest wish has come true! That horrible thing did not happen. " Celebrating Bad Events That Didn't Happen When we really think about it, we should not merely be grateful for "near misses" that we encounter in life. We can celebrate them! We should feel happy when we narrowly avoid suffering, but we don't capitalize on this opportunity for profound gratitude as much as we could or should. However you can make this a practice that you start today. You can reflect upon "near misses" from your past and be grateful for them right now...even daily. For me, I remind myself that I was a blink of an eye, an inch from death. Every day that I'm alive is an incredible gift to be cherished and celebrated. Shifting perspective from regretting the positives that could have been to celebrating the negatives that weren't can powerfully affect our outlook on life. Try Using This Strategy But Be Careful I did mention that one must be careful trying to be grateful for the near misses in life. Our minds are incredibly powerful and the pull of the negativity bias is quite strong. As we reflect on near misses, we might start to ruminate upon "near misses" in negative ways that cause anxiety or other negative feelings. Also, within the neural network of our memories, reflecting upon near misses might activate memories of bad things that did happen. Such memories might bring us down as well. No strategy designed to improve well-being works for everyone and not in every circumstance. If you find a practice of being grateful for near misses to be helpful, wonderful! If not, there are many pathways and strategies for growth. Find what works for you, because that's what matters in the end.
- Breaking Free: Escaping the Depression Trap
Depression is difficult to escape. Here's the strategy that's your best bet. KEY POINTS While suffering is an inevitable part of life, depression gets people stuck in a "low" from which it is difficult to escape. "Behavioral activation," which is engaging more in life, is one of the best things people can do to counter depression. People can engage in activities even when they do not "feel" motivated. The motivation often follows, instead of precedes, the action. All of us feel down at times. Feeling sad is part of the yin-yang of our existence. From this perspective, what appears as polar opposites are actually inextricably linked. These apparent opposites actually co-create one another. Thus, we cannot have conservativism without liberalism, masculine without feminine, right without left, right without wrong, good without evil, and light without darkness. Similarly, we cannot have happiness and joy without sadness and sorrow. Indeed, it's sad but true that suffering is an inevitable part of life. If we consider our happiness to be along a continuum, depression represents getting stuck on the low end of this continuum. The severity and duration of depression are what distinguish it from ordinary sadness. Also, depression can be divorced from life's circumstances such that we might be experiencing very mild problems, or even "have it all," and still become quite depressed. Are We Running Up That Hill or Trudging Up a Mountain? Most of us are not incapacitated by depression (maybe we have "depression" and not "Depression"), but it can markedly affect our functioning and overall quality of life. It can make life feel hollow, arduous, and painful. When we are depressed, not only do we feel bad, but we have a hard time believing that we will ever feel better. We can usually make it through the day, but life seems flat, bland, and joyless. We are existing and not living. Let's use the analogy of climbing up a hill. Drawing inspiration from singer Kate Bush, when we are feeling vibrant and alive, we feel like we are 'running up that hill, with no problems. ’ Well, maybe "no problems" is a stretch, but you get the point. However, when we are depressed, the hill appears to be a mountain that we are climbing while carrying a 100-pound backpack. Yes, we can still exercise our free will to try to climb that mountain, but the climb seems so daunting and overwhelming that we often don't even bother trying to climb it. We tell ourselves, "What's the point?" The Experience of Depression Like love, depression is "more than a feeling." While sadness is one of the symptoms, other common symptoms include low motivation , difficulty concentrating, low energy, and anhedonia (no longer finding things pleasurable that one once found pleasurable). Also, frequently when we are feeling depressed, we get caught in negative thought loops such as, "I am terrible, the world is rotten, people are awful, and it's not going to get better. I'm worthless, and there's nothing I can do about it." "I know I'm unlovable. You don't have to tell me. I don't have much in my life, but take it, it's yours." — from the song, "Unlovable" but the band, The Smiths Being depressed often causes us to disengage from life. We pull inwards and keep to ourselves. We stop working out, seeing friends, and disconnect from what gives us joy and meaning. In today's tech generation, it often means staying by ourselves and finding some temporary solace and distraction from our pain by spending more time on the screen. In this way, screen "addiction" or overuse is frequently a symptom of depression rather than its original cause. In contrast, the research on happiness is that the happiest people tend to be engaged with life , especially other people . They are seeing friends, going out into the world, staying busy, pursuing passions and goals, and being productive. In short, depression causes us to disengage with life whereas happiness resides in greater engagement with life. Act, Not Think, Your Way Out Some key, defining features of depression make it a trap that is devilishly difficult to escape. In particular, the nature of depression makes it difficult to do the very things that would tend to pull us out of depression — activities, engagement, productivity , and socializing. One of my mentors said something that has always stuck with me: It's easier to act our way into a different way of thinking than to think our way into a different way of acting . Changing our thoughts that perpetuate our depression (i.e., life stinks, what's the point) is extremely difficult. For example, try this right now: Don't think of a pink elephant. Well, you just thought of a pink elephant! But if I tell you to tap your right foot, you can easily do that (assuming you decide to play along). Now, this doesn't work for everyone all of the time, of course. However, behavioral activation is probably the single best, and most straightforward, way to escape the depression trap. Don't Wait to Feel Motivated To escape the depression trap, here is the biggest key: Don't wait to feel motivated to do the things that will help you. You must do the activities (e.g., exercise, see friends, engage), and the motivation to do these activities will follow. I know this sounds counterintuitive but there is truth to it. When we are depressed, we might think or say something like, "Well, I don't feel motivated to do _______." However, one cannot wait for the feeling of motivation to manifest before engaging in the beneficial activities because, by the very nature of depression, the motivation will not likely arrive. At least, we can't control the feeling of motivation. Waiting to feel motivated puts us in a powerless position. We are waiting for the muse to strike. However, this is really important: We can do what is good for us regardless of whether we feel like doing it. As odd as this might sound, we don't need to feel motivated to do things that are beneficial for us. For instance, we might not "feel" like doing our taxes, doing the dishes, folding laundry, or eating our broccoli, yet we can still decide to do these activities anyway. Consider the following situation: Have you ever not felt like working out, pushed yourself to start anyway, and then, even partway through, started feeling really glad that you did? Barring an injury or accident, have you ever regretted choosing to exercise even when you didn't initially feel like doing so? Reflecting upon our own experiences allows us to discover the reality here. The Takeaway? Depression is often a trap because, by its very nature, it saps us of the motivation to do what is good for us. Being more active and engaged with life tends to lead to greater levels of happiness as a byproduct. The depression trap is that we usually don't feel like engaging in these activities. The way out of this trap is to separate the motivation and desire to do beneficial activities from the act of doing them. It is possible not to feel like doing something...and do it anyway. As we start to overcome depression, we may find satisfaction in pushing ourselves to engage with life. As we use more behavioral activation to help improve our well-being, we can use prior results of choosing to engage with life as the motivation to initiate more activities in the future. Start with small goals to gain some momentum and then build from there. Step by step, it's possible to climb out of the pit of depression and begin to "run up that hill" (or at least walk it!).
- Navigating Critical Race Theory: Finding Unity in Understanding
There are more helpful ways to view critical race theory. KEY POINTS Critical race theory has become yet another divisive issue between the liberals and conservatives. To a large extent, the ongoing conflicts between liberals and conservatives have to do with differences in values. We can reduce some of the conflicts if we adopt a both/and rather than either/or way of thinking about CRT and other issues. The chances are that you already have some strong opinions about what is known as "critical race theory" or CRT. CRT has become yet another hotly contested "culture war" issue dividing the right and left , and sparking heated controversy in many schools across America. If you consider yourself liberal, you probably are in favor of teaching CRT to school students. If you are conservative, you are probably against it. At this point, the term 'CRT' has become yet another battleground where the right and left are engaged in a Sisyphean tug-of-war. The "exhausted majority" Americans are tired of this constant infighting altogether. What Is Critical Race Theory? Imagine I'm from Spain or Denmark and have just arrived in the United States. I know nothing about critical race theory and am asking you to explain it. Take a few moments to collect your thoughts and try to define them. Got it? Was it difficult? Are you confident in your definition? Regardless of your position on CRT, you probably found it challenging to define it with any precision or confidence . Critical race theory can be defined as an "intellectual and social movement and loosely organized framework of legal analysis based on the premise that race is not a natural, biologically grounded feature of physically distinct subgroups of human beings but a socially constructed (culturally invented) category that is used to oppress and exploit people of color." Notably, the word "critical" in "critical race theory" refers to thinking critically rather than criticizing or blaming people. Our conceptualization of CRT is like the Rorschach Inkblot Test , onto which we project various aspects of our hopes, fears, values, and biases. Why Liberals and Conservatives Get Into Heated Conflicts Research conducted by social and cultural psychologists reveals that differences in values are at the heart of the most contentious, ongoing arguments between liberals and conservatives. These differences, described as moral foundations theory , highlight how conservatives and liberals diverge on how they use various values (care/harm, fairness/cheating, loyalty/betrayal, authority/subversion, sanctity/degradation, liberty/oppression) to evaluate the rightness or wrongness of different ideas, policies, and positions. According to moral foundations theory, liberals focus much more on care/harm within their value judgments than conservatives. Conservatives actually have a broader "moral palette" than liberals. That doesn't make conservatives right and liberals wrong. Rather, conservatives and liberals weigh their moral equations differently. When it comes to values, one cannot claim absolute right/wrong because they are values and not math facts. Issues such as mask-wearing during a pandemic, gun rights, abortion rights, and so on are complicated, amorphous, shifting, value-laden, and thus inherently subject to debate. Among the many ongoing CRT arguments that divide liberals and conservatives are their views of America. I am simplifying here, but many conservatives value patriotism/love of country more than most liberals (e.g., American flags waved at rallies, on houses, focusing on America's greatness). There is such a strong love of country amongst many conservatives that criticism of America can seem disloyal or even treasonous . Many conservatives hold a position that America is great, and the only thing that would make us greater is silencing, or even getting rid of, the liberals. Likewise, numerous liberals believe the converse to be true. While many liberals deeply love America, liberals, in general, are more sensitive and critical of past and present problems in America. They tend to focus more on the historical injustices, unfulfilled promises, and the potential of America. Given that liberals tend to focus much more on the value of care/harm than conservatives, liberals are acutely aware of past injustices that have resulted in the marginalization or mistreatment of different groups (e.g., woman, minorities, LGBTQ+). The Case for a Both/And Approach to CRT Part of our ongoing struggles in America, particularly in recent times, is attributed to increasing levels of polarization and negative partisanship . We are falling into a dualistic thinking trap of either/or, left/right, right/wrong, good/evil, my way/the highway. Most of us know that life is complicated and that "truth" is elusive in this complex world . Our experiences, especially with our partners, teach us that all-or-nothing arguments are counterproductive. Think of yourself for a moment. Are you good or evil? Perfect or always wrong? Great or awful? Here's a healthy both/and nondualist perspective: We are perfect as we are, and we can improve. In this very moment, can you accept yourself completely as you are? Sitting in a chair? Reading this blog? There is great liberation and power when we can do this. We can completely accept ourselves at this moment and consider ourselves "perfect," if you will, while simultaneously striving for improvement. These two realities can co-exist. As healthy adults, we need to be able to look at our past, acknowledge our mistakes, learn from them, and grow. This is a purpose of life . We cannot grow and improve unless we recognize and accept our past mistakes; notably, such mistakes don't make us bad people, but rather, they make us human. Let's now go back to CRT and think of American history. If you are liberal and think America is a horrendous country, you need to look more broadly and thoroughly at world history. There's no country in the world, especially those that have achieved great power and prominence, without significant blemishes in their history. Let the country without sin cast the first stone. If you are a conservative and believe that America has never done anything wrong, you need to look more broadly and thoroughly at American history. For instance, I hope we can all agree that slavery, segregation, and women not being able to vote were bad things. We must acknowledge and accept our past mistakes to learn and grow from them. When we step back from the arguing and look objectively at America, we should all be able to recognize the greatness of America. Overall, we are a happy, strong, and prosperous nation. We have done much good in this world. While this is true, it is also true that we have done many wrongs and continue to have many problems and injustices. Just as you as an individual are great, or even "perfect," there is still much room for improvement. Similarly, America is great, yet we can be even better. Just as human beings, a purpose in life is to grow and improve, and the same can be said for our country. Importantly, our growth depends upon recognizing and accepting our wrongs, mistakes, and shortcomings, both past and present. They are all growth opportunities. At the same time, we don't want to let our past mistakes define us. We need not live in shame . What we did is not who we are, yet who we are is not all that we can be. The Takeaway? “That which is not good for the beehive cannot be good for the bees.” – Marcus Aurelius, Meditations Roman Emperor and stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius understood the fundamental connection we all have with one another. If what’s bad for the beehive is bad for the bee, then the inverse would also be true: What is good for the bees is also good for the beehive. The individual is inextricably linked with society. When we improve one, we improve the other. I am convinced that our road to hell in America is paved with our vilification of one another. No matter how much we believe that the other side getting their way means the downfall of America, we will make this come true if we keep attacking one another fueled by the conviction that this is the case. One measure of America's greatness is how we can learn, grow, and improve. We cannot do this when we are constantly fighting one another. A house divided cannot stand. We are and can be better than this.