AI

Perceptions of What We Think We See

~ MKW Publishing ~ 2 Comments

This is a follow up piece to Perceptions of self, because on top of the three ideas of how we view ourselves, how we view others and how we think others view us, a curve ball gets added.

Ai generated ‘humans’ are becoming part of our everyday experiences with screens and ‘entertainment’, whether we are aware of their presence or not. So, within that, our perceptions and expectations of ourselves are affected, as with all the previous shifts in the commercial industries. Film, TV, fashion, music, news, politics, finance etc. All the areas that are used to have a system and standard for you to be conditioned to and to become part of. People learn an awful lot from faces, I think maybe that is overlooked sometimes. Not by those who know, it is very much thought about.

We learn about many things by watching others as we grow up and go through life. We begin to understand ourselves and the world around us, often steering away from the types who hold us down or back from life. And many people have built-in senses to detect things in others, we call it instinct I guess, but through time and process we have developed skills to try and recognise signals and warnings. Although, I believe they are greatly affected by environment and well placed and nurtured false triggers.

So, enter into that arena, a new range of ‘faces’ and ‘people’ to infiltrate the social landscape. We have that going with real people too, personal identity and who you think you are seems to be Big business these days. And maybe that is helped by the curve ball I mentioned. Where we now have to factor in what it is we might be comparing ourselves against, and to be honest, we always should have been, but I believed that was towards other humans. And even then I finally twigged that it was a skewed standard being pushed on society. That many people have a perception of something that didn’t actually exist other than in the mind, hoping for it to be reality so much, that actual reality gets overlooked or put aside. But they do say, you create your own reality. You can see why the lines may have become a bit blurred.

Now we have that extra component, creating a new reality alongside and within the one we currently have. A virtual and artificial one as they call it, infiltrating us by way of technology. Because without screens and a power source, it doesn’t exist. We however, need a power source to exist too, but food, water and rest seems to be enough to sustain ourselves. Quite independent of technology. The other world however, cannot. Maybe that’s why they would like people to be 6g antennas, so that there is a constant source of ‘power’ if we did switch everything off and reset it. They become fully integrated with us with a view to switching us off before we do it to them. A self-preservation mechanism that was either programmed or developed. But that goes to the far-fetched extreme, like the Matrix portrayal as us being batteries and ‘scorching the sun’. This is a more behind the scenes, insidious integration that almost seamlessly slips into being part of your life. So smooth you almost don’t notice. Almost…

(c) K Wicks

Is It Really The Machines We Should Fear?

~ MKW Publishing ~ 8 Comments

They always try and make out it is the machines and artificial intelligence we should avoid and fear. Many a film has paved the way for this –

Terminator films – skynet and the fight to eradicate humans.

The Matrix – another rise of the machines type film, where we can’t co-exist and an ongoing fight ensues.

Eagle Eye – a central AI computer that decides humans need to be controlled ‘for their own safety’.

I Robot – VIKI – same premise, AI that defined the above as the only logical outcome as we can’t be trusted.

A Space Odyssey – HAL, another AI system that ‘goes rogue’ and starts thinking for itself, sort of, because it’s still following ‘the mission’ and can’t entirely think for itself obviously.

War Games – this is the odd one out in the list, because the computer, Joshua did learn and adapt. In the nick of time no less, where the lesson was the futility of war, and when everybody loses there is no point in playing. If only we had that capacity.

Apart from the last example, we portray that it essentially makes them more dangerous than humans as they lack the capacity for nuance and complex thought with emotions. Or is that where the cross-over appears between humans and thinking machines? Because that is all we are viewed as these days – machines with emotions, so do we both have the same potential and failings? Where something we invent takes on a mind of its own and ends up turning on us and then seeks to destroy us. Sounds pretty human if you ask me, and after all, they were initially designed and programmed by us.

On a slight tangent, but still related in my mind, I have concern for this strange virtual universe they are trying to create and think that is where it will get weird. They seem to like using reverse words for things, so I have gone along with that and funnily enough, the reverse of Meta = Atem. This just happens to be an Egyptian god (also Atum, or Tem), translating to ‘to complete or finish’. There can be varying interpretations of that. But he is the start and the end they say. Interestingly, a myth of his origin is that he spoke himself into existence. I wonder about this, having come across a term which apparently is a real thing, but not real. Let me explain.

Tulpa or Tulpamancy – “is a concept in Theosophy, mysticism, and the paranormal, of an object or being that is created through spiritual or mental powers”. So says Wikipedia. But it’s an odd concept and instantly made me think of when some children have imaginary friends, and they are told it’s fictional. Weird that when adults do it, it’s a real thing. But not acceptable for all, because it does seem that there is discussion whether the whole Tulpa thing is real, spiritual and paranormal, or just a sign of loneliness and mental illness.

“A tulpa is an entity that exists inside a human’s brain, has their own sense of self, and is believed to have a consciousness which is separate from the main human”.

Sounds normal right?

So, let’s presume for a moment that this is completely possible and can be done as they say above. Wouldn’t it be of concern then that we are constantly looking to ‘create’ another version of ourselves online, and in their meta-verse (it is a concern to me and has been for a while now, but nobody else seems to share that worry). Could it be that by giving such concentrated thought to an alternative personality within ourselves that we are unknowingly or inadvertently creating beings and different versions of us through manifested thoughts. Some believe they are restricted to the mind only, but others believe they can become their own external entity.

In a world where we seem to have more than enough issues of people knowing who they are, do we need to add to them and the increasingly strange methods of keeping people isolated in ‘their own world’ as the saying goes. And that saying may be the future. In a Ready Player One kind of way. All hooked up and consuming in the virtual world so that you let the real-world crumble around you as they have planned it to, saving space and resources for the constructors of your social and virtual prison. Ending up in a Logan’s Run style set up, where people are contained in a completely controlled environment to ‘keep them safe’, they are not allowed to ask questions, think for themselves or be curious. Seems like we are halfway there already so need to really decide where this all goes, and I get the feeling we are not all going together.

(c) K Wicks

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