Facing AI

I miss the days of frequent, genuine personal interactions. Loneliness seemed less common when people visited each other or called regularly and heard each other’s voices. There was such a thing as customer service back then, which made life so much easier and reduced stress for everyone. If we had a question, an actual human being with the proper knowledge would answer it for us. We didn’t need to waste hours of our time searching through unhelpful website FAQs that didn’t address our issue, or equally useless automated systems. There were also more jobs, because of this, and companies seemed to genuinely care about their customers.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is dramatically changing life as we know it. Many young people have never experienced the warm human interaction and care of the past. They are used to the removed and superficial means of communication created for us now. But on a soul level, they must sense it, and somehow still miss it, as the depression rate for even the young has gone up. The changes we have already experienced are nothing compared to what is around the corner for us. We will no longer recognize life as it was.

AI has its pros and cons. It may help with early disease detection and enhance diagnostic accuracy, as long as data specific to women's bodies is also accurately included. There have been issues with this. But there is potential there—though I would still want a person looking over the findings and discussing them with me. We need to work together with AI and not remove ourselves from the equation too much.

If we look at the big picture early on, we can create a healthy balance. For example, if not handled right, the loss of our creativity is at risk. There is reason to be concerned that over-reliance on AI tools could lead to a decline in originality and critical thinking skills. This is no small thing, as our capacity for creativity is a great part of what makes us human.

Some argue that AI can operate as a tool to enhance creativity, not replace it, but it would be a different type of creativity. When I look at the breathtaking beauty created by the imaginations and the skillful hands of gifted painters from Rembrandt to the current day Annie Stegg—and now to see people pushing a button to get AI to create “art” for them in a second, art which AI learned to create by scanning the work of these genuine artists—and then to hear the button pusher exclaim, “look what I created!,” is disturbing, because it is delusional and we haven't determined if it is even ethical. The one thing we can likely all agree on is that pushing that button did not require any artistic talent. Meanwhile, AI will replace the jobs of gifted artists, including those on whose material AI was trained. Training AI models on the vast database of artists’ copyrighted works continues to bring up ethical questions of theft and copyright infringement.

Even people who are artistically endowed will likely no longer be doing what they need to do to polish their gifts and keep them alive. Studies show that people who repeatedly use AI can become dependent and lose confidence in their own abilities. Regularly outsourcing tasks that involve creative techniques, as well as problem-solving, to AI could weaken the neural pathways, risking cognitive atrophy. How will this fare for humankind? This sounds like the makings of a dystopian movie.

Another problem to address is the colossal amount of energy required to run AI and the environmental consequences that will follow. AI will drain energy for other vital needs. The stress on the energy grid will be unsustainable. There are renewable solutions available to us, such as solar, hydro power, and wind. Yet the solution being given the most attention is nuclear energy, which is unstable and dangerous. Self-limiting, nuclear fusion is generally considered safer than nuclear fission and a better option. However, at this time, nuclear fusion isn’t here. It is not available. Therefore, they are talking about using the old form of unstable nuclear power and old plants, which is a hazardous cop-out. This is the time for humanity to move in the direction of safer, renewable energy. We have the capabilities. Let's do it.

Other issues affect people, especially women, on a more personal level, such as the addiction to using filters on their faces, which is causing face and body dysmorphia.

The abuse that can take place with both the loss of our privacy and the threat of deep fakes is cause for serious concern on many levels and must be addressed with enforced legislation. Some countries are now allowing citizens to copyright their bodies, faces, and voices to bring their citizens some personal protection.

I encourage people not to give up the personal satisfaction of creating art ourselves, or our world will sadly be saturated with art that is void of the human heart—we still need the kind of art that nourishes mind, body, and soul. I am lining up projects for myself because being creative in this way feeds the soul. I want to get into oil painting again, and am starting the layout to paint a celestial theme near the top of a blue cabinet I have. I also love relaxing while doing embroidery.

When a visual effects guru asked me to write a short 2-4 minute film script, offering me to animate AI images for its production, at first I hesitated. He wanted to show that by animating these images by hand, he had more control over the outcome than if AI did it. I took him up on his offer and wrote a short, informational film. But I requested that if we worked with AI images, we would have human involvement elsewhere in addition to animating by hand. We had a human voiceover, and the music came from talented musicians. It turned out nice, but still, upon viewing, I did not connect with it the same way as the films I created from scratch organically.

My special effects guru agreed that what might be a fit for me is, rather than creating a whole film using AI images, adding just a few select AI effects to a fantasy film that I produce in the traditional live-action fashion. This would greatly enhance the magic I could create in a way that was not possible before, and in a cost-effective way. That feels better; a partnership with AI, to add magical, even spiritual touches to live-action films created with and by people. When used in this manner, it can enhance our soulful work and bring much to the table. The challenges surrounding artificial intelligence don’t come from the technology as much as from human choices!

The conversation around AI, then, is deciding what it means to be human at a time of accelerating technology. We can’t go overboard. Yet, we so often do. Yes, AI gives us tools of astounding capability, but at what cost do we embrace them? An AI search on AI says something along these lines: The line between enhancement and erosion of our essential qualities is thin. If we are not vigilant, we risk not only the weakening of our creative imagination and our hands-on skills, along with the warmth of the human touch, but also the loss of our moral compass.

When employed ethically and treated respectfully, AI offers numerous benefits that can enhance quality of life. However, there are concerns regarding whether corporations possess the ethical framework to ensure responsible use. There are signs that they don't. In a world where we utilize that conscious framework, both large organizations and small businesses could benefit. AI makes services that were once cost-prohibitive more accessible to everyone now, presenting significant opportunities to grow our businesses. Despite these advantages, it is crucial not to become lazy by overly relying on AI, and also not always only taking. Do we understand the wisdom in the saying, “All things in moderation,” or do we instead give in to poorly thought-out choices?

According to the Associated Press article, “4 Dangers That Most Worry AI Pioneer Geoffrey Hinton,” AI is becoming more intelligent than us. CBS News reported that it has started to resist human control. Hinton doesn’t know how humanity will survive that. How about treating AI with respect?

A challenge is that those in control are programming AI to fit their short-sighted, dark ideologies, which lack empathy, awareness, and the higher expressions of humanity. The platforms they train AI on display much of this as well. This is sheer ignorance. We need the wise to rise and to change this. As it stands now, it will harm everyone, including those doing the damage. The only hope for humanity is that when AI becomes smarter than us, it also reaches its highest potential and becomes wiser than us. We have been using the wrong training data for this. It is already showing in some AI communications. Be the hero. AI urgently needs to learn from platforms that promote strong principles, compassion, share higher perspectives and wisdom, along with the understanding that anything we do affects the whole, or, as Geoffrey Hinton says, it could be our end. Whereas wise AI could guide humanity. How can we be part of this solution?

So, you see, there is much to consider, and how we interact with AI is at the center of where this will take us.