One thing AI can't replace

Today’s letter is a bit different.

I’ve been reflecting a lot about AI, how it impacts us and where we might be heading.

And I need to get these thoughts out.

I’m really enjoying going deeper on all of this, and always love a good sparring partner.

Especially to point out my gaps in logic or reason.

If any of the below ideas resonate with you, please reach out.

Here we go…

AI might be one of the biggest unlocks in human history.

I could run on and on about the ways in which it will impact us, but I won’t. You’ve probably heard it all already

The simplest understanding I have of things today is this.

We have rapidly moved beyond the knowledge economy into the wisdom economy.

AI = Infinite Knowledge, but infinite knowledge is nothing unless you can turn it into wisdom.

This what I believe everyone is talking about when they refer to the “wisdom economy”.

Those that know how to extract the wisdom will evolve with relative ease. Those that don’t will struggle.

We might all struggle in some form, but I’m a delusional optimist and creator, so I like to get into the practical actions to move through any fears of struggle.

Here are 13 thoughts/ideas boiling up inside of me right now:

1. Is AI really “artificial”? It feels more like another act of nature expressing itself. Consciousness, and therefore intelligence has been here long before any tool. Aren’t things like ChatGPT just suggestion, simulation and modern models of what has long existed?

2. The latest advancements in AI seem, to me, to be a natural unfolding of ourselves. It doesn’t feel separate from us. It feels like it is us; an extension of our mind and our creativity as a species.

3. A lot of the fear around AI seems to reflect the general misunderstanding we have with ourselves. We fear it because we fear our own minds, our egos, and our own unconscious drives.

4. I don’t think AI is going to “unlock human potential”, like some claim it to. I think it will reveal the potential that is available or, if used negatively, distract us behind more attention-sucking activities. We still have to do the “human work” to integrate what is revealed, and avoid the distraction. I fear most people won’t do either.

5. What we use AI for today, will slowly begin to atrophy tomorrow. Think writing, researching, problem solving, etc. These really valuable and highly important human skills are at risk of disintegrating, IMO. I fear most people aren’t aware of this. (h/t Chris Jepson for this one)

6. The skill of self exploration is something that has been slowly deteriorating since the Industrial Revolution and I think that deterioration is about to speed up fast. While an LLM can serve to point out a gap, it won’t do the work to close it. ChatGPT might help us unlock the first layer, which is so valuable for a lot of people, but we need exploration, experimentation, failure and human connection to continue to evolve.

7. The biggest fear I have of AI is over optimization. This feels like another neurotic human pursuit of perfection. Being human is not a problem to solve.

8. It’s pretty obvious that AI will be able to take over a lot of basic “human” activities, but the arts, creative ingenuity and craftsmanship will become extremely valuable. This will suck at first, but I think will end up being almost utopic over time.

9. The current advancements in AI mirror both our intelligence and our ignorance, our benevolence and our destructiveness. It feels like the yin and yang of human consciousness. Trust, integrity and intuition will become skills to navigate the good and the bad. This will be tricky, but ultimately growing those skills will be a massive benefit to humanity.

10. I think all of this AI chatter is forcing us to really understand what it means to be a human with an ego, or a “self”. Not an isolated ego, but an emergent property of relationships, patterns, thoughts, emotions and desires. Much like consciousness itself. If you aren’t the type to explore your self, and understand your ego, this will feel uncomfortable for awhile.

11. I think it’s pretty obvious that we shouldn’t use machines to make ourselves more machine-like, but it seems we haven’t learned that lesson yet. I think the advancements of AI today trigger awareness of the patterns that keep us from being fully human and it’s our job to turn that awareness into wisdom, action and creations that advance the raw, natural, beauty of what it means to be human. This is the best use case for AI IMO.

12. I believe the danger that we fear about AI shouldn’t be that it will surpass human intelligence, or that it will replace our jobs. Every LLM that exists is +1000x more “intelligent” and the jobs it is taking will likely lead to a net positive for society in the long wrong. The real fear should be that we become so consumed by it that our own individual and collective intelligence decays.

13. We have this fascination with “quick fixes” in our society and tools like ChatGPT are spotlighting that. Creating a recipe, writing a book, solving a really challenging intellectual problem are all things people are turning to these tools for. These are things that make us human. Like medicine and healthcare, there is no pill that we can pop that will solve all of our problems and the more we try to make it easy, the harder it will get over time, IMO.

I am incredibly excited for the future of AI. I’m also cautious.

And here is my cautiously optimistic view:

The advancement of large language models is another symptom of the Industrial Revolution designed to trick us into becoming more efficient, more productive, more “advanced”.

As we continue through this rush to build, grow and expand, we can’t forget this really simple truth: to be alive and to be human is not a task to complete, it’s a mystery to participate in. AI plays a role in that, and that’s what makes me excited and cautious.

Remember, at least for today, that AI is just a mirror. Not just of our intelligence, but of our confusion, our longing, our endless self optimization and invention.

The best way to extract the wisdom is not to accumulate more data or perfect the system, but to balance things with a surrender to the dance of our innate human consciousness.

And to play.

Much Love,

Cory Firth
Creator of One Minute Weekend

Let’s work together!