The Beginning

The biblical creation story unfolds with many twists and turns: man is created, beloved by the founder of the universe, and given a purpose, a mate, and creations to name. Man then ventures out into the world to reproduce, to create additional men in his image. His offspring, two sons, are bestowed with life, purpose, and free will. In their relationship with God, they choose war, fighting against each other and challenging the creator himself. This struggle between man and his creator persists for generations.

Today's Challenge

Today, that same conflict simmers beneath the changing technological landscape of the 21st century. Artificial Intelligence, or AI, is set to alter fundamentally the way we conceive what it means to be human. Evolution, plain and simple.

Many people say that since we humans made AI, we can control it. But looking back, we see that having control is not always the case. Our actions have led to great things but also serious problems like global warming, wars, poverty, and chronic homelessness.

Unexpected Outcomes

When the founders of our social media platforms conceived of connecting the world by allowing us to communicate and share cat pictures with long-lost friends, who could say then that it would be our undoing? The very platforms that were created for our benefit ended up undermining the very basis of truth, civility, and common courtesy. Again, the creators had a vision and we, the people, did what we wanted to do with the creation.

Control and Creation

Our saving grace may be the ability to come into collaboration with the machines. To work in step with their continued ability to evolve and expand beyond what we are capable to do in the confines of our restricted brain size and capacity. However, we will need to be disciplined, focus, and give thoughtful-attention to the task at hand.

Hope for the Future

It is my hope, belief, and fight for the future that we make artificial intelligence our second chance. Can we fix what has been destroyed by social media? Can we, with discipline and focus, train AI’s to promote collaboration, civility, and our continued existence?

Learning and Growing

When you are a parent, the best advice you receive is that your kids will "do as you do, not as you say." That understanding propels you to live out the person you say you want your kids to be. The practice becomes a daily striving of failing forward. The AI large language models (LLMs) are listening by receiving our input – what do we have to say? What do we want them to become?

I hope you found this interesting! If you did, please hit the like button, share with your friends, and let me know your thoughts in the comments below. It's great to share ideas and learn from each other.

If you want to learn more, here are some books you might like:

These books talk more about the relationship between humans and smart machines. Your comments are important, so don’t forget to share your thoughts below!