Artificial Intelligence is all over the news these days, at least in our news feeds here at The New Human University. At The NHU, we’re teaching people to form the “SalutoGenic Singularity” — which is the greatest discovery that human beings have made to date — to create a cultural and societal singularity in humanity. And we’re keeping an eye on the attempts to form an artificial singularity. We’re in a race between these two singularities.

Admittedly, the capacity for artificial intelligence is intriguing, but, in the end, is it good for us? Would artificial intelligence promote Truth, Beauty, and Goodness? Would AI help or hurt the formation of The New Human, and the New Human Singularity? We think it’s a race between consciousness and catastrophe.

Here’s an opinion:

Truth

Truth is a foundational aspect of the relative realm and is directly related to inter-objectivity, or the ability for two perspectives to agree on a third perspective. Science, and the scientific method, are derivatives of Truth. The ability to reproduce the results of experiments comes out of inter-objectivity. We can all agree that reproducing well-engineered jetliners is a good thing for society, such that we can travel the world and participate in the relational and environmental dimensions without disastrous failure to fly. Sure, jets have downsides, but the downsides can also be studied and agreed upon.

The image below represents the quadrants of Integral Metatheory. Every sentient being cannot be reduced below these quadrants, which include Truth, Goodness, and Beauty. Will AI make the cut inside the quadrants?

AI can reproduce truth. AI can learn all the Truth that humans have determined is objectively and inter-objectively true, and then “play it back” to us.  AI can generate facsimiles of artistic creativity so compelling that we want more! AI can reproduce the wisdom contained on the internet. AI can learn games and beat human opponents because a sufficiently complex AI can compute faster and more logically than a human can.

But artificial wisdom is not wisdom. It’s an imitation of wisdom, and not wise, any more than “virtue signaling” is virtuous. If we’re fascinated by AI, then maybe it’s because we ourselves cannot reproduce the skill that AI can produce. But that fascination is no different than being fascinated by the skills of another human being. At least a human has the capacity for virtue.

Goodness

Speaking of virtue, Goodness is the capacity to access & evolve the moral line of development. Ethics. Getting along with others. Sharing subjective experiences. Creating culture. But AI is not Good unless trained to be Good, unless trained to get along with others. But the “Goodness” of AI is only as good as the Goodness of its Programmer. And it cannot evolve itself. It can only imitate the Good behavior of others. If it could “evolve” itself, it could only change based on pre-configured rules (assuming non-sentience, which is a safe assumption…).

That’s not good. Like virtue signaling, an imitation of good isn’t good. AI’s rule-based imitation of morality has all the warmth of stubborn sociopathy in humans.

Beauty

Speaking of humans, we have subjectivity. Our subject intersects the divine directly. We have access to The Ultimate Witness, and we have access to permanent identity with the Godhead, the Ultimate Subject to all objects.

That is beauty. Your subjective awareness is aware of these words. These words. These words. And that which is aware of these words is Consciousness Itself, the very Ground of Being.

An AI does not have subjectivity, nor access to The Ultimate Witness. AI is not beautiful. It can be True, but not Beautiful in the sense of subjectivity.

It can imitate Beauty. That’s not Beauty. And if one seeks Beauty in AI, maybe one does not yet know the Beauty of your own Pure Subjectivity.

Consciousness vs. Catastrophe

We have a choice. It’s not like AI has a life of its own. Without our efforts, AI cannot progress.

Similarly, without our efforts, we humans cannot progress.

The New Human University offers a one-year course in the teachings and practices of PraxisAletheia: The Metamodern Mystery School. PraxisAletheia is a path of waking up, growing up, cleaning up, and showing up in the world with your contribution to the world’s path of waking up & growing up.  Watch this webinar to see if you are a good fit for PraxisAletheia.

We have a few spots left before we close enrollment into the class beginning February 6th, 2023, but will re-open enrollment into the Class of 2024 with early-enrollment tuition incentives in the next month or two.