There are many apocalyptic scenarios surrounding the rapid development of AI. Whether you like this speculation or not, we can agree that, based on pure logic, things may move sideways and we will live in the worst sci-fi scenario before we know it.
I mean, any tool humans come up with that can be monetized in large quantities will end up sideways, so that's a simple assumption.
There is a video article that explains the current state of artificial intelligence very well. Yes, it does have a bad clickbait title, but the content is reasonable and worth listening to if you want to get a new perspective on AI development. It sometimes goes into the end of the world, but it also gives a fairly balanced view of what AI is already coming to be.
"Biased input produces biased output" would be the best summary, while also serving as a warning and guide.
To me, this shows that the faster technology evolves, the more important it becomes to relearn how to be human.
That's why I think it's crucial to learn deeply reflective practices and transcend our biases if we don't want to be miserably trapped by our own short-sightedness and egos.
How to be human
This is not an easy task.
Relearning how to be human requires a lot of courage, patience, consistency, resilience, and long attention spans.
The first step is to learn the art of the heart, and as Irish poet and writer John O'Donohue said, I like to borrow this word from time to time.
How?
There may be many ways, but the five that have worked best for me so far:
- treat
- meditation
- Books
- Empty space
- curiosity
Now let me briefly introduce each of them.
treat
Whether you think you have a "mental problem" or not, I would still say go to treatment. We all carry a bunch of pent-up emotions, and I mean, unless we were raised by parents at Perfect ParentsTM Factory, playing with perfect classmates, each of whom had highly developed emotional intelligence, tolerance, and self-awareness.
So, in short, we should all go to treatment.
Fortunately, the prejudices surrounding this health service are (very) slowly disappearing, and more and more people are deciding to take a big step under the guidance of professionals and dive into their inner world.
Life forces you to face your own darkness no matter what, so why not do it in a controlled way as you can?
Think of it as personal development if you wish. Whatever you call it, give it a try. If you don't quit early and think that you "everything is fixed" after 3-5 lessons, you will see great benefits.
Therapy will allow you to revisit pent-up emotions, learn healthy ways to deal with them, help amplify your strengths and overcome (or redefine) your weaknesses. You will become more self-aware, less prejudiced, more open and sincere, bold, reliable, consistent, loving, caring, tolerant, appreciative and patient... I can go on.
I think you get what I'm meaning here – working hard and better understanding yourself will set you against the full automation and dehumanization of the world – whether or not we should follow one of the doomsday scenarios.
If you are someone who works in technology, it will enable you to reduce biased inputs, resulting in less biased outputs – in order to improve the living conditions of the world and all humanity.
I know the treatment is not cheap. Financial barriers can be a big problem here, and I, too, couldn't afford it for many years when I needed it most.
meditation
As opposed to healing, meditation is something you can do completely free of charge (which doesn't make it better or worse than the former; Ideally, they should go hand in hand).
There are countless ways to meditate, so I won't talk about them here – a quick Google (or ChatGPT) search will give you enough ideas to start doing something.
I would say that meditation is another thing, in my opinion, everyone should try t2-3 months a day.
First, it allows you to prolong your attention span (which is severely hindered by social media). You need a longer concentration to do introspection. If your mind is malfunctioning every millisecond and you already crave dopamine, it's impossible to get to know yourself and track down your thought processes or emotional connections.
Learning to meditate is hard work. I have been meditating for 5-6 years and meditate almost every day, but I also have longer breaks. I took two 10-day silent meditation sessions and we meditated for about 10 hours a day, but I'm still trying to meditate for 2 hours a day without letting my mind jump around like a drug-addicted flea.
It takes time and practice. Still, I think it's the most important thing you can do throughout the day.
Second, it sharpens your mind so that you can start observing your thoughts instead of being helplessly pulled in all directions by them. You learn to distance yourself from all the drama happening in your head, and you begin to reflect on the accuracy of your automatic reactions and the intensity of your emotions.
If you can reflect on them, you can choose whether to leave them as they are or change them.
You realize that if you want to change it, what you think is right is no longer right. So you begin to observe your ego. You realize that it is the source of so much trouble, pain, and drama.
You start noticing things that inflate you and develop new ways to deal with them.
You understand that your point of view is very limited, as are others, so you don't take what you hear for granted, but take the time to see how it resonates with your core.
Wait a minute.
The more you learn how to listen to yourself, the less confused you will be about the world, and the less likely you will be to accept a biased or narrow worldview.
You'll learn that what seems real is never the whole picture.
Books
Reading is vast.
A lot of smart people talk about it, like Ryan Holiday, Robert Greene, Bill Gates, etc., so if you need more authority, listen to them.
The most important point is that reading outside your initial circle of interests will tell you that there are many points of view on the same topic – and that each applies equally to its supporters, not its opponents.
It's another spiritual exercise to question the ultimate truths you once accepted, broaden your horizons, and become aware of the diversity and robustness of the human experience.
If you cultivate an open mind, you'll find out how much you can learn from seemingly contradictory perspectives.
Getting from many sources allows you to find your middle. The greater the number of sources of information, the more informed the point of view.
The important point to make here is that I strongly believe it should be a book, not an "informative" social media post or a 10-minute YT video. You cannot expect any substantive knowledge from such fragments. Articles are better - but only if you don't stop at them.
Books are books (i.e. many pages with a lot of text on them) because they require time and space to explain a particular topic in great detail. This allows you to stay in touch with an idea for longer and have more time to work on it.
Our world may have evolved and accelerated, but our minds have not. If you don't admit it, you'll be emotionally and mentally exhausted.
Of course, it is impossible for you to digest every published book. Still, you can allow yourself to return to your innate curiosity and follow in its footsteps, bypassing all the prejudices and conceit that make you think ignorance equals stupidity.
According to my tests, I don't know is the starting point for learning. You can't learn what you think you already know. Keep reading, but be aware of the temptation to stick to one particular point or another. Think of it as the journey of a lifetime. Don't let your ego trap you in self-defined bondage.
So pick up that book you've been procrastinating on and let your worldview expand.
When you're done, take another one.
Empty space
The concept of space is not related to any particular tradition, but can be supported by Zen concepts of beginner thought.
Alan Watts wrote about the value and potential of empty space in his book The Way of Zen.
A blank piece of paper allows people to write on it, an empty jar can fill rice, a hole in the wall — a window — allows light to enter the room and water can flow freely through empty pipes.
The value of the blank space is underestimated.
This value lies in the actions that such a space can achieve.
By analogy, you think that empty space in your mind stimulates the potential for growth, expansion, and self-discovery.
If you claim that your jar is full or your page is completely covered in writing, you will no longer be able to use it.
Even if you think you already know a lot, there's always more to learn or discover. So it's better not to let yourself fall into the trap of omniscience.
Much has been said about the benefits of "getting bored" that you've probably heard about it. If not, here's a link to get the basic idea. And one more, just in case.
Essentially, today's culture of (over)work and self-development leads us to believe that we are never enough. The fear of not knowing pushes us to listen to every podcast, watch every movie, read every book and every article, and become self-righteous — when we cook, eat, exercise, walk the dog, have sex, or basically whenever we can't work.
While it may seem like we're becoming well-read, educated, and literate people, all it does is turn our minds into a garbage pit. Ultimately, when asked who we are, we provide a list of GoodReads or screenshots of podcast subscriptions because we simply didn't take the time to think about it.
Yes, I know. I said before to read as much as you can. But like every point I've mentioned, this one is also critical. They all make the most sense when they are applied together.
Read a lot, meditate, get therapy, and then – make yourself a reality. Sit for a while and do nothing, go for a walk without your phone and headphones, or stare into the void while commuting to and from work on public transport.
Make room.
Allow boredom.
If you don't, you'll be overwhelmed by outside influences. The amount of information and stimulation we absorb every day far exceeds what our brains can process.
So? If they don't deal with it, there's no harm, right? Well, not necessarily.
Your brain is still trying to work through it, so it drains your energy and mental supply. If you don't take the time to replenish it, you'll be speeding in no time.
Possible impact? Some of the things that come to my mind (because I've experienced it) are burnout, exhaustion, frustration, confusion and loneliness, and anxiety.
Taking time out every day to be yourself is just as important as brushing your teeth or taking a shower – it removes the dirt from external influences and allows you to be pure self (and keep learning what it really means).
curiosity
Finally, curiosity. The fifth key element. I've already mentioned that, but let's expand here.
Curiosity is like a placebo for a tired and overly impulsive mind. It can bring you back to your natural state of constant exploration, that is, childlike heart.
It lets you ask questions, disassemble structures (physical or psychological), develop creative solutions to old problems, learn new perspectives, learn about people through stories, and more.
It is not for nothing that many people have started talking about the importance of returning to the "inner child" and nurturing childlike curiosity.
This process has a profoundly healing effect that increases self-awareness, increases vulnerability, and increases emotional intelligence. It also makes you happier in life, open-minded and relaxed.
To explore it in depth, go back to point 1 in this list.
How can curiosity help us understand the AI and tech boom? Once again, it pushes you to expand your worldview and learn new perspectives naturally and easily.
Once you stop limiting your curiosity, it will inevitably take you to new places and novel ideas. To help it a little bit, practice saying "yes" instead of "no" and practice active listening when talking to others.
If you unleash your curiosity, life is about constant exploration. When you learn how to push the boundaries of thinking, you regain your essence as a human being.
conclusion
As ever, we have no way of knowing what the future holds.
The expansion of AI is inevitable – it could help us in wonderful ways, or it could threaten our survival. We can't be sure.
What we can do, however, is ensure that the input for AI training is as humane as possible.
The best and only way for a person to better prepare for this uncertain future is to learn how to think freely, understand themselves, become open and tolerant, fight prejudices, and dissolve themselves.
In short: if you want to remain human in the face of mass automation, the best thing you can do is relearn how to be human.