Rick, as I read this I kept thinking how much I admire that you are so resilient. It's pretty clear (not just from this piece but from knowing you) that you've been through a lot, divorce, etc. And yet you take the lessons and distill them for us. IMO there is something about sharing those lived human experiences that AI cannot express, or capture. First of all it hasnt lived them, but secondly it's always off about whats actually important. Anyway, I appreciate you sharing your hard earned wisdom and now wont be walking out in the middle of a shouting match with my wife :)
Thank you Louie. I've given lots of thought to the issue re AI and its usefulness with writing, but this idea that "it's always off about whats actually important" greatly intrigues me. It's an insight that really gets to the heart of the issue. Within any given field of attention, meaning might be hiding anywhere. The capacity to see it, find it, and let it teach us is truly a human thing.
Brilliant insight woven in and around a wonderfully self-reflective story, Rick. Thank you for sharing this. Our subconscious -- with the permission or active participation of our ego -- does act like artificial intelligence -- posing as something brilliant but lacking any real truth or depth.
And, if you are a lover of Rumi, you might enjoy an interview about Rumi that I had the good fortune to direct and edit in 2017. My good friend, Will Wilkinson did a brilliant job of creating space for Andrew Harvey to share his deep knowledge of the Sufi poet that is truly wonderful. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHLc25bkVhs
Thank you for sharing this, Rick. I felt a big step forward in my life when I stopped letting the algorithm in my mind run the show. There’s something about writing that helps us remember our conscious ability to create our story, rather than watch it play out.
Thanks Bob. Life goes by too fast to learn the lessons as they come. Writing helps me enormously to unpack the gifts I've been given and register what's contained in them.
...i like the twilight zone possibility that we have been artificially intelligent all along...real intelligence instead then might be our idiocy...in this alternative universe beavis and butthead rule us from a mountain of pringles cans...wait, not sure i like this reality either...real thoughts...i wonder what intelligence means amongst us, and how vast the idea might differ depending the knowledgeable...i read a couple books on the topic and took a class on it, but little of the tinkery sits in my brain anymore (i have become the twilight zone)...i guess what i am digging at is what kind of parameters can we build for ourselves, or tools internally, to utilize our intelligence in service to others, instead of the alternative artificial potential...
all forms of creativity seem to fit the bill, especially those that arise from and follow our impulse to create from joy vs from the desire to gain some form of advantage
Love your passion, Rick! And I'm glad you wrote this out. I'm still unclear how your ex's resentments are tied to modern AI foibles but let me meditate on this. You and CansaFis are making me see AI from different perspectives!
Yes, I have no illusions or expectations you'll align with my AI views, but that's what makes our conversations perpetually interesting. Our affinity for each other's work while existing in opposite camps. Love ya' pal.
Rick, I really like how you tie together the pitfall of our "personal, pre-digital AI" – rooted in confirmation bias that emerges as the same old stories – with the limits of digital AI. You say it best here: "When we consult a large-language model that allows us to say all things, we wind up saying nothing at all. The complaint that AI writing has no voice isn’t entirely accurate. On the contrary, its access to ALL voices is precisely what characterizes its lack of distinction."
Perhaps while "we disempower ourselves and give away authorship of our life" by not looking at things from a fresh perspective, to a certain extent, digital AI is now doing that *for* us.
I suppose that consciously steering away from "human AI" by not delving into old stories – especially in stressful situations – takes discipline, practice and compassion.
Capturing lines that resonate with me, some painfully:
"Beneath the smokescreen of my judgments about her were stories about myself— that I was unintelligent, unlovable, and lacking in courage."
"But when we claim to be no good at storytelling, we disempower ourselves and give away authorship of our life to out-dated, irrelevant, and default narratives that run the show."
"Our personal AI identifies weaknesses in our partner, retrieves stockpiled resentments, cites relationship experts that bolster our claims, and dredges up old history for evidence that we’re right and they’re wrong before it turns to the simple truth. “I’m scared.” “Please don’t go.” Or, “I see your pain.”"
"Words are the instruments that protect silence, deepen mystery, and preserve presence. When we access them from within, we amplify their meaning and magic."
I think what hits home most for me in this is the focus on presence and individuality as the highest form of true communication.
Thank you Nica. I'm honored by you taking the time to reflect on the post, letting the feeling unfold, and sharing your experience. It was painful to write as well in some ways, but I'd like to empower myself and others to use reflection this way, even when it's not pretty to examine what I/we've been up to. I often get writer's remorse after hitting the publish button on such things, thinking, what have I done? Messages like yours are so helpful to trust the expression. And your line in return is greatly appreciated. "the focus on presence and individuality as the highest form of true communication."
Rick, as I read this I kept thinking how much I admire that you are so resilient. It's pretty clear (not just from this piece but from knowing you) that you've been through a lot, divorce, etc. And yet you take the lessons and distill them for us. IMO there is something about sharing those lived human experiences that AI cannot express, or capture. First of all it hasnt lived them, but secondly it's always off about whats actually important. Anyway, I appreciate you sharing your hard earned wisdom and now wont be walking out in the middle of a shouting match with my wife :)
Thank you Louie. I've given lots of thought to the issue re AI and its usefulness with writing, but this idea that "it's always off about whats actually important" greatly intrigues me. It's an insight that really gets to the heart of the issue. Within any given field of attention, meaning might be hiding anywhere. The capacity to see it, find it, and let it teach us is truly a human thing.
Brilliant insight woven in and around a wonderfully self-reflective story, Rick. Thank you for sharing this. Our subconscious -- with the permission or active participation of our ego -- does act like artificial intelligence -- posing as something brilliant but lacking any real truth or depth.
And, if you are a lover of Rumi, you might enjoy an interview about Rumi that I had the good fortune to direct and edit in 2017. My good friend, Will Wilkinson did a brilliant job of creating space for Andrew Harvey to share his deep knowledge of the Sufi poet that is truly wonderful. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHLc25bkVhs
Wow, what a cool synchronicity re this interview with Andrew Harvey. I'm familiar with some of his translations and will enjoy taking a look.
Thank you for sharing this, Rick. I felt a big step forward in my life when I stopped letting the algorithm in my mind run the show. There’s something about writing that helps us remember our conscious ability to create our story, rather than watch it play out.
Thanks Bob. Life goes by too fast to learn the lessons as they come. Writing helps me enormously to unpack the gifts I've been given and register what's contained in them.
...i like the twilight zone possibility that we have been artificially intelligent all along...real intelligence instead then might be our idiocy...in this alternative universe beavis and butthead rule us from a mountain of pringles cans...wait, not sure i like this reality either...real thoughts...i wonder what intelligence means amongst us, and how vast the idea might differ depending the knowledgeable...i read a couple books on the topic and took a class on it, but little of the tinkery sits in my brain anymore (i have become the twilight zone)...i guess what i am digging at is what kind of parameters can we build for ourselves, or tools internally, to utilize our intelligence in service to others, instead of the alternative artificial potential...
all forms of creativity seem to fit the bill, especially those that arise from and follow our impulse to create from joy vs from the desire to gain some form of advantage
Love your passion, Rick! And I'm glad you wrote this out. I'm still unclear how your ex's resentments are tied to modern AI foibles but let me meditate on this. You and CansaFis are making me see AI from different perspectives!
Yes, I have no illusions or expectations you'll align with my AI views, but that's what makes our conversations perpetually interesting. Our affinity for each other's work while existing in opposite camps. Love ya' pal.
Rick, I really like how you tie together the pitfall of our "personal, pre-digital AI" – rooted in confirmation bias that emerges as the same old stories – with the limits of digital AI. You say it best here: "When we consult a large-language model that allows us to say all things, we wind up saying nothing at all. The complaint that AI writing has no voice isn’t entirely accurate. On the contrary, its access to ALL voices is precisely what characterizes its lack of distinction."
Perhaps while "we disempower ourselves and give away authorship of our life" by not looking at things from a fresh perspective, to a certain extent, digital AI is now doing that *for* us.
Thanks. I guess my gut is saying that the fewer things I let (human or machine) AI do for me the better off I am.
Agreed. Your gut is spot-on correct.
I suppose that consciously steering away from "human AI" by not delving into old stories – especially in stressful situations – takes discipline, practice and compassion.
boy does it ever. kind of a lifetime of work
Capturing lines that resonate with me, some painfully:
"Beneath the smokescreen of my judgments about her were stories about myself— that I was unintelligent, unlovable, and lacking in courage."
"But when we claim to be no good at storytelling, we disempower ourselves and give away authorship of our life to out-dated, irrelevant, and default narratives that run the show."
"Our personal AI identifies weaknesses in our partner, retrieves stockpiled resentments, cites relationship experts that bolster our claims, and dredges up old history for evidence that we’re right and they’re wrong before it turns to the simple truth. “I’m scared.” “Please don’t go.” Or, “I see your pain.”"
"Words are the instruments that protect silence, deepen mystery, and preserve presence. When we access them from within, we amplify their meaning and magic."
I think what hits home most for me in this is the focus on presence and individuality as the highest form of true communication.
Thank you Nica. I'm honored by you taking the time to reflect on the post, letting the feeling unfold, and sharing your experience. It was painful to write as well in some ways, but I'd like to empower myself and others to use reflection this way, even when it's not pretty to examine what I/we've been up to. I often get writer's remorse after hitting the publish button on such things, thinking, what have I done? Messages like yours are so helpful to trust the expression. And your line in return is greatly appreciated. "the focus on presence and individuality as the highest form of true communication."
"The domain of language is a precious sanctum where self-knowledge can be gained, conversations nourished, and communion fed."
You celebrate humanity with your own. I feel blessed by your words. We are the authors of our lives. "Language is a precious sanctum," indeed.
Thank you Amba!